Need help finding a commercial litigation lawyer?

Commercial disputes are a pain. They are time-consuming, unpleasant and distracting. Fast, reliable, and cost-effective legal advice is invaluable. It allows you to find a speedy resolution and continue with what really matters: running your business.

About 43% of SME businesses go online first when faced with a legal problem. Many will spend countless hours trawling through search results looking for the right commercial litigation lawyer. This is valuable time which could be better spent getting you closer to a resolution.

Lexoo helps you save time and money by getting multiple quotes from hand-picked commercial litigation lawyers to match your needs. We make sure that only business lawyers who specialise in commercial disputes are invited to quote and we screen and interview every lawyer before they can join the platform.

“Very personable and professional. Extremely easy, effective and efficient.”

- Sanjay Patel

What is your dispute about?

Disputes can arise in any business area and can involve customers, suppliers or even employees. And they can be of any size. We’ve been asked to source quotes for straightforward debt disputes to complex, multi-jurisdictional, multi-million dollar disputes.

Great commercial litigation lawyers will first try to settle a dispute. However, sometimes the only choice is to take the matter to formal proceedings (usually court or arbitration). The initial step usually involves a pre-action letter. From there, the process (and complexities) will depend on the type of dispute and the money at stake.

Lexoo lawyers have dealt with many different types of dispute. Here are some of the most common:

Commercial Disputes

A commercial dispute is essentially any dispute between two (or more) businesses. It also includes disputes between individuals and businesses. Typical examples include disputes concerning outstanding invoices, provision of poor services, cancellation or early termination of contracts, mis-selling, and more.

Founder Disputes

Founder disputes are those which arise within a business between key members of that business. The legal relationships between key members are usually set out in documents such as Articles of Association, Shareholders Agreements or Partnership Agreement. However, often with startups it can be more complex as these sorts of documents may not be in place.

Intellectual Property Disputes

The intellectual property of a business (be it a trademark, copyright, patent or trade secret) is usually key to the future growth and success of that business. It is also often extremely valuable. If someone is infringing your business’ intellectual property, a specialist lawyer can help you to protect it.

Common disputes arise when one party believes another has used, sold or imported its patented product or process; used work under copyright without permission; made, offered or sold its registered design for commercial gain; or used a trademark that’s identical or similar to one registered.

Employment Disputes

Employment disputes are a specialised category and typically involve a breach of employment contract (the agreement between your company and your employee, detailing each of your rights and responsibilities and how you manage the day-to-day relationship).

How much can you expect to pay?

We’ve seen hundreds of enquiries for dispute resolution come through Lexoo and prices can vary greatly depending on the nature of the dispute. While these figures are simply to give a rough estimate, typical fixed-fee quote for the first few stages of a straightforward matter typically range as follows (all figures exclusive of VAT):

• Review of case and pre-action letter: £600-800
• Commencement of proceedings: £1,500-2000

Past the initial stages, the cost will depend largely on the value of the dispute, its complexity, how the other party behaves, how long it takes to resolve and whether formal proceedings are required.

“What a great service Lexoo offer. I can’t recommend highly enough! They’ll connect you with a great lawyer in no time. Real de-stress for me!”

- Thomas

Tips if you find yourself in a dispute

• Get your house in order: Documentary evidence is usually the single most important factor in determining the outcome of a dispute. If you haven’t been doing so already, start getting the relevant documents together and start putting things between you and the other party in writing. Key documents usually include the contract, purchase orders, invoices, and emails (or letters) between you and the other party.
• Be objective: Easier said than done, but try to separate your emotions from the situation. If you can approach a dispute objectively, you are more likely to reach an outcome you are satisfied with. It will also let you weigh up the merits of the dispute more accurately - a good lawyer will also help with this.
• Be realistic: This ties in with being objective. Be realistic about the outcome of your dispute. For example, does the other party have some valid points? Are they financially able to meet your demands?
• Consider a settlement: Think about offering or accepting a smaller amount in full and final settlement. An agreement for some money is better than no agreement at all - and a faster resolution is almost always better than a drawn-out process!
• Instruct a lawyer: A great lawyer can make all the difference in resolving a dispute. Sadly, it often takes the involvement of a lawyer for a party to start taking things seriously. A lawyer can also help you manage the dispute and drive things forward. This can free you up to focus on running your business.

Meet a Lexoo disputes lawyer

Kevin is a vastly experienced litigator with considerable expertise in commercial, corporate and contractual disputes. He acts for individuals as well as both public and private sector clients and has for a number of years been recommended in external legal publications, notably Chambers & Partners which recorded that he is “widely regarded as exceptional.”

Kevin has extensive experience in all forms of dispute resolution including mediation, court proceedings (on various occasions to the Court of Appeal), adjudication and arbitration (both national and international), and has been recognised as a leader in the fields of commercial litigation and regulatory law.

Coming from a large international firm, Kevin left to start his own practice, and draws upon that expertise without the large firm overheads.