Disputes in business are a fact of life. Whilst all parties dealing with each other in business try their best to maintain good working relationships, points of contention do emerge. Fractures in commercial relationships do arise – and they can escalate rapidly.
Chris Else, the managing partner of Else Solicitors LLP and an expert in dispute resolution, said: “Many disputes are really minor issues that, with a bit of sense and clear communication can be easily resolved with the parties involved.
There are other types of business dispute that run much deeper and can become so major that they can threaten a company’s very existence.”
A regular area of dispute is between a company’s shareholders and its directors, particularly when clear, detailed, and comprehensive shareholder arrangements are not put in place from the outset.
Another frequent type of dispute is professional negligence, where a business suffers loss or damage due to the advice or actions of a professional that they have employed. Claims of this nature can arise against accountants, bankers, financiers, barristers, tradesmen and online security specialists, amongst others.
Other areas of contention can include, but are not limited to contract disputes, insolvency of a supplier, restrictive covenants, high value debt and retention claims, defamation and issues concerning commercial property. These disputes can often unsettle a company, cause a significant financial detriment, and can consume a lot of management time and energy in dealing with them.
In the most serious of cases, you may need to take urgent action and/or seek to take out an injunction (a court order) to protect your business or its reputation.
Chris Else said: “Business disputes can sometimes be dealt with quickly and cleanly with the right advice, but issues can be growing away in the background and get much worse if they are not faced. Often early action can solve problems.
“Being proactive and facing up to an issue is key to getting through such difficulties.
“The key is to get good advice to sort out any issues and seek the best action to take to limit the damage to the business.”
Else Solicitors LLP can assist your business with most disputes and are ready to provide advice and support even in the most urgent of matters. Chris Else suggests that “it is often a case of acting now to save yourself a bigger headache later”.
For more information please contact Chris Else on 01283 526200 or email chris.else@elselaw.co.uk.