Commercial Litigation Solicitors
- Over 30 years' experience
- Resolve disputes quickly
- Astute legal representation
Commercial Litigation Lawyers
Specialist litigation lawyers, with over 30 years’ experience resolving complex and high value commercial disputes.
Need Immediate Advice?
We live in an increasingly contentious world. Business disputes can disrupt daily operations and damage your reputation. Our commercial litigation lawyers provide astute legal strategies for high value and complex disputes ranging from £50,000 to multi-million-pounds.
Based in London, we support both SME’s and global corporations to achieve the best path forward. For your free initial consultation, call our litigation solicitors today on 020 7467 3980.
Our dispute resolution services
Our litigation services include:
- Debt recovery: Recover outstanding commercial debts to maintain business cash flow and continuity.
- Shareholder disputes: Resolve conflicts between business owners to protect the operational stability of your company.
- Director disputes: Defend your position and protect your reputation when conflicts arise at the board level.
- Commercial injunctions: Secure immediate court orders to stop harmful actions or compel specific behaviors that protect your assets.
- Contract disputes: Our litigation team interprets complex agreements to enforce your rights when business partnerships break down.
- Construction disputes: Resolve project delays, defect claims, and payment issues to keep your developments moving forward.
- Breach of contract: Hold parties accountable when they fail to deliver on their agreed commercial obligations.
- Crypto disputes: We apply modern legal strategies to resolve conflicts involving digital assets and blockchain technology.
Why early commercial litigation advice matters
One of the most common mistakes businesses make is waiting too long to seek legal advice. By the time a commercial dispute has escalated to formal proceedings, your options may be limited.
Early legal advice allows you to:
- Assess the strength of your position
- Organise relevant documentation and correspondence
- Explore settlement options before positions become entrenched
- Ascertain the costs, risks, and timeframes involved
- Take protective steps, such as injunctions, where necessary.
Types of alternative dispute resolution
Commercial disputes do not always need to end in a courtroom battle. There are 3 main types of ADR where our litigation solicitors can help you to resolve conflicts efficiently, saving your business from unnecessary costs and operational delays.
Negotiation
Negotiation is a flexible and confidential process that allows parties to find common ground without court intervention. It is often the most cost-effective first step, giving you direct control over the outcome and preserving business relationships.
Our litigation lawyers provide early-stage legal advice to help you resolve conflicts quickly while protecting your commercial objectives. Our approach is designed to defuse tense situations and steer conversations toward a mutually acceptable agreement.
Mediation
Mediation involves a neutral, third-party mediator who helps the disputing parties work towards a settlement. The process is voluntary and confidential, allowing for open discussions in a structured setting.
Agreements reached in mediation are not automatically binding. However, once both parties agree on the terms, we can formalise the resolution into an enforceable settlement agreement. This provides you with certainty and a clear path forward.
Arbitration
Arbitration is a formal ADR process where parties present their case to an independent arbitrator or a panel. The arbitrator reviews the evidence, listens to the arguments, and delivers a legally binding decision.
Our commercial arbitration services include:
- Drafting Arbitration Agreements: Ensuring clarity and enforceability to provide a solid foundation for arbitration proceedings.
- International arbitration: Providing expert advocacy and strategic guidance throughout arbitration cases, regardless of jurisdiction.
- Arbitrator Selection: Advice in choosing arbitrators with the technical knowledge and legal expertise suited to the specific nature of your dispute.
- Enforcing Arbitration Awards: We manage the enforcement of awards both in the UK and internationally to secure your outcome.
Injunctions to protect your commercial interests
Injunctions are a critical tool in commercial litigation, used to prevent imminent harm or preserve the status quo while a dispute is resolved. Our injunction solicitors have extensive experience in obtaining and defending against injunctions to protect your rights and business interests.
The types of injunctions we handle include:
- Freezing orders: Freezing orders prevent the dissipation of assets, ensuring funds and property remain available to satisfy a potential judgment.
- Interim Injunctions: These are temporary court orders issued to maintain the current state of affairs until the full hearing of a case.
- Search orders: Search orders allow the claimant’s representatives to enter a defendant’s premises to preserve evidence that might otherwise be destroyed.
- Prohibitory injunctions: These orders prevent a party from engaging in specific actions, such as disclosing sensitive information or infringing intellectual property rights.
- Mandatory injunctions: Mandatory injunctions require a party to take specific actions, such as returning misappropriated property or removing unlawful obstructions.
How do you resolve a commercial breach of contract?
To resolve a commercial breach of contract, you must first issue a Letter of Claim following the Pre-Action Protocol. Under the updated 2025 Civil Procedure Rules, parties are now strictly encouraged to attempt Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or mediation before a court hearing.
If unresolved, a claim is issued in the County Court or High Court to seek damages, specific performance, or rescission.
Why choose our commercial dispute solicitors?
Strong negotiation skills
Negotiation is at the heart of our dispute resolution strategy. We are adept at finding out-of-court solutions that save you time, money, and unnecessary business disruption. Our goal is to secure a positive outcome while protecting your commercial relationships.Tailored litigation strategies
No two business disputes are the same. Our commercial litigation lawyers take time to understand your commercial goals and the specific details of your situation. This allows us to build a tailored approach designed to achieve the best possible outcome for your business.Transparent pricing
As a private litigation law firm, we offer various funding options to clients that include hourly billing, blended fee arrangements and fixed fee options. To keep you in control, we provide a clear cost estimate before starting work on your case. We also supply regular updates as the matter progresses, so there are no surprises.Excellent client reviews
Summit Law is committed to service excellence and takes pride in making complex legal issues easy to understand. Our litigation lawyers are known for delivering clear advice that empowers you to make informed decisions.Commercial litigation costs
Understanding the costs involved in commercial litigation is essential for businesses aiming to manage disputes effectively. We offer a range of transparent pricing options, ranging from hourly rates and retainers.
| Level | Hourly Rate |
| Partner | £497 + VAT |
| Senior Associate | £465 + VAT |
| Solicitor (5+ Years PQE) | £410 + VAT |
| Solicitor (Under 5 Year PQE) | £325 + VAT |
Commercial litigation - FAQs
Commercial litigation is the process of resolving business disputes through negotiation, arbitration, mediation, or court proceedings.
Commercial litigation often involves issues such as:
- Debt recovery
- Breach of contract
- Shareholder disagreements
- Insolvency disputes
- Contract disputes
We specialise in high value commercial disputes ranging from £50,000 to multi-million pound litigation. These disputes could be national, international or multi-jurisdictional.
All cases are managed by our Partner-level litigation solicitors who have a wealth of experience in this area of law.
Commercial litigation timelines vary based on factors like case complexity, cooperation between parties, and the court’s schedule.
Simple cases might wrap up in weeks. Complex disputes, especially those with multiple parties or jurisdictions, can take years. The goal is always to resolve commercial litigation efficiently while protecting your interests.
Arbitration is often preferred in commercial litigation because it is faster, more cost-effective, and private.
It allows parties to choose decision-makers with specific expertise, offers flexibility compared to court procedures, and ensures binding decisions that are enforceable. Arbitration also keeps sensitive business information out of public records.
Commercial disputes must follow the time limits set by the Limitation Act 1980. For most business disputes, the time limit is six years from the date the issue arose.
If a claim is not filed in court within this period, it becomes “time-barred,” meaning the claimant loses the right to pursue it. Exceptions may apply in cases of fraud or deliberate concealment.
Class action litigation allows a group of individuals or businesses with similar claims against the same defendant to combine their cases into a single lawsuit.
This approach is often used in disputes involving product liability, financial fraud, or large-scale commercial breaches, making it more efficient and cost-effective for claimants to pursue justice collectively.
While the term “class action” is widely understood, in the UK, these are formally referred to as “group litigation orders (GLOs)” or “collective actions.”
The dispute resolution process involves various methods to resolve disagreements between parties, either inside or outside the courtroom.
Key stages of the process include:
- Initial assessment: Understanding the nature of the dispute and exploring options for resolution.
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR): Methods like negotiation or mediation to settle disputes without litigation.
- Litigation: If initial attempts at ADR fail, the dispute is resolved through arbitration or court proceedings, resulting in a legally binding decision.
Call our commercial litigation lawyers in London
Whatever commercial dispute you are involved in, seeking early legal advice increases the chance of a quick and successful resolution. With a proven track record, our litigation solicitors can help you achieve the best outcome across a range of commercial disputes, including:
- Commercial disputes: Breach of contract, misrepresentation, partnership disputes, and debt recovery.
- Crypto asset litigation: Misappropriation, fraud, and smart contract breaches.
- Insolvency litigation: Commercial insolvency claims arising from liquidation, administration, or bankruptcy proceedings.
- Shareholder disputes: Including shareholder deadlocks, derivative claims, fiduciary duties and breach of fiduciary duties.
For your free consultation, contact our London-based commercial litigation solicitors today on 020 4586 4576.
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