Services
Commercial Dispute Resolution
Senior disputes lawyers helping you protect your position, manage risk and choose the right route to resolution.
Clear advice, commercially grounded
When you instruct Arbor Law, you work directly with senior disputes lawyers who have done this kind of work at scale before. We will assess your position quickly, set out the options in plain English, and pursue whichever route makes commercial sense for you.
The arrangement is simple: you stay in control of the strategy, and we get on with the work.
What you get when you instruct Arbor on a dispute
A senior lawyer on the file from day one
Every Arbor disputes lawyer has handled complex commercial matters at City or international firms before joining us, so when you work with us you are partnering with someone who has been there before: there are no associates learning on your matter. The lawyer you brief is the lawyer doing the work, with recent experience across high-stakes commercial litigation in the UK and overseas.
A bill you can defend internally
What you get from us is City-grade judgement at the rate a Magic Circle associate charges. Our lawyers are ex-Magic Circle and BigLaw, trained in the same firms you would expect to instruct on a serious matter, and most of them have served as General Counsel at some point too. We do not run the atrium, the leverage model or the overheads, so we do not bill you for them.
Advice that fits the commercial decision, not just the legal one
A dispute is a commercial problem before it is a legal one. The decision to negotiate, mediate, settle or litigate is a board-level call about cost, time, risk and relationships, and we will frame it that way from the very first conversation. We will keep framing it that way as the matter develops and as your position changes, because in our experience it almost always does.
Sector context already on the page
Our lawyers advise across financial services, technology, media, telecoms and other regulated industries, so when you describe the commercial backdrop to a dispute we tend to recognise it. The risk appetite of a Series B fintech is not the risk appetite of a listed bank: we know the difference because we have advised both. That context shapes every decision we take, from the first letter of correspondence to a final hearing.
A straight answer on whether to fight
Litigation is sometimes the right answer, and often it is not. We will tell you which is which on the first call rather than wait for the meter to run, and we will revisit the question as the matter develops to see whether your commercial position has moved, because in our experience it usually does. Where alternative resolution is the right route for your organisation, we run it; where the courtroom is the right route, we run that too.
A working pattern that fits your in-house team
We sit alongside your in-house team rather than around it: we brief in the format that suits you and act as an extension of your function. Where you want us to handle the matter end-to-end, we do that. Where you want to lead the matter yourself and use us for senior input on the points that need it, we do that too. The aim is the same either way: to reduce the friction your function feels with the rest of the business, not add another layer to it.
What the first fortnight looks like
A dispute handled well in the first fortnight looks very different from one allowed to drift, and the difference usually comes down to two things: how quickly the right legal mind sees the file, and how well the response is calibrated to the full commercial picture rather than just the legal question.
Most disputes settle before they reach formal proceedings, and the groundwork for that settlement is laid early: understanding your position clearly, assessing the other side’s case honestly, and walking into negotiation or mediation with a properly prepared strategy. Each of those things materially improves the outcome, and reduces what you spend reaching it.
Where formal proceedings cannot be avoided, the same disciplines apply, and we run complex litigation with a consistent focus on what protects the business: position, risk and commercial outcome.
When you instruct Arbor, you can expect a senior-led view on your position. We will get to work quickly to understand the matter, and agree the scope with you before any meaningful work begins. If the commercial case for continuing ever changes, we will say so and recommend the alternative: that is the conversation an experienced GC tends to want, and it is one we are comfortable having.
Our commercial dispute resolution services
We advise across the full range of commercial dispute resolution matters, from early-stage assessment and negotiation through to formal proceedings and alternative resolution. The focus is consistent throughout: the most effective outcome for your business, achieved as efficiently as the matter allows.
Corporate and commercial disputes
When a corporate or commercial dispute arises, the stakes are usually high and the legal issues complex, so we help you assess your position thoroughly, understand the options available and develop a strategy that is properly proportionate to what is at stake.
That can include disputes arising from corporate transactions, commercial relationships, breaches of warranty or representation, and conflicts between business partners or counterparties: throughout, your commercial objectives stay in view, because that is the business you are trying to protect.
Contract disputes and breaches
Commercial agreements are the foundation of most business relationships, and when they break down the consequences can be significant. We advise on contract disputes across the full range of commercial contexts, helping you understand your legal position, assess the other side’s arguments, and identify the most effective path forward.
That includes breached agreements, disagreements over contractual obligations or interpretation, and situations where early advice can stop a manageable disagreement becoming a costly conflict.
Shareholder and boardroom disputes
Disputes between shareholders, or within a board, can be especially damaging: damaging to relationships, to governance, to reputation and to operational continuity.
We provide clear, commercially grounded advice on resolving them, through negotiation, mediation or, where necessary, court proceedings.
The aim is to protect your interests and the integrity of the business while working towards a sustainable resolution: one that lets the organisation recover its footing rather than remain mired in internal conflict.
Founder disputes
Disputes between founders carry both professional and personal dimensions, and the way they are handled can shape the future of the business they have built together.
We work with founders to find commercially sensible solutions that protect their interests and preserve value where possible. Where the relationship has broken down irreparably, we bring clarity and resolution to a situation that might otherwise continue to cause damage.
Fraud and asset recovery
When fraud is suspected, or assets need to be recovered urgently, speed and decisiveness are essential: delay can allow assets to be dissipated or concealed, and the window for effective action can close quickly.
We advise on fraud-related disputes and asset recovery, helping you understand the options, act swiftly where necessary, and pursue the most effective route to protecting and recovering what has been lost.
Injunctive relief
Sometimes the most important step is urgent court intervention to stop ongoing harm: to protect assets, to enforce confidentiality obligations, or to restrain conduct that is causing immediate damage.
Where an injunction is needed, we move quickly: assessing the grounds, preparing the materials and presenting your case to the court with the urgency the situation demands.
Intellectual property disputes
Protecting intellectual property is a practical business priority, not only a legal one. When IP rights are infringed, through trademark violation, copyright claims or other challenges, the impact on your brand, competitive position and commercial relationships can be substantial.
We work with you to enforce your rights, defend against claims and reach outcomes that protect the value of what you have built, drawing on experience across a wide range of IP dispute contexts.
Technology and cyber disputes
Technology disputes, and the commercial disruption caused by cyber incidents, raise issues that demand both technical understanding and sector experience.
We advise on disputes arising from AI, blockchain, cloud computing, e-commerce, hardware failures and related technology matters, alongside the legal consequences of cyber-attacks and service disruptions. Our broader work in the technology sector shapes advice that reflects how these situations actually develop.
Regulatory investigations and enforcement
Regulatory investigations require careful, coordinated management farom the outset. How an organisation responds in the early stages can shape the entire trajectory of the inquiry, and the cost of getting that response wrong can be severe in regulatory, financial and reputational terms.
We support businesses through regulatory inquiries and enforcement action, managing the compliance dimensions of an investigation with an approach that is measured, well-prepared and focused on protecting the organisation’s position throughout
Alternative dispute resolution
For many commercial disputes, litigation is neither the fastest nor the most cost-effective route to resolution. Mediation, arbitration and other forms of alternative resolution can preserve relationships, reduce costs and produce outcomes that formal proceedings cannot.
We help you assess which approach suits your situation, then prepare you to engage in it with the best possible chance of a favourable outcome.
Get in touch today
The sooner the right lawyer sees the file, the better the options tend to be. Send us a short note about the matter and one of us will come back to you personally, often the same day, to talk it through. The first conversation is on us, and if we are not the right firm for the job we will tell you and, where we can, point you to someone who is.
- +44 (0)20 7355 0540
- info@arbor.law
- 20 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WE
