Instruct a solicitor for a sourcing seller dispute
Ask a solicitor to assess specified documents and answer agreed questions in writing. Confirm the applicable UK jurisdiction, exclusions and fee before work starts, with further action subject to your written approval. Keep the sourcing records separate from the legal advice when dealing with Cambridge China Bridge.
Prepare a brief the solicitor can price
Identify your buying company, the seller’s contracting name and any other parties involved. Ask the firm to check for conflicts before you send the detailed file. Explain what happened, what the seller says and whether you want replacement goods, a refund, compensation or a negotiated exit.
Send an indexed document pack: accepted quote, order, terms, specification, sample approvals, invoices, payment records, inspection reports and relevant correspondence. Include a chronology and a loss schedule separating documented expenditure from estimates. Use seller or agent to clarify the contracting role and claim preparation for the supporting file.
Ask for answers that support a decision
Request a short written assessment addressing: who is the appropriate party to pursue, which contractual promises matter, what arguments and defences need examination, what evidence is missing, and which losses need further support. Ask the solicitor to distinguish preliminary views from conclusions requiring more documents or specialist input.
Ask which deadlines need checking immediately, whether urgent protective work is recommended, and who will handle it. Request a comparison of negotiation, mediation and court action, including likely expenditure, possible exposure to the other side’s costs and practical recovery prospects. Refer to goods dispute escalation for the wider route.
Confirm the applicable UK jurisdiction
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are separate UK legal jurisdictions. Ask the solicitor to identify the applicable governing law and the court or agreed dispute forum, after reviewing the contract and parties’ locations. Ask the solicitor to confirm how the seller's UK location affects that assessment, using our contracting-role guide to prepare the background.
Tell the firm where your company and the seller are based, where delivery occurred, and provide any governing-law, court, arbitration or dispute-resolution clauses. Ask whether the proposed solicitor can advise on the identified jurisdiction or needs a colleague qualified there. Do not leave the scope described simply as a review under UK law.
Write down what the assessment excludes
Suggested instruction: ‘Please review the listed documents and provide a written preliminary assessment answering the agreed questions. Exclude contacting the seller, sending a formal demand, negotiating, accepting settlement, starting proceedings, appointing experts and investigating overseas law. Please identify any additional work you recommend and quote separately before undertaking it.’
Agree the document list, delivery date, responsible solicitor and whether a follow-up discussion is included. Specify whether deadline checking is included and whether deadline monitoring or protective action is excluded. Ask for confirmation of who will manage any urgent issue; do not assume the assessment includes ongoing case management.
Agree staged fees and authority to continue
SRA guidance says information about the cost of the lawyer’s service will be provided in writing. Ask for a fixed fee or an expressly agreed spending cap for the assessment. Confirm VAT, expenses, payment timing, assumptions and how extra documents or questions affect the quote. For a cap, specify that work must pause before it is exceeded.
Price later work separately: seller correspondence, negotiation or mediation, then proceedings if recommended. Name the person authorised to approve each stage. Suggested instruction: ‘Further work requires written approval of its scope and fee. Preparing a draft does not authorise sending it, and discussing settlement does not authorise accepting it.’ Review the assessment before approving the next stage.
Frequently asked questions
Can I instruct a solicitor just to assess my dispute?
Ask whether the firm will accept a limited assessment. Agree the documents, questions, written output, exclusions and fee in its engagement terms before work begins.
Does a UK seller mean English law applies?
Ask the solicitor to confirm how the seller's UK location affects the governing-law assessment. Ask the solicitor to review the contract and identify the applicable law and dispute forum.
What should the initial solicitor fee cover?
Specify document review, the written assessment and any follow-up discussion. Confirm VAT, expenses and the treatment of extra material. Price correspondence and proceedings separately.
Can the solicitor contact the seller without asking me?
Make your instruction explicit: no seller contact, formal demand, settlement acceptance or proceedings without your written approval. Ask the firm to confirm these limits in its engagement terms.