03333 231 580
Contact usOur focus is you
Our specialist commercial litigation solicitors can help you manage disputes in a way that:
- protects your legal position;
- adds value; and
- enhances your commercial reputation.
Whether it’s a complex, high value commercial dispute or a more routine matter, our dispute resolution lawyers are always practical, to the point and cost-effective. Over the years we have developed an industry-wide reputation for delivering impressive results to a varied commercial client base in the UK and overseas.
We deal with all types of commercial disputes. This encompasses everything from standalone contractual disagreements (where damages are straightforward to assess and enforcement is uncomplicated), to disputes that pose a wholesale threat to your business.
Our dispute lawyers balance the nature of the dispute and what you want to get from the legal process with the bigger commercial picture and how your business will be affected in the long term by a particular result.
We have offices based in London and across the South-east including Gatwick and Crawley, Hassocks, Horsham, Brighton and Guildford.
Please note that visits to our office is by appointment only. If you require legal advice please contact one of our commercial litigation solicitors via our online enquiry form or call on +44 (0)3333 231 580.
Your questions answered
A lot depends on what the dispute is about and how you want to deal with it. How strongly do you want to defend or pursue a commercial claim? How will a particular approach or result affect you from a business perspective?
Depending on the strategy you want to adopt you have several options:
- You can discuss the issues informally with the other side and come to an agreement without the involvement of lawyers.
- You might decide to instruct a litigation solicitor to negotiate a settlement with the other party. Solutions can often be found more easily when the disputing parties don’t have to deal directly with each other.
- You can begin Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). This includes processes like mediation, arbitration, and early neutral evaluation. These are ways of resolving disputes pragmatically and cost effectively. Many of our commercial litigation solicitors are qualified ADR specialists and as a firm our lawyers have invested heavily in our technical understanding and use of ADR.
- Litigation – that is, using the court process and relying on a judge to decide the outcome of your case. Whilst specialist courts exist to deal with specific types of dispute (for example, financial) it’s an expensive and often uncertain way to resolve commercial and personal disputes.
Our clients often want to maintain an existing profitable relationship with the other party so an acrimonious, time-consuming court battle makes little sense in many cases. In contrast the actions of one side may be so harmful and both sides so far apart that a negotiated settlement is impossible. In these circumstances litigation may become unavoidable and you will benefit from getting advice from our commercial litigation solicitors.
Yes. The periods are set out in the Limitation Act 1980 and vary depending on the type of claim you wish to bring. A claim for breach of contract must normally be brought within six years of the date of breach of contract. If you are starting a judicial review on the other hand the period is much shorter – the case must be brought within three months of the relevant decision or action. Because of these time limits it’s important to obtain legal advice as soon as the possibility of bringing a litigation claim arises.
Every case is different. Whether you can resolve the issues quickly and without incurring significant expense depends on your approach and the attitude of the other party. Sometimes the threat of court action alone is enough to bring the parties to the table and negotiate an agreement at little cost, that is acceptable to both sides. At DMH Stallard, our dispute resolution solicitors are adept at employing all forms of ADR to help clients reach constructive agreements in even the most complex commercial disputes. In addition to mediation and arbitration our lawyers use techniques and procedures like early neutral evaluation to help clients get a realistic idea of what might happen if they were to go to court. This can concentrate minds and facilitate a settlement.
Where formal court proceedings have begun you may be able to make certain applications such as an application for summary judgment or obtain speedy injunctions to dispose of a case quickly in a way that’s acceptable to you.
Your commercial reputation and the goodwill you have built up matters. Maintaining your brand and reputation is crucial – it’s how clients and competitors view your business. Threats come from many directions – from other businesses in the sector, from disgruntled clients and from employees. Our lawyers will work with you to assess the potential reputational damage to you and or your business and discuss your appetite for a publicly fought case in court. Many entrepreneurs and businesses want to avoid the risk of bad publicity, and this may be a strong reason not to go through the court process. There are many routes available to manage disputes and maintain your business reputation and supply chain relationships. Our dispute resolution solicitors can talk you through the best options available and help you plan your next course of action.
Where a party fails to pay what is due under a court judgment or an arbitration award or fails to comply with what was agreed to settle the case various enforcement are available to you. Courts will not take any action to enforce a judgment without being asked to do so. It’s up to you to start enforcement action. Of course, taking enforcement action will involve more expense on your part and you should always approach the situation in a strategic and proportionate manner. Our commercial litigation solicitors can advise you on the preliminary investigations you might need to make before beginning enforcement procedures and advise you on the most appropriate and cost-effective way to recover what is due.
Stay connected, sign up for updates
Stay connected
Meet the commercial litigation team
Recent work
Sectors
High value director dispute
Acting for a luxury IT system and creative design company in a dispute involving the forced removal of a director and 50% shareholder for breach of fiduciary duties and shareholders’ agreement. The shareholder is aiming to recover its shares through a share buyback. The dispute, ongoing for over two years, has severely impacted our client’s business growth and development, complicated by the absence of a shareholders’ agreement and threats of unfair prejudice claims and attempts to wind-up the company.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
Defending complex enforcement action
Acting for a property construction and development company facing enforcement action over two loans totalling approximately £3.9m, secured by property and subject to multiple assignments. In response to the lender’s actions, we challenged the loans on various grounds, including regulatory compliance under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, asserting that they constitute unfair relationships under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and disputing the validity of receiver appointments and default interest provisions, arguing that they are unenforceable as a penalty.
Construction and Engineering
Multi-angled shareholder dispute
Acting for a large care home group embroiled in a dispute with a departing employee/director who is also a shareholder and involved in competing businesses. The case involves complex issues of constructive dismissal, unfair prejudice, and refusal to relinquish shares, compounded by allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation and discussions around rescission of shareholder agreements. We are actively engaging in negotiations to force share buybacks and defend against expected High Court claims, which have disrupted the group’s growth plans, resulting in loss of management time and potential revenue.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
High value enforcement action
Representing an offshore lender involved in a joint loan of approximately £12m to two companies for land development in the North West of England, secured by legal charges and personal guarantees. After the companies defaulted, we assisted in various enforcement actions, including appointing receivers, and addressing issues with UN1 registrations from potential buyers. We are currently pursuing the directors under their personal guarantees to mitigate a substantial shortfall of over £6m for the lender.
Banking and Finance
International Shareholder Dispute
Acting for a 50% shareholder in a complex dispute, alleging unfair prejudice stemming from management practices and competition concerns involving directors and a newly incorporated company. We are spearheading High Court proceedings to support the petitioner’s pursuit of the petition – success in this dispute is crucial for preserving the client’s core business focus, protecting brand reputation, and ensuring continued growth within the sector.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
Complex unfair prejudice petition
Acting for a business support company, in an unfair prejudice petition filed by a shareholder against a firm which traces PPI (the Defendant). The Defendant faces allegations of unlawfully diverting business and intellectual property rights claims. The case, which proceeded to trial in the High Court in Spring 2023, involves multiple Respondents, and stems from a shareholder dispute within the regulated legal business (the value of the claim is around £30m). The claims have been further complicated through legal actions against owners and directors, highlighting broader regulatory implications within the legal industry.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
High value shareholder dispute
Acting for a construction company in a shareholder dispute and facing an unfair prejudice petition under the Companies Act 2006 (our clients are two of seven Respondents). The case is complex and involves valuation disagreements, contractual disputes, director issues, and aviation regulations, complicated further by the involvement of multiple litigants in person. The claim value is significant, involving share capital worth up to £40m.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
Complex charity trust advice
Assisting a development company by advising trustees on matters concerning a charity’s current status, particularly focusing on complications arising from the charity’s premises and a potential joint venture. The matter involved challenges relating to issues around the renewal of a lease, resulting in the trustees taking out a substantial loan.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
High value risk mitigation
Assisting a national PLC with an ongoing project to address a myriad of financial and regulatory issues. We have worked with this client to identify and rectify these issues so as to achieve the client’s objectives in a cost-effective manner whilst successfully managing what could have been significant potential reputational risk for our client.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Lawyers
Overseas Asset Protection
We defended our client against the misuse of their trademark and breaches of their franchise agreement overseas for who franchised a range of international casual and fine dining restaurant brands.
Insights
Insights
DMH Stallard has advised the shareholders of Sygna Holdings Limited on the sale of a majority stake in the business to leading European integrated facilities management company Apleona.
16/07/2026
Insights
Traditionally, a period of international instability and low business growth is not good for investor confidence, with the result that prices and deal volumes drop; but that is not what we are seeing.
15/07/2026
Events
Join our online workshop where our employment law experts will provide a practical update on the reforms already in force, what changes are on the horizon, and discuss what employers and HR teams should be doing to plan ahead.
Insights
DMH Stallard LLP has advised Allenby Capital Limited on its role as Aquis Corporate Adviser to Reveille Resources PLC
08/07/2026
