Yorkshire Grit, Legal Grip: A Real-World Look at Legal Recovery in 2025

Credit Meets the Courtroom

Legal recovery is one of the toughest areas in credit management — equal parts strategy, regulation, and judgement call. Our aim for this event was simple: help delegates feel more confident and capable when the stakes are high.

We opened with a sharp scene-setter from John-Paul Murphy, Supervising Solicitor at DWF, who walked us through the evolving legal landscape. From court backlogs to enforcement reform, his insights on commercial collections in 2025 offered both clarity and caution — delivered with the authority of a firm leading litigation across 35+ countries.

Beyond the Case File: What Credit Managers Really Need

Next up, I had the opportunity to share CICM’s training-led approach to legal recovery decision-making. My message was clear: legal action should never be reactive. It should be strategic, evidence-based, and commercially justified.

We talked about:

• The critical role of contract clarity
• Internal escalation protocols that work
• Data-driven triage to separate “can’t pay” from “won’t pay”

I was especially proud to introduce our scenario-based learning tools and legal recovery templates — just some of the resources CICM members can now access.

From Gut Feeling to Data-Driven Decisions

Karen Ryan FCICM, Head of Third-Party Recoveries at Clear Business, delivered one of the most impactful sessions of the day — a sharp and highly relevant look at how data should underpin every litigation decision.

Her message was simple but powerful: not all late payments are created equal, and credit teams must use data to distinguish can’t pay from won’t pay before escalating.

Karen walked us through how combining internal indicators with external data sources can improve customer understanding, protect commercial relationships, and ensure litigation is targeted where it works best — on high-risk, high-return cases.

“Litigation isn’t a default setting. It’s a strategic response. If you get the data wrong, you get the journey wrong — and that hurts both recovery and reputation.”

Karen’s session highlighted practical steps for:

• Building smarter debt segmentation
• Mapping behaviours to outcomes
• Using data to align litigation strategies with both compliance and commercial goals

It was a standout moment, praised by delegates for its clarity, relevance, and real-world value. Karen didn’t just talk about litigation — she showed us how to use data to do it better.

A Branch with Energy

As Ian Torkington MCICM, our Branch Chair, said in his welcome: this is a region built on resilience. But Yorkshire credit professionals don’t just get on with it — they step up, speak out, and support each other.

Arvind Kumar FCICM (Grad), our Regional Rep, summed it up perfectly:

“Yorkshire is back in the game — and better than ever. The energy in the room showed just how important these events are. This branch matters. It’s here to stay.”

What’s Next?

We’ve got more in store for 2025. More speakers. More learning. More connection.

If you want to be part of it — whether as an attendee, a speaker, or a volunteer — join the CICM Yorkshire Ridings Branch on LinkedIn or get in touch via www.cicm.com. Let’s shape the future of credit, together.