What evidence is useful for a B2B debt recovery assessment?

Useful evidence may include contracts, purchase orders, signed quotations, unpaid invoices, account statements, proof of delivery or performance, correspondence, reminders, formal notices and debtor responses.

Why is admissibility important in B2B debt recovery?

Admissibility affects whether the documents can support the claim in a procedural context. Weak or inconsistent evidence may create rejection, opposition or dispute risk.

Can a claim be valid but difficult to prove?

Yes. A claim may appear commercially justified but still require stronger documentary coherence before a recovery, pre-litigation or judicial trajectory is chosen.

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Proof and admissibility: the foundation of B2B debt recovery

Executives, CFOs and legal departments

Contracts Invoices Delivery evidence Debtor responses Procedural readiness

In B2B debt recovery, evidence determines the strength of the claim, the choice of trajectory and the ability to respond to objections. A claim may be commercially justified but procedurally fragile if documents are incomplete, inconsistent or poorly structured.

Information submitted through our forms is treated confidentially.

Evidence trajectory

1 Identify the contractual basis

2 Review available documents

3 Assess debtor objections

4 Select the recovery path

What the firm secures

EvidenceContracts, invoices, delivery proof, emails and statements.

AdmissibilityCoherence, maturity, debtor identification and dispute risk.

TrajectoryAmicable, pre-litigation, payment order, trial or enforcement.

Assess the strength of a B2B claim

Legatum & Partners reviews the evidence, chronology, debtor responses and procedural risks before orienting the case towards the most useful recovery trajectory.

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Documents to secure before action

Contractual basis

Contract, signed quotation, purchase order, amendment, service order or written acceptance.

Performance evidence

Delivery, service completion, acceptance, absence of reservation or evidence of benefit received.

Invoicing and account

Invoice, due date, payment terms, VAT, references, payments received and outstanding balance.

Debtor responses

Reminders, emails, formal notice, silence, objections, settlement proposals or payment commitments.

Elements that can weaken a B2B claim

Invoice onlyNo contract, order, exchange or execution evidence.

Unclear accountPrincipal, interest, costs or payments not clearly separated.

Wrong debtorIncorrect entity, establishment confusion or group misidentification.

Ignored objectionsDebtor reservations or adverse correspondence not addressed.

Weak chronologyScattered reminders, uncertain dates or missing formal notice.

Limitation riskAge of the claim and procedural time limits to be checked.

Admissibility: verify before acting

A recovery action should rely on an identifiable, due, quantified and documented claim. This preliminary verification reduces the risk of rejection, opposition or ineffective proceedings. It also helps determine whether the matter should remain amicable, move to pre-litigation, proceed through a payment order, full trial or enforcement.

Amicable B2B recovery B2B payment order Judicial recovery

Statement of account: avoid inconsistencies

Principal amount

Invoice amount or outstanding balance, with clear references and payment history.

VAT consistency

Review of net amount, VAT and gross amount based on available documents.

Interest and penalties

Separate, dated and justified calculations, without confusion with the principal amount.

Costs and indemnities

Careful presentation of additional claims to avoid unnecessary dispute or rejection risk.

What we coordinate

Evidence audit

Review of contracts, invoices, quotations, exchanges and proof of performance.

Risk analysis

Objections, opposition risk, weak evidence, limitation period, wrong debtor or solvency issues.

File structuring

Chronology, statement of account, useful documents, reminders and pre-litigation path.

Trajectory selection

Amicable recovery, payment order, full trial or enforcement depending on the case.

Read: Complex B2B debts

Is an invoice enough to act?

Not always. An invoice should ideally be supported by documents proving the agreement, performance, due date and the absence or weakness of objections.

Why is a statement of account important?

A clear statement of account separates the principal amount, interest, penalties, costs and payments already received.

What if the debtor disputes the claim?

The dispute must be qualified, answered through evidence and oriented towards the appropriate trajectory: reinforced amicable recovery, pre-litigation or judicial action.

Confidential evidence assessment

Your company is facing an unpaid or disputed B2B invoice? The first documents submitted allow us to assess evidence, admissibility and procedural risk before any action.

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