You gave them 7 days to comply. Today is only day six. They have until the close of business tomorrow to respond!
If no response by close of business tomorrow, then you can send a follow up:
Subject: Claim [Claim No] – Day 7: Unauthorised N1SDT signature (Ms Sarah Ensall) and non-compliant DQ (N180)
Dear Sir/Madam,
Primary issue – N1SDT signature (reserved legal activity):
My email of 1 October 2025 asked you to confirm whether Sarah Ensall is an authorised person with a current right to conduct litigation (Legal Services Act 2007). You have not responded.
Preparing and signing the N1SDT (claim form/statement of truth) constitutes conducting litigation, a reserved legal activity. If Ms Ensall is not authorised (or personally exempt under Sch 3 LSA 2007), the signature is invalid and the claim was improperly verified contrary to CPR 22 and PD22. Following Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB), unqualified employees may assist, but may not themselves conduct litigation unless authorised or exempt.
Secondary issue – DQ (N180) signature:
Your N180 is signed only “DCB Legal”, with no named individual or capacity, contrary to PD22. Preparing/signing/filing/serving a DQ is also conducting litigation.
Action required within 48 hours:
1. Authority: For Ms Ensall and the DQ signatory, provide full name, role, and regulator (SRA/CILEx number and practising status). If not authorised, identify the precise exemption under Sch 3 LSA 2007 relied upon (or supply any sealed order).
2. Cure the N1SDT defect: File and serve a replacement statement of truth for the claim form/particulars personally signed by an authorised (or exempt) individual, stating their full name and capacity, with written confirmation that it supersedes Ms Ensall’s signature.
3. Cure the DQ defect: Re-file and serve a compliant N180 personally signed by an authorised (or exempt) individual, stating their full name and capacity; also identify the signatory of any covering letter and confirm their authority.
4. Service and filing: I accept service by email. Serve the corrected documents by email to [your email] and file them at court (e.g. CE-File). Confirm (i) the date/time and method of service on me, and (ii) the date/time and method of filing at court (or provide the CE-File receipt).
Should you fail to comply:
Absent satisfactory confirmation and compliant re-verification within 48 hours, I will, without further notice:
• Apply for directions and sanctions, including an unless order that the claim be stayed or struck out if a validly authorised statement of truth for the N1SDT/particulars and a compliant DQ are not filed/served within 7 days of the order (CPR 3.1, 3.4, 22).
• Seek costs for unreasonable conduct under CPR 27.14(2)(g) and/or wasted costs under s.51 Senior Courts Act 1981 / CPR 46.8.
• Place this correspondence before the Court and report the matter to the SRA. Carrying on a reserved legal activity without entitlement is a criminal offence under the LSA 2007 (ss.14–17).p
Please acknowledge safe receipt and confirm the position.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
In which case, you should send the following email to info@dcblegal.co.uk and CC yourself:
Subject: Claim [Claim No] – N1SDT Claim Form Signature and Directions Questionnaire (N180) signed “DCB Legal”: authority to conduct litigation, signature validity, service by email, and regulatory notice
Dear Sir/Madam,
I refer to (i) the N1SDT Claim Form signed by Sarah Ensall and (ii) the Directions Questionnaire (N180) filed/served in this matter. The N180 DQ is signed only “DCB Legal” with no named individual and purports to be signed on behalf of the Claimant’s solicitor.
Please confirm by return:
1. Whether Ms Ensall and The N180 DQ signatory’s full name (forename and surname), their role, and whether they are an authorised person within the meaning of the Legal Services Act 2007 with current rights to conduct litigation (provide SRA or CILEX number and practising status). If not authorised,
2. The precise exemption relied upon under Schedule 3 of the Legal Services Act 2007 that permits this individual personally to conduct litigation and sign these documents in these proceedings (if relying on a court order, provide the sealed order; if relying on an enactment, identify it precisely).
For the avoidance of doubt:
• Preparing, signing, filing, or serving a Directions Questionnaire is an act of conducting litigation, a reserved legal activity.
• Practice Direction 22 requires the signatory’s full name and capacity when signing on behalf of a party; a firm’s name or initials alone are not sufficient for verification of authorisation.
• Following Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025], unqualified employees may assist but cannot themselves conduct litigation unless authorised or exempt.
Action required:
• Confirm the above within 7 days.
• Re-file and serve a compliant N180 personally signed by an authorised (or exempt) individual, with their full name and capacity clearly stated. Please also identify the individual who signed the accompanying covering letter and confirm their authority.
Costs and regulatory notice:
If any document was signed by a person not authorised or exempt, or must be re-filed/served to correct the signatory’s identity/status, I, as a litigant in person, will treat this as unreasonable conduct. In line with Mazur and CPR 27.14(2)(g), I will invite the Court, in its discretion, to order the Claimant to pay the Defendant’s costs caused by your firm’s irregular conduct and, if appropriate, to consider wasted costs against representatives.
Further, carrying on a reserved legal activity without entitlement is a criminal offence under the Legal Services Act 2007. If any unauthorised conduct of litigation has occurred, I will report the matter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority without further notice and reserve the right to place this correspondence before the Court.
Yours faithfully,
[Full Name]
[Postal Address]
[Email (for correspondence only; not for service)]
You can check your MCOL history and it will update to tell you when they have sent yours, at which point no need to wait for it to arrive and you can send it off anyway.
In the meantime (your image of the N1SDT Claim Form has been removed) can you confirm that the claim form was signed by Sarah Ensall, Head of Legal? Also, I'm going to presume that the claimants copy of their N180DQ has been signed by someone from DCB Legal with only an initial and their last name.
If so, you should send the following email to info@dcblegal.co.uk and CC yourself:
Subject: Claim [claim number] – N1SDT Claim Form PoC signed by Sarah Ensall; N180 DQ signature; authority to conduct litigation, signature validity, and regulatory notice
Dear Sir/Madam,
I refer to the Claim Form (N1SDT) Particulars of Claim (PoC) filed/served in this matter. The document is signed by Sarah Ensall, position stated as Head of Legal, and purports to be signed on behalf of the Claimant’s solicitor.
Please confirm by return:
1. The PoC signatory’s role, and whether they are an authorised person within the meaning of the Legal Services Act 2007 with current rights to conduct litigation (provide SRA or CILEX number and practising status). If not authorised,
2. The precise exemption relied upon under Schedule 3 of the Legal Services Act 2007 that permits this individual personally to conduct litigation and sign this document in these proceedings (if relying on a court order, provide the sealed order; if relying on an enactment, identify it precisely).
N180 Directions Questionnaire (DQ) – signature and authorisation
I also refer to the Claimant’s copy of the N180 DQ, which is signed only with an initial and surname by a DCB Legal employee who is not identified as an authorised person to conduct litigation.
3. Confirm the DQ signatory’s full name (not initials), capacity, and authorisation to conduct litigation within the meaning of the Legal Services Act 2007 (provide SRA or CILEX number and practising status). If not authorised, state the precise exemption relied upon under Schedule 3 that permits that individual personally to sign a statement of truth on the Claimant’s behalf in these proceedings.
4. If the DQ was signed by an unauthorised and non-exempt person, confirm that you will re-file and serve a compliant N180 signed by an authorised (or exempt) individual, giving their full name and capacity.
For the avoidance of doubt:
• Preparing, signing, filing, or serving the PoC and/or the N180 DQ (which contains a statement of truth) are acts of conducting litigation, a reserved legal activity.
• CPR 22 and Practice Direction 22 require that a statement of truth be signed by the party or their legal representative; where signed by a legal representative, the signatory must sign in their own name and state their capacity. Initials only are not sufficient for verification of authorisation.
• Following Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025], unqualified employees may assist but cannot themselves conduct litigation unless authorised or exempt.
Action required:
• Confirm the above within 7 days.
• If either document (PoC and/or N180) was not signed by an authorised (or exempt) person, re-file and serve compliant versions personally signed by an authorised individual, with their full name and capacity clearly stated.
Costs and regulatory notice:
If any document was signed by a person not authorised or exempt, or must be re-filed/served to correct the signatory’s identity/status, I, as a litigant in person, will treat this as unreasonable conduct. In line with Mazur and CPR 27.14(2)(g), I will invite the Court, in its discretion, to order the Claimant to pay the Defendant’s costs caused by your firm’s irregular conduct and, if appropriate, to consider wasted costs against representatives.
Further, carrying on a reserved legal activity without entitlement is a criminal offence under the Legal Services Act 2007. If any unauthorised conduct of litigation has occurred, I will report the matter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority without further notice and reserve the right to place this correspondence before the Court.
Yours faithfully,
[Full Name]
[Postal Address]
[Email]
If you need to understand more as to why this is a necessary step, you can read about it in this thread:
Why the recent High Court appellate case of Mazur is very relevant to all cases we deal with here (https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/why-the-recent-high-court-appellate-case-of-mazur-is-very-relevant-to-all-cases-/)
You can keep checking your MCOL history and it will update when they have sent yours out. No need to wait for it to arrive as you can prepare one now. Just don't send it until you see that yours has been sent or you receive it in the post.
Having received your own N180 (make sure it is not simply a copy of the claimants N180), do not use the paper form. Ignore all the other forms that came with it. you can discard those. Download your own here and fill it in on your computer. You sign it by simply typing your full name in the signature box.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673341e779e9143625613543/N180_1124.pdf
Here are the answers to some of the less obvious questions:
• The name of the court is "Civil National Business Centre".
• To be completed by "Your full name" and you are the "Defendant".
• C1: "YES"
• D1: "NO". Reason: "I wish to question the Claimant about their evidence at a hearing in person and to expose omissions and any misleading or incorrect evidence or assertions.
Given the Claimant is a firm who complete cut & paste parking case paperwork for a living, having this case heard solely on papers would appear to put the Claimant at an unfair advantage, especially as they would no doubt prefer the Defendant not to have the opportunity to expose the issues in the Claimants template submissions or speak as the only true witness to events in question.."
• F1: Whichever is your nearest county court. Use this to find it: https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/search-option
• F3: "1".
• Sign the form by simply typing your full name for the signature.
When you have completed the form, attach it to a single email addressed to both dq.cnbc@justice.gov.uk and info@dcblegal.co.uk and CC in yourself. Make sure that the claim number is in the subject field of the email.
Wait for your own N180 DQ.
Having received your own N180 (make sure it is not simply a copy of the claimants N180), do not use the paper form. Ignore all the other forms that came with it. you can discard those. Download your own here and fill it in on your computer. You sign it by simply typing your full name in the signature box.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673341e779e9143625613543/N180_1124.pdf
Here are the answers to some of the less obvious questions:
• The name of the court is "Civil National Business Centre".
• To be completed by "Your full name" and you are the "Defendant".
• C1: "YES"
• D1: "NO". Reason: "I wish to question the Claimant about their evidence at a hearing in person and to expose omissions and any misleading or incorrect evidence or assertions.
Given the Claimant is a firm who complete cut & paste parking case paperwork for a living, having this case heard solely on papers would appear to put the Claimant at an unfair advantage, especially as they would no doubt prefer the Defendant not to have the opportunity to expose the issues in the Claimants template submissions or speak as the only true witness to events in question.."
• F1: Whichever is your nearest county court. Use this to find it: https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/search-option
• F3: "1".
• Sign the form by simply typing your full name for the signature.
When you have completed the form, attach it to a single email addressed to both dq.cnbc@justice.gov.uk and info@dcblegal.co.uk and CC in yourself. Make sure that the claim number is in the subject field of the email.