Is late payment a big problem in the legal services sector?

The legal services sector is slightly better than the UK average, with 16% of invoices paid late compared to 24% nationally. However, late payment still affects freelancers and suppliers in this sector.

Can I charge interest on late invoices?

Yes. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998, you can charge statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate on any overdue business-to-business invoice. You can also claim fixed compensation of £40 to £100 per invoice. You do not need to include this in your contract for it to apply.

How can I check if a specific company pays on time?

Use the PennyFetch payment checker tool to search over 9,000 large UK companies and see their actual payment record, including average days to pay, percentage of invoices paid late, and whether their payment speed is improving or getting worse.

Industry Data

Late payment in legal services

How the UK legal services sector compares on payment practices, based on official government data from 38 reporting companies.

Overview

Legal firms have relatively low rates of late payment in terms of percentage, but their average payment times are among the highest. This reflects the traditional billing practices in the legal industry, where quarterly or monthly billing cycles and dispute-heavy payment processes are common.

Key statistics

Avg. days to pay

UK median: 32

Invoices paid late

16%

UK average: 24%

Companies reporting

of 9,336 total

Legal Services companies pay their suppliers in 51 days on average, which is 19 days slower than the UK median of 32 days. 16% of invoices in this sector are paid after the agreed terms.

Slowest payers in legal services

These are the legal services companies with the highest percentage of invoices paid after the agreed terms, based on their most recent government filing.

Company	Avg. days	% paid late
KENNEDYS LAW LLP	87	55%
ADVANCED LEGAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED	48	41%
OVERDALES LEGAL LIMITED	49	39%
THOMPSONS SOLICITORS LLP	31	34%
BOSCH LAWN AND GARDEN LIMITED	46	31%
SLATER GORDON SOLUTIONS LEGAL LIMITED	36	31%
SWITALSKIS SOLICITORS LIMITED	28	30%
REDLAWN LAND LIMITED	24	30%
CO-OPERATIVE LEGAL SERVICES LIMITED	38	29%
PLEXUS LEGAL LLP	53	28%

Advice for freelancers working in legal services

Legal firms tend to pay eventually but slowly. If you are providing services to a law firm (IT support, marketing, translation, expert witness work), agree clear payment milestones and invoice regularly rather than waiting until the end of a project. Ironically, legal firms are often the most responsive to formal late payment notices.

Frequently asked questions

Based on official government data, legal services companies take an average of 51 days to pay their suppliers. 16% of invoices in this sector are paid later than the agreed terms.

Related tools and guides

Company payment checker

Look up a specific company to check their payment record.

All industry statistics

Compare late payment across every UK sector.

Late payment interest calculator

Work out what you are owed in interest and compensation.

How to chase an unpaid invoice

Step-by-step guide with email templates.

Data from the UK Government Payment Practices Reporting service. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Industry classification and analysis by PennyFetch. This page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or legal advice.

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