Disputes

When conversation turns into conflict, you need a legal team with the experience and expertise to protect your interests and achieve swift, commercially realistic results in the most cost efficient and risk free manner possible.

Clients ranging from individuals and entrepreneurs to corporations and multi-national organisations trust our commercial litigation lawyers, based in Kent, to deliver results for them in even the most complex of cases. We make it a point to get to know our clients, to understand their objectives thoroughly, provide clear advice and commercially minded recommendations in plain English, and to make ourselves available whenever and wherever our clients need us.

Our commercial litigation lawyers specialise in helping settle disputes using mediation, arbitration and other ADR approaches, but are equally skilled and experienced in fighting our clients’ corner in court where necessary. We can also offer risk management and litigation avoidance advice, to help stop issues developing into full disputes.

We realise that effective dispute resolution means we need to work with our clients to do more than advise on the law. We are astute, pragmatic and imaginative in providing outcomes which are most suited to our clients’ commercial objectives, using the most appropriate forum.

Our dispute resolution lawyers, based in Kent, with clients nationally, has expertise in dealing with disputes which are the subject of litigation in the courts of England and Wales, and in other jurisdictions by working with local lawyers, overseas. Our expertise extends to advising on and representing our clients in relation to alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation, expert determination, or without prejudice negotiations.

We have an established and comprehensive network of law firms, experts and contacts across the globe allowing us to respond quickly to whatever issues you might have in any jurisdiction, ensuring that your interests are fully protected.

To learn more, visit our commercial & international disputes page.

Our highly experienced construction lawyers use their considerable knowledge of the construction sector and modern dispute resolution methods to resolve construction disputes cost effectively and at an early stage.  As true specialists, we recognise why construction disputes arise, and how to most effectively go about resolving them.

We deal with all stages of construction disputes from initial advisory work and input on ongoing commercial negotiations on live projects through to matters requiring escalation to adjudication, court proceedings in the High Court’s Technology & Construction Court (TCC) or arbitration.

The vast majority of construction disputes can be resolved at an early stage without recourse to formal legal processes. But only if they’re tackled before they have escalated or had a knock-on effect on other aspects of the project.   We regularly resolve disputes  by negotiation to prevent relationships deteriorating and costs escalating, recognising the importance of getting the project to a  successful conclusion and preserving commercially critical relationships and marketplace reputation.

Where appropriate, we work closely with our network of leading experts on liability / technical issues, delay analysts, quantum experts and leading construction barristers in order to put together a formidable team to suit your dispute.

Click here to view our dedicated construction disputes page.

We have significant arbitration experience and expertise in both ad hoc and institutional arbitrations pursuant to the rules of:

• The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
• London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA).

We also have extensive experience of working with trade bodies such as:

• The Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA)
• The Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Association (FOSFA)
• London Metal Exchange (LME).

Our experts regularly assist with complex, cross border arbitration and we have links with specialist experts across the globe.

To learn more, please visit our international arbitration page.

Individuals falling out in business is not uncommon, but it can have severe consequences for the organisation in question. Disputes between company directors, shareholders and partners can arise for a variety of reasons.

Our expert dispute lawyers work with clients including shareholders, directors, LLP members, partners and companies, taking a bespoke approach to understanding their specific issues so that we can resolve them in the quickest, least stressful and most cost effective way.

Ideally, any disputes should be dealt with by discussion and consensual resolution between the parties through negotiation, if possible. To avoid the extensive time and cost of court or arbitration proceedings, we will always consider if a dispute is suitable for mediation or another ADR method.

However, where this proves not to be possible, we are experts in the field and can comprehensively advise on the options and help to bring or defend claims that seek remedy and intervention from the Courts or, as appropriate, arbitral tribunals, such as for damages, compensation, injunctions or orders for the transfer of assets or shares.

To find out how can help, view our director, shareholder, company & partnership disputes page.

With sound planning and pragmatic commercial advice, you can take the necessary steps to help you or your business. By working closely with financial advisers and tax specialists, we can advise on a number of different restructuring options including:

• Group reorganisation
• Demerger
• Pre-pack sale
• Administration.

Our advice extends to personal assistance to directors on their duties in the context of an insolvent company. We can also advise you on the acquisition of some or all of the business of an insolvent company.

We are also able to draw on the expertise of our Real Estates Disputes team.

To learn more, visit our dedicated restructuring page.

Our expert team of Fraud, Insolvency and Asset Recovery (FIAR) lawyers can advise on a wide range of enforcement and defence related work.

We are experienced in advising owner-managed and larger businesses / corporate groups, company directors, shareholders, trustees, investors, individuals and insolvency practitioners on FIAR cases.

Our team can help with all stages of advice and representation, from the initial advice on becoming aware of an issue, tracing, acting to obtain urgent freezing injunctions, search and disclosure orders, through to preparation for trial and enforcement.

To find out how we can help, visit our fraud, insolvency & asset recovery page.

Sadly, a reputation which has taken years to build up, can be irreversibly damaged in moments, by adverse and intrusive online or social media activity.

Our team of expert litigators help individuals and organisations who are faced with reputation management, privacy and media law issues.

Taking a common sense yet innovative approach, our tenacious lawyers act quickly to help protect our clients’ reputations, aiming wherever possible to rapidly shut down any threats from traditional or social media sources. We have an impressive track record of advising organisations, high net worth individuals, celebrities and those in the public eye.

Our team can help with all stages of advice and representation, to consider the options on becoming aware of a defamatory statement and/or act of harassment/blackmail, from sending/responding to a letter of claim or a cease and desist letter, acting to obtain/resist an urgent injunction application, through to pursuing a claim to trial and dealing with any subsequent enforcement action.

For more information, click here.

Immeasurable damage can be caused by others stealing or copying brand names, inventions, designs, products, text, images, software source code, trade secrets and confidential information. Taking swift, decisive action in the event of an actual, or threatened infringement, is key to effective enforcement.

Equally, if you are faced with a claim for alleged infringement of another business’ intellectual property rights, it is very important to act quickly to assess your options and the grounds for defending the claim.

In either case you need up-to-date legal advice relating to intellectual property rights combined with a capacity to understand quickly the echnical detail and the ability to react speedily and objectively.

Click here to view our Intellectual Property (IP), passing off, confidential information & IT disputes page.

Our team has an outstanding reputation for providing pragmatic and commercial advice in relation to high-value business commercial debt collection for large corporates. We act for a wide range of businesses in the manufacturing, sales and services sectors. Our commercial debt recovery lawyers provide the advice and guidance you need when looking to collect a debt over £100,000.

We recognise that cashflow is at the heart of any business; our priority is to consider the most effective debt collection method in order to achieve the best recovery in light of the debtor’s finances. We will consider if it is appropriate to issue a civil claim, serve a statutory demand or commence winding-up proceedings.

To learn more, visit our high value debt recovery page.

We provide pragmatic and commercial solutions for our clients to resolve real estate disputes.

Our team represent clients in all forums including the High Court and County Court, Lands Tribunal, and the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), but we look to achieve a cost effective resolution before matters proceed that far.

All of our real estate dispute lawyers are members of the Property Litigation Association and we have strong working relationships with specialist surveyors and experts, as well as Chancery barristers, and are used to working as part of a professional team.

We actively promote alternative dispute resolution processes such as mediation and arbitration in order to achieve results for you.

Above all, we recognise that the real estate world is a business in which personal relationships count and we fully address the human as well as the legal dimension of any problem.

View our real estate disputes page here.

Funding disputes can be a challenge. We recognise that whether bringing or defending a claim, businesses and individuals alike want to achieve positive outcomes, as cost effectively as possible.

Managing the downside risk of dealing with a dispute, particularly if court proceedings are commenced, is also of paramount importance. This is because there is always a risk, no matter how small, of losing the case and the investment you have made in it, and being required to pay a proportion of your opponent’s costs.

We can advise you on a range of potential funding, risk sharing and insurance options, to help address these concerns. The options available will depend on the type of dispute you are involved in, and the forum best suited to resolving it.

To learn more, view our funding disputes page.

We can advise on the litigation financing solutions that are available from a range of specialist third party funders, to help businesses and individuals meet the cost of bringing claims for compensation.

Typically, your claim will need to have a value of at least £500,000, to ensure that you receive a large enough proportion of any damages to make taking the action worthwhile.

However, funding can be obtained for a portfolio of lower value claims that, collectively, have a value which make them economic to fund. Funding can provide funding to meet the cost of high value, complex and heavyweight litigation, too.

Most types of claims for damages are eligible to apply, except for personal injury or clinical negligence claims.

View our third party funding page here.