How We Operate
We don't wait for trials. We win before the courtroom door opens.
The Pre-Action Protocol
The UK Civil Procedure Rules contain a mechanism that most people, and many law firms, do not fully understand. The Pre-Action Protocol establishes that before a matter goes to trial, both parties must engage properly. Defendants must respond. Evidence must be shared. The process must be followed.
Pre-Action Disclosure applications exist for situations where a defendant is being obstructive, withholding information, refusing to engage, or simply hoping the claimant gives up. When that happens, we compel disclosure through the courts.
This is not full litigation. It is the procedural framework for establishing whether a claim has merit, and for forcing defendants to hand over the information they would rather keep hidden.
The Process
How a claim moves from identification to resolution
Five stages. No courtrooms. No drawn-out trials. Every step of this process is engineered to apply maximum legal pressure at minimum cost to the client.
We assess your situation and identify whether a valid legal basis for a claim exists. Fast, rigorous, and free.
Claim
Identification
Before any court filing, the Pre-Action Protocol compels the defendant to engage, disclosing information and responding formally. Comply, or face the consequences.
Pre-Action
Protocol
If a defendant is obstructive or withholding information, we apply to the court for Pre-Action Disclosure. The court orders them to hand over what they'd rather keep hidden.
PAD Application
(if needed)
When we win a PAD application, and we do consistently, the defendant is ordered to pay our costs. The system is built to incentivise early compliance. Obstruct, and you pay the price.
Cost
Recovery
Claims are resolved on the merits, with the defendant's position weakened by the disclosure process. No courtroom drama. No drawn-out trials. Outcomes, efficiently.
Resolution
When a PAD application succeeds, the defendant is ordered to pay our costs. Financial risk removed from our clients. Maximum pressure on defendants.
Cost
Recovery
Sentinel Legal processes applications at institutional volume, through a system engineered for speed and precision. A machine, and it is ours.
Institutional
Scale
Pre-action protocols are not a loophole. They are a structural feature of the UK Civil Procedure Rules, designed to persist. This model is not going away.
Built Into
The Rules
Why It Works
Why the system works in our favour
Three structural advantages that make the Pre-Action Protocol a reliable, repeatable engine for outcomes.
Cost recovery. Institutional scale. Built into civil procedure. The system was designed this way — and we have built our entire practice around it.