A lawyer's letter is not a court judgment, but it is the start of a process that gets recorded. The one certain mistake is to ignore it. The second is to answer it while angry.
A letter of demand is the formal statement of a position: what the other side claims, what they require, and within what time. It is not a claim, it is not a judgment, and it proves nothing by itself. It is, however, almost always the last step before the courts, and the way you handle it is recorded.
Two things to keep from the first moment: the date you received it and how it was delivered. Both can matter later.
The first twenty four hours: what not to do
Do not telephone the other side or their lawyer angry. Do not reply in writing the same hour. Do not admit, do not promise payments, do not explain your side in messages.
Anything you say or write in the heat of it can be read out later in court, without the tone and without the context. The letter was written calmly, by a professional, with a purpose. The reply deserves the same.
Build the file
Before any reply, gather everything that touches the matter: the contract if there is one, invoices and receipts, the correspondence and messages in their order, and the names of anyone who was involved. Do not delete anything, including what looks unhelpful. A file that is complete is worth more than a file that is flattering.
Then assess, honestly
There are three possible answers, and only one of them is a fight. The claim may be right, in which case the question is terms rather than liability, and early terms are better terms. It may be partly right, which is the commonest, and the value lies in separating the part that is from the part that is not. Or it may be wrong, in which case the reply that says so with the documents attached usually ends it.
The reply itself
A good reply is short, dated, and states a position rather than an argument. It does not concede what has not been checked, it does not insult, and it does not promise a date that will be missed. Where more time is genuinely needed to answer properly, the reply says so and gives a date, which is itself a position.
What ignoring it costs
Silence does not make a claim go away. It removes the cheapest opportunity to settle it, and under the pre-action protocols the conduct of the parties before proceedings can be taken into account by the court when it awards costs.
What to send us
The letter itself with its envelope or the message it arrived in, the date you received it, and the file you have gathered. If the deadline in the letter is short, send it before the file is complete rather than after the deadline has passed.
Questions we are asked
Is a lawyer's letter legally binding?
No. It is the formal statement of a position: what is claimed, what is required and by when. It is not a claim, not a judgment, and proves nothing by itself. It is usually the last step before proceedings.
Can I just ignore it?
Silence does not make the claim go away. It removes the cheapest opportunity to settle, and under the pre-action protocols the conduct of the parties before proceedings can be taken into account when the court awards costs.
Should I reply straight away?
Not the same hour, and not while angry. Anything said in the heat of it can be read out later without the tone and without the context. Record the date of receipt and how it was delivered, gather the file, and then reply with a position rather than an argument.
What if part of the claim is right?
That is the commonest situation, and the value lies in separating the part that is right from the part that is not. Where the claim is right, the question is terms rather than liability, and early terms are usually better terms.
Related reading
If the letter is about money owed, the route ahead is in recovering a debt step by step. What proceedings cost is in what a court case costs.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and their application can change, and individual circumstances differ. For advice on your own matter, contact Klitos Platis at klitos@kleanthousplatis.com or telephone +357 22 680 330.
Klitos Platis
Advocate, Partner
Kleanthous & Platis LLC, Nicosia · Published 16 August 2026
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