Solicitor in Leicester for
Legal Issues / Legal Risks
Contact
0116 3667 900
Steven@stevenmather.co.uk
Dispute Management and Legal Risk
Legal Advice For Businesses in Leicester
Do you have a legal issue hanging over your business? One of my favourite things is to help business owners and directors like you work out the best solution to the issue you’re facing.
Perhaps you’re looking at:
- a contract dispute;
- an internal shareholder dispute
- a regulatory issue
- a legal question that Chat GPT or Google can’t answer sufficiently
Whatever you’re facing I can probably help – in my 15 years of being a qualified solicitor i’ve seen everything, my experience is so wide and so deep, that I’ll know what to do or can get the answers quickly.
This page used to be headed Disputes & Litigation, but I’ve moved away from that work now. If you have a legal battle to fight, get in touch and one of my Nexa colleagues will be able to assist you.
What is Legal Risk?
Risk – by definition – is the uncertainty of the outcome of a certain event. Businesses like yours are faced with a variety of risks daily and while not all amount to legal risks, some might have consequences. If you’re facing legal proceedings or financial consequences, then you need advice.
Legal risks can arise from various sources, such as:
- Regulatory Compliance: Failure to comply with laws, regulations, or industry standards can result in legal risks. This might include non-compliance with employment laws, environmental regulations, data protection and privacy laws, consumer protection regulations, and financial reporting requirements, among others.
- Contractual Obligations: Violation of contractual agreements, whether with customers, suppliers, or business partners, can lead to legal disputes and potential financial repercussions.
- Litigation and Disputes: Engaging in or becoming a target of litigation can pose legal risks. Legal proceedings can arise from various factors, including product liability claims, intellectual property infringement, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, or breach of contract.
- Intellectual Property (IP) Issues: Infringement of patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets can result in legal actions, including lawsuits seeking damages or injunctions.
- Regulatory Changes: Changes in laws and regulations can create legal risks for businesses that fail to adapt and comply with new requirements. Non-compliance with emerging regulations or failure to anticipate regulatory shifts can lead to legal consequences.
So, if you’re faced with any kind of legal issue or legal risk, and don’t know which way to turn, get in touch and I can help you.
Are you looking for General Counsel / In-House Lawyer type advice?
I have a growing number of clients who take out one of my subscription packages where I provide pretty much unlimited legal support, acting as a General Counsel or “in-house legal team’.
General Counsel, often referred to as in-house lawyers in the UK, play a pivotal role in the legal operations of larger companies. They are senior lawyers who hold the responsibility of overseeing and managing all legal matters within an organisation. As the chief legal advisor, General Counsel is the go-to person for management, providing expert guidance on a wide range of legal issues. From contract negotiations and compliance matters to risk assessment and litigation management, they ensure that the company operates within the boundaries of the law while minimizing potential legal risks. In addition, General Counsel acts as a gatekeeper for potential legal disputes, saving the company from unnecessary expenses and reputational damage.
But you’re not a big company, and so it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to spend six figures on employing General Counsel in your business.
Instead, you can outsource the role to me. I’ll act as your in-house lawyer, but externally. You wont have to worry about insurance, PAYE or anything like that. I’ll provide you with on demand legal advice.
Why Dispute Management rather than Commercial Litigation?
I’ve been a commercial litigation solicitor since qualifying in 2008, but frankly it is tiresome, expensive and won’t make you or I happy. So, if you have a dispute that is in Court, then I will pass you over to one of my excellent colleagues.
These days, I prefer to advise businesses in legal risk and dispute management because no sane person should voluntarily want to litigate and go to court.
But let me be clear; it’s not to say that I’m not robust or will want to fold and walk away – alhtough settlement might be your best option – but if we need to take the fight then we’ll back your corner all the way if needed (and if we’re likely to win).
However, it is much better to resolve disputes quickly and effectively so you can get on with your business. And the vast majority of times, we don’t need to go to Court.
I prefer to resolve the dispute through correspondence, negotiation, mediation. Of course, it takes two to tango, and so if the other party refuses to accept reality or refuses to settle on satisfactory terms, then we may need to go to Court to enforce your rights or defend your name and reputation.
What we do know is that by managing disputes rather than being gung-ho and being in court all the time is much more cost effective, less stressful and allows your business to focus on making money.
What type of legal disputes do the commercial litigators deal with?
In short, whatever dispute that your business finds itself in.
Typically, business clients encounter commercial disputes over things like:
- Contract disputes
- Franchise disputes
- Agency disputes
- Debts and unpaid invoices
- Property disputes / landlord and tenant disputes
- Intellectual property disputes, eg trademark or copyright
- Disputes with/between shareholders
- Employee disputes (particular breach of confidentiality, data theft or breach of restrictive covenants)
How much will it all cost? What’s your hourly rate?
It’s a question I’m asked regularly, and another reason why I steer away from commercial litigation. The hourly rate model is old hat and unappealing for businesses.
I prefer to try to work on fixed fees where possible, at least for initial advice and correspondence. At least you know where you stand.
That’s not to say I’m cheap – he’s into his second decade of experience and that comes at a cost – but with that you get the benefit that he knows what he’s doing, I’m fast, efficient and work smartly. I will be cheaper than top 50 law firms, but I know I provide at least the same quality of work if not better, because of the consultancy model with Nexa Law – you get me and not a trainee.
To give you an idea, initial advice and correspondence will usually be £750 to £3000 plus VAT.
Going to court on a dispute is likely be five figures minimum, and more likely six.
Next Steps if your business has a legal issue.
If your business has a legal issue and is unsure on its legal position and want expert advice, get in touch. We’ll have an initial chat and then if its worth pursuing, get you signed up as a client with Nexa Law and have a longer meeting to get full details of the matter. You’ll be given a fixed fee for the initial work (and ideally a fixed fee for other phases of the job too).
And don’t worry – I’m here to help and we will get through the problem qiuckly and as with as little stress as possible.
Call me for a free no obligation chat on 0116 3667 900, email me steven@stevenmather.co.uk or click the buttons on the right of the page to use another method like WhatsApp or Messenger.