You opened the letter, you read the figure, and your stomach dropped. Maybe you owe some of it. Maybe you owe none of it. Maybe you are not even sure who the sender is. Whatever the situation, the response you send in the next two weeks will set the legal terrain for everything that follows. This is a defensive guide — not a confrontational one.
Step one: read it like a lawyer
Before writing a word, identify five things in the letter: who is the sender (the actual claimant, not just the law firm), what is the legal basis (contract, tort, statute, ACL section 18, defamation), what is the amount and how is it calculated, what is the deadline, and what evidence has been provided. Most letters of demand are surprisingly thin on at least two of those — and those gaps are your defensive openings.
Step two: never admit liability
This is the rule that protects every later step. Do not say “sorry”, “I’ll pay”, “let me work something out”, or “you’re partly right”. Each of those, even in a casual email, can be filed as an admission under the civil procedure rules in your state. Admissions are extremely difficult to walk back. Once made, the dispute is no longer about whether you owe the money — only how much and when.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Phone calls instead of writing. Phone calls leave no record and the other side will write the file note their way.
- Settlement offers without “without prejudice”. Without that header, a settlement offer can be tendered as evidence of liability.
- Long explanatory emails. Every fact you volunteer is a fact the sender now has on the record.
- Forwarding the letter to colleagues or social media. Can create fresh defamation or breach-of-confidence exposure.
- Missing the limitation period defence. Stale debts (typically 6 years under state Limitations Acts) may be statute-barred — but only if you raise the defence in time.
What the right response looks like
A proper Legal Response is short, calm, and surgical. It denies the allegations on a without-prejudice basis, requests full particulars and supporting documents, raises any obvious defences (limitations, lack of standing, missing elements of the cause of action, disputed facts), invites the sender to substantiate the claim, and reserves all rights. It does not concede anything and does not invite emotional engagement.
What Claim Done delivers
For a flat $79, Claim Done drafts a Legal Response calibrated to the type of demand — debt, contract dispute, property damage, or alleged statutory breach. It frames the right defences and protects your position without conceding liability. Solicitors typically charge $400–$900 to do the same job under the meter.
What happens after
Many demands evaporate at this stage because the sender realises the claim has gaps. If the matter does proceed to court, your written response is the foundation of your defence — and crucially, it does not contain any admissions that the other side can use to short-circuit the case.