Disputes & Litigation
Commercial, partnership and professional negligence disputes.
Commercial disputes are expensive in ways that do not appear on any invoice. They consume management time, they sour relationships you may still need, and they create uncertainty that makes it harder to plan.
Our first question is not whether you would win. It is whether winning would leave you better off once costs, time and disruption are accounted for. Sometimes the answer is no, and we will say so.
Where a dispute does need pursuing, we pursue it properly — with a clear view of the commercial objective rather than a determination to be proved right.
Commercial disputes
Breach of contract, supply and distribution failures, disputes with customers and suppliers, and claims arising from business sales. The pre-action protocols require the parties to exchange information and consider settlement before proceedings, and courts take a dim view of anyone who ignores that.
Partnership and shareholder disputes
These are the hardest commercial disputes because the parties are usually locked together and often were friends. Remedies range from negotiated exits and buy-outs to unfair prejudice petitions. The commercial solution and the legal remedy are rarely the same thing, and the former is almost always cheaper.
Professional negligence
Claims against accountants, surveyors, solicitors and other advisers whose advice cost you money. These are demanding claims: it is not enough to be unhappy with the outcome. Expert evidence on the professional standard is nearly always required, and limitation rules are technical.
Mediation and settlement
Courts expect parties to attempt alternative dispute resolution, and an unreasonable refusal can affect the costs you recover even when you win. Mediation typically costs a fraction of a contested trial and happens months or years sooner. We recommend it wherever it has a realistic prospect.
Mediation and ADR
Partnership and shareholder disputes
Professional negligence claims
Questions people ask us
How much will litigating cost?
Can we recover our legal costs?
My business partner and I can't agree on anything. What are the options?
Who you'll be working with
Lauren Darbyshire-Robert
Not sure which of these fits?
Tell us what’s happened in your own words and we’ll point you to the right person.