Legal Escalation & Debt Enforcement
When amicable fails, we escalate. Court orders, EPOs, enforcement agents and asset seizure across 160+ jurisdictions with vetted local counsel.
OPERATIONS / LEGAL
The law is precise. So are we.
Legal debt collection is not about aggression. It is about selecting the correct legal instrument for the jurisdiction, filing it correctly, and enforcing it efficiently. A German Mahnbescheid costs EUR 32. A Brazilian Execução skips trial. An Australian Statutory Demand costs AUD 50 and threatens corporate liquidation. We know which tool fits which jurisdiction.
LEGAL INSTRUMENTS BY JURISDICTION
Germany — Mahnbescheid
Automated court payment order. Filed electronically. Costs EUR 32. If the debtor does not object within 14 days, it becomes a fully enforceable title. No hearing required.
France — Injonction de payer
Fast-track payment order via Tribunal de Commerce. Preceded by mise en demeure (formal legal notice). If unopposed, enforceable across France within weeks.
European Union — European Payment Order
One form. 27 member states. If the debtor does not oppose within 30 days, the order is enforceable from Lisbon to Tallinn. Filing cost: under EUR 100.
Brazil — Execução de Título Extrajudicial
Direct execution — skips trial entirely if you hold a signed contract. Court orders payment within 3 days. BacenJud system searches every bank account in Brazil simultaneously.
Australia — Statutory Demand
Filed under Section 459E of the Corporations Act. 21 days to comply. If ignored, the creditor can apply to wind up the company. Filing cost: approximately AUD 50.
United Kingdom — Letter Before Action
Pre-action protocol under Civil Procedure Rules. 14-30 days to respond. If ignored, county court or High Court claim follows. Statutory interest at base rate + 8%.
From notice to enforcement
Stage 1 — Formal Legal Notice
Jurisdiction-specific legal demand issued by our local attorney. Mahnung, mise en demeure, Letter Before Action — the instrument that carries legal weight in that country.
Stage 2 — Court Filing
Payment order or claim filed with the competent court. We handle the filing, the fees, and the procedural requirements. You handle nothing.
Stage 3 — Judgment
If unopposed: default judgment. If opposed: we assess whether to proceed to hearing or negotiate from the strengthened position of an active court claim.
Stage 4 — Enforcement
Judgment enforcement through local mechanisms. Bank account seizure. Asset attachment. Bailiff instruction. Wage garnishment where applicable.
No surprises at altitude
LEGAL DEMAND LETTER
Included in success fee
Costs quoted upfront
We never file a court claim without your explicit approval and a clear cost estimate. Legal escalation is a tool, not a trap. If the economics do not support court action, we will tell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays the court filing fees?
You pay court filing fees upfront (quoted before filing). If we win, these costs are typically recoverable from the debtor. Our success fee applies only to collected amounts.
How do you select the right legal instrument?
Based on jurisdiction, debt amount, debtor profile, and available evidence. A EUR 15,000 debt in Germany goes through Mahnverfahren. A EUR 500,000 cross-border claim uses the European Payment Order. We match the instrument to the case.
What if the debtor opposes the court order?
We assess the opposition. Frivolous objections (common) are handled procedurally. Genuine disputes may require a hearing — we advise on prospects and costs before proceeding.
Can you enforce a judgment in another country?
Yes. EU judgments are enforceable across all 27 member states. Non-EU judgments may require local recognition proceedings — we handle these through our attorney network.
What is your success rate with legal escalation?
85% cumulative (including cases resolved at amicable stage). Cases that reach legal escalation resolve at approximately 60-65% — those are the harder cases by definition.
"The Directive gave you weapons. You left them in the drawer. We open drawers."
Film: The Wrong Shade of Oak
Bordeaux. A new town hall floor in beautiful Belgian oak, not paid for.
Lotte Peeters runs Peeters Hout NV, a timber supplier in Antwerp, and delivered 38 tonnes of oak to Bordeaux. Maxime Dufresne of Dufresne Bâtiment SAS laid every plank, then decided the oak was the wrong shade. Invoice 0788: €132,000, now 110 days overdue.
Attempt one was reminders. Fourteen of them, and fourteen replies about the colour. The oak had been laid, varnished and admired, just not paid for.
Attempt two was Uncle Jef, who drove nine hours at night to take the oak back. The oak was the town hall floor, and the town hall had gendarmes. Jef was escorted out, politely, minus his crowbar.
Attempt three was local. Élodie Marchand, InterStation's collector in Bordeaux, escalated through French legal instruments.
One: a formal notice (mise en demeure) with the contract and the signed delivery notes. Two: a payment order (injonction de payer) from the commercial court (Tribunal de commerce), granted without a hearing. Three: once the order is served, the debtor has one month to oppose it; a claim that the oak was the wrong shade needs evidence, and signed delivery notes make that hard. Four: an unopposed order becomes enforceable, and a judicial officer (commissaire de justice) can seize the balance of the debtor's bank account (saisie-attribution).
Maxime's business account went quiet. Suddenly the oak was exactly the right shade. He paid in full, plus interest and costs.
The moral: the law has drawers. Open the right one.
Characters are fictional. French procedure simplified for storytelling; deadlines, costs and outcomes vary by case.