Legal Basics in 60 Seconds
Short, witty animated explainers of the legal concepts behind getting paid — each with a plain-English guide.
What Is Mediation? How to Get Paid Without Losing the Client
Mediation is a way to settle a dispute with the help of a neutral third person, the mediator.
What Is a Personal Guarantee? Why They Can Take Your House
A personal guarantee is a promise by an individual — usually a company director or owner — to pay the company's debt if the company doesn't.
Breach of Contract: What Can You Do When a Supplier Doesn't Deliver?
A breach of contract happens when one party fails to do what the contract requires — delivering late, delivering the wrong thing, or not paying.
What Is a Default Judgment? You Win Because They Didn't Show Up
A default judgment is a court decision in your favour because the other side failed to respond to your claim in time.
What Is Force Majeure? Why "I Ran Out of Money" Doesn't Count
Force majeure — French for "superior force" — is a contract rule that can excuse a party from performing when an extraordinary event beyond its control makes performance impossible, such as a natural disaster, war or government ban.
Your Unpaid Invoice Has an Expiry Date: The Statute of Limitations Explained
A statute of limitations (or limitation period) is the legal time limit for taking court action to collect a debt.
What Is Arbitration? How Private Judges Settle Business Disputes
Arbitration is a private way to resolve a dispute outside the courts.
What Is Promissory Estoppel? When a Promise Binds Without a Contract
Promissory estoppel is a common-law rule that can stop a person from going back on a clear promise, even without a contract, when the other party reasonably relied on it and it would be unfair to let them withdraw it.
What Is Negligence? The 4 Elements: Duty, Breach, Causation & Damage
Negligence is a failure to take reasonable care that causes real harm to someone else.
What Is Hearsay? Why "My Cousin Told Me" Won't Win Your Case
Hearsay is an out-of-court statement repeated in court to prove that what it says is true — for example, "my cousin told me he never paid".
Late Payment Interest: Your Late Payer Owes You Interest (and €40)
Yes — in the EU, when a business pays another business late, the creditor is entitled to statutory interest at the European Central Bank reference rate plus at least 8 percentage points, plus a fixed €40 per late invoice for recovery costs.
What Is a Letter Before Action? The Debt Letter So Good, the Debtor Paid
A letter before action — also called a letter of demand or formal notice — is the last formal warning to a debtor before going to court.
How to Collect an Unpaid Invoice From a Customer Abroad
To collect an unpaid invoice from a foreign customer, start with your contract: it tells you which country's law applies and which courts decide.