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Send the following email to info@dcblegal.co.uk and CC yourself:QuoteSubject: Claim [Claim No] – Directions Questionnaire (N180) and covering letter signed “DCB Legal”: authority to conduct litigation, signature validity, service by email, and regulatory noticeDear Sir/Madam,I refer to (i) the Directions Questionnaire (N180) and (ii) your covering letter dated [date] filed/served in this matter. Each document 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. The 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]
Subject: Claim [Claim No] – Directions Questionnaire (N180) and covering letter signed “DCB Legal”: authority to conduct litigation, signature validity, service by email, and regulatory noticeDear Sir/Madam,I refer to (i) the Directions Questionnaire (N180) and (ii) your covering letter dated [date] filed/served in this matter. Each document 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. The 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]
