For any school, recovering unpaid school fees can be difficult task.
Sometimes the failure to pay fees can be the result of a family law dispute between the parents. There is also a close personal relationship between schools and their students. However schools rely on the timely payment of fees to maintain their financial viability and cannot afford to let the problems slide – the longer the problem remains unresolved, the more the debt will mount up.
Craddock Murray Neumann has lawyers who are highly experienced in recovering fees for schools. One of the things we try to do is to "depersonalise" the process. We talk to the parents. We pride ourselves on our manners. We try to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. If legal action cannot be avoided, we act as the "model litigant". This means that we play by the rules, thereby maintaining the school’s valued reputation.
We also have experience in dealing with the particular issues that can arise. For example, we understand the sensitivity associated with pursuing unpaid fees against parents whilst their child is in the HSC year.
Even where litigation has been commenced, we try our best to reach a resolution on behalf of the school with the defaulting parents, as we recognise the strain and cost of litigation on both the parents and the school. If a resolution cannot be reached, we understand that there may be no alternative to obtaining judgement and enforcing it.
If you are managing the finances of a school and wish to find out more about our services, please contact Julian van Leer of Craddock Murray Neumann on 8268 4000.