ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Unpaid Invoices | Haskell & Dyer
You Did the Work. You Delivered the Goods. Now Get Paid.
When a bill goes unpaid, that money is not just missing. It is working against you. We pursue what your business is owed, from a single large invoice to a stack of overdue accounts.
The Clock Is Not Your Friend
An unpaid invoice loses value every day it sits.
Collection professionals have long shown the same pattern: the older a debt gets, the less of it you ever recover. Accounts under 90 days past due are the most collectible, and the window to act before a write-off becomes likely is short. The businesses that call early recover more than the ones that wait.
What We Recover
From One Invoice to a Stack of Them
If you earned it and the bill went unpaid, we can likely pursue it. The work is the same whether it is one account or many.
The Situation
The Bill Went Unpaid
You sent the invoice for services rendered or goods delivered, and the payment never came. Maybe the client went quiet, maybe they keep promising. Either way, the money is yours, and the obligation is real. We treat it that way.
The Difference
We Are a Law Firm, Not an Agency
An agency can ask for your money. A law firm can do more. When a demand is ignored, we can file suit, pursue a judgment, and enforce it. Debtors know the difference, and it often changes how fast they respond.
By the Numbers
You Are Far From Alone
Unpaid invoices are not a sign you did something wrong. They are a structural feature of doing business today.
44%
of U.S. B2B invoices are now overdue
2025 Atradius reporting
~$17,000
owed to the average U.S. small business in unpaid invoices
2025 U.S. small-business data
Under 90 days
is when a past-due account is most collectible
Collection-industry benchmarks
What We Pursue
The Invoices We Handle
If the obligation is real and the paperwork supports it, we go after it.
B2B invoices
Services rendered
Goods delivered
A single large invoice
Stacks of overdue accounts
Demand through judgment
Attorney Insight
An unpaid invoice doesn't age like wine. It ages like milk. The numbers are clear: the longer a balance sits, the less of it you ever see. The clients who call us at sixty days recover far more than the ones who call at six months.
Matthew J. Dyer, Esq.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer
A Closer Look
Why Acting Early Recovers More
There is a reason collection professionals talk about the age of a debt before anything else. A fresh account still has weight behind it: the debtor remembers the work, the relationship is recent, and the trail of money is warm. As months pass, that changes. The debtor reorganizes, spends the cash elsewhere, takes on other creditors, or simply decides you have given up.
The data backs the instinct. Recent 2025 reporting from Atradius found roughly 44% of U.S. B2B invoices overdue, with about 3% written off as bad debt entirely. The European Commission has reported that about 1 in 2 invoices in Europe is paid late or not at all, a factor in roughly a quarter of business bankruptcies. Late payment is not a rare misfortune. It is a tax on businesses that wait.
Our job is to move while the account is still strong. A firm demand on law-firm letterhead resolves many invoices on its own, because it signals that the next step is a courtroom, not another phone call. When it does not, we are already positioned to file. The single biggest factor you control is how soon you start.
Why It Matters
What an Unpaid Invoice Really Costs
The face value of the invoice is only part of the damage. The rest is what that missing money was supposed to do.
Cash Flow
Money you planned around, gone
Your Time
Hours lost chasing the balance
Your Suppliers
What you owe down the line
The Signal
Clients who learn you do not pursue
How We Recover Your Invoices
We move quickly, escalate in a clear order, and use the full weight a law firm can bring to a debt.
We Review and Demand
We confirm the debt and the documents, then send a firm demand that carries the weight of a law firm behind it.
We Escalate With Purpose
If the demand is ignored, we move to suit rather than circling with more letters the debtor has learned to ignore.
We Pursue Judgment
When a case is sound, we pursue a judgment for the balance, and where the documents allow, interest and costs too.
We Enforce It
A judgment is only worth what you collect. We use garnishment, liens, and asset discovery to turn it into payment.
Common Questions
Unpaid Invoices, Answered
How soon should I send an unpaid invoice to a lawyer?
Sooner than most people do. Collection data consistently shows that accounts under 90 days past due are the most recoverable, and the odds drop as a balance ages toward and past the 90 to 120 day mark. If your own reminders have not worked after a few cycles, that is the time to escalate, not after a year of promises. Early action is the part of the outcome you control.
Is it worth pursuing a smaller invoice?
Often, yes, and not only for the money. A firm demand on law-firm letterhead can resolve a smaller balance quickly because the debtor realizes you are serious. Pursuing what you are owed also tells your other clients that your invoices are not optional. We can talk through whether a given balance is worth the effort for your situation.
What documents do you need to collect on an invoice?
The stronger your paperwork, the stronger your position. Helpful items include the invoice itself, any contract or purchase order, proof the work was done or the goods were delivered, and a record of your payment reminders. Do not worry about having a perfect file. Bring what you have, and we will tell you what strengthens the case.
Can you recover interest and costs, not just the invoice?
Sometimes. If your contract or invoice terms provide for interest or collection costs, or if the law allows it, we can pursue those on top of the principal. The amount depends on what your documents say and the facts of the case. We review your paperwork and tell you what is realistically recoverable rather than promising a number.
What if the client says they cannot pay?
That claim is worth testing, not simply accepting. Some debtors who say they cannot pay are choosing not to, and a judgment plus enforcement tools like asset discovery can reveal the real picture. Where a debtor truly has nothing, we will tell you honestly so you do not spend good money chasing bad. Either way, you get a clear read.
Every Day You Wait, the Debt Is Worth Less. Let's Move.
The single biggest factor in recovering an unpaid invoice is how soon you start. Reach out and we will review what you are owed and pursue it with the full weight of a law firm.
Talk to us today: 301-627-5844