Commercial litigation: Kent, Surrey and Sussex in South East

‘A very strong regional team with excellent knowledge of the requirements of its clients.’

‘This is an excellent team which punches above its weight. ’

‘Excellent understanding of our business and requirements for legal advice, well researched and practical advice and reasonable and transparent fees.’

‘Stephen Burns is responsive, sensible and pragmatic. He has a good sense of what a court is likely to respond to.’

‘Jamie Cartwright is a go-to litigator for our business; an excellent lawyer who is also practical and client-friendly. He gets to grips with the issues and offers timely advice and solutions.’

‘Charlotte Healy is diligent and on top of the detail.’

‘A very good out of London team. Responsive, commercial and good to deal with.’

‘From a client’s point of view, the organisation works as a team – where particular expertise is required, then the appropriate person is put in touch, whilst it is clear that the overall picture of one’s individual case is maintained.’

‘My experience has been that Cripps is very good at identifying the issues in a case, only spending time on what needs to be done and not being tempted to do what is not necessary. There is an overall sense of them being commercial and competent in a way that other firms do not achieve.’

‘The Cripps team is diligent, attentive and client-friendly. We are very satisfied with Cripps.’

‘The individuals in the Cripps team that we work with, particularly Hannah Proctor, are always very responsive, and they provide clear advice and assistance in guiding us through the various procedural aspects of the English court system. They are calm, reasonable and rational.’

‘The organisation as a whole has been an invaluable source of support – Tom Bourne in particular making himself available at all times through a crisis situation. His knowledgeable, calm and empathetic manner, and his grasp of complex situations gives a feeling of total confidence.’

‘Ed Weeks is excellent – very commercial, great to work with and with very good instincts. Hannah Proctor is an efficient and capable associate.’

‘Ed Weeks has excellent judgement, knowing when to litigate and when not.’

‘The team brings a strong ability to handle litigation alongside complex regulatory issues.’

‘Very responsive, user-friendly and cost-effective team. They prove that you can send City quality work to firms outside the City.’

‘They are incredibly commercial in nature, and have taken the time to really understand the commercial drivers for us which has allowed them to shape their advice to our real needs. ’

‘The quality and reliability of the services is high. This is coupled with open and transparent fee arrangements.’

‘Their willingness to go the extra mile has been phenomenal. ’

‘They are capable of forming well-balanced team and addressing complex scenarios swiftly and efficiently where multi-jurisdiction claims arise.’

‘Sarah Murray is a rare litigator who is a pleasure to work with and is still fantastic strategically and gives absolutely nothing away.’

‘Sarah Murray’s client care is impeccable. She is the reason we use the firm. She really understands what we need and prefer in the advice and services provided.’

‘DMH provide a truly excellent service and punch above their weight in litigation against the major london firms. They provide an excellent service at all levels. The solicitors and associates have real hands on experience of running litigation, and the partners are seriously impressive in terms of legal skills and commercial savvy. Real team players.’

‘Their combination of great technical knowledge, user-friendly lawyers and really strong commercial awareness is excellent. We’ve also found their data-driven approach to billing and demonstrating value to be incredibly useful. Many bigger firms produce glossy brochures and talk a good game about how innovative they are, but DMH Stallard tend to focus on the things that genuinely help you on a day-to-day basis. ’

‘A combination of pragmatism, collaboration and a deep understanding of what in-house lawyers and businesses actually need from their lawyers.

‘The DMH Stallard disputes team excels at providing pragmatic, commercial advice in a user-friendly manner. They effective operate as extended members of our in-house litigation team. ’

‘This is a really client-focused team. They work hard to understand our business and meet our needs. They price their services very reasonably and they are flexible in considering billing models. We always know we can rely on them to do what they say they will do. It’s a really positive client-lawyer dynamic.’

‘Simon Elcock is very calm under pressure, confident and authoritative in his advice. Clients respect him and his initial judgment on a case is rarely wrong.’

‘Tim Ashdown is seriously impressive. A fantastic litigator with a real breadth of legal knowledge, he has great client skills and a real feel for the commercial realities. Unflappable. Always willing to go the extra mile. I frequently recommend him to clients and they are never disappointed.

‘James Colvin is extremely efficient, thorough and diligent. He is a steady influence on fast moving cases. Excellent judgment and provides concise commercial advice to his clients.’

‘TWM Solicitors is a head and shoulders above my former solicitors, making more progress in the first four months of their appointment than my previous solicitors managed to achieve in fourteen months. ’

‘They are experts in commercial and business dispute resolution with great experience and knowledge. They are extremely good in coordinating and evaluating cases and proactive in planning and advising on alternative solutions for counter actions.’

‘Highly cost effective and efficient team with real commercial acumen.’

‘TWM is a growing South East law firm, with an excellent litigation team. Impressive, hard working, practical and commercial in their approach. They have a very strong team across a variety of practice areas, and are a pleasure to work with. ’

‘David Hitchcock combines a detailed forensic approach with a real sense of his clients’ business and needs.’

‘Simon Brew quickly got to grips with my case, absorbing the large amount of information I sent to him during the early stages, before offering clear and constructive advice on the best way forward. In a nutshell, Simon got on with the job with no noticeable or unreasonable delays arising from the pandemic. ’

‘Candy Stockton is extremely able, practical and no-nonsense litigator. Fights for her clients.’

‘Boddy Matthews are very personable in their approach. They have always been very professional, providing all costs up front and sticking to these. I feel I have always had very sound and sensible advice from them and whilst providing options on legal issues they allow me to weigh up the best way forward. Where necessary they have bought in specialist advisors around contract law. Overall I feel they have been an asset to my company. ’

‘A small but highly personalized service. Clear distinction between specialties and areas of expertise. Approachable and highly conscientious of keeping the project on track from a timing and billing perspective.’

‘Excellent support. Very happy to collaborate with. Investigated a very new area of the law above and beyond the call of duty. ’

‘Dedication to claim. Very professional and approachable.’

‘Kate Matthews tells you the facts straight and as they come, which I like as it allows me to have a clear understanding of my options.’

‘Kate Matthews is always professional and clearly displayed a deep understanding of dealing with HMRC working methods and procedures, making the process of my case efficient and to the point.’

‘The quality of Furley Page’s work, their level of expertise and attention to detail is on a par with what you would expect from a high-end City firm; but they manage to marry that with approachability, dynamism and close involvement in the local business community. All this means they have a deep understanding of their clients’ needs and how best to serve them. I cannot rate them highly enough. Outstanding.’

‘The team stands out from the rest of the firms in East Kent. The team is sharper and more responsive than anyone would expect and provides a service comparable to more well-known firms with central London addresses.’

‘The team as a whole is responsive, talented and eager to interface with counsel and the client to ensure efficient and nimble communication. There is an ease with which the lines of communication are kept open and an emphasis on teamwork whilst mindful to avoid duplication of costs.’

‘George Crofton-Martin is a tenacious litigator who is always striving to ensure that his client’s interests are protected. At the same time, he has brilliant judgement on when to accept compromises. The quality of his correspondence is high, and he very effectively marshals a team of witnesses in complex litigation to ensure that deadlines are met. He is effective at thinking outside the box and achieving strategic solutions.’

‘George Crofton-Martin is ridiculously intelligent and can translate legal jargon into plain English real word examples like no one else I’ve met. I would seek him out first time, every time.’

‘Deborah Geering has gone above and beyond for us on our matter. Her advice has been spot-on, and attention to detail second to none. She responds to emails punctually and nothing is too much hassle. Legally speaking Deborah has a razor-sharp mind. She also has an acute and impressive commercial awareness, making a point of understanding the true nature of her client’s business, what really makes it tick and what it’

‘Peter Hawkes is a formidable litigator with a wealth of experience. He is proactive and a great tactician. 

‘Natasha Biggs is hardworking and great with clients.’

‘Irwin Mitchell have a calm, collected and measured approach to litigation. Their people can quickly comprehend complex matters.’

‘Irwin Mitchell’s commercial litigation team deal with a wide range of personal and business commercial claims, both domestic and international in focus, and many run into the millions of pounds. They are a pleasure to work with. ’

‘They really care about getting a good result for their clients. ’

‘Katie Byrne is outstanding. She provides very clear and straightforward advice and can absorb vast amounts of information and quickly understand complex international matters. You always get clear, straightforward and considered advice. ’

‘I trust Tom Barnard completely and am very impressed by his coverage of detail and his ability to step back and consider the case in the round. I am easily confident enough in him to make referrals, and have done so..

‘A really strong team, with a depth of experience, good at building strong client relationships and excellent commercial judgement.’

‘Simple, plain advice about what best to do.’

‘David Foster is a highly experienced litigator, with a laser focus on securing the client’s objectives. Brings his great experience of mediation to devise creative solutions to complex problems. A real pleasure to work with.’

‘Chris Darvill  is a smart and tactical litigator. A friendly and reassuring presence for clients.’

‘The practice has a practical approach to dispute resolution. The partners are able to advise on the likely commercial outcome and therefore what the best course of action for clients.’

‘Very professional and make it easy to understand difficult situations that we all find ourselves in.’

‘The team has specialists in various areas which has been useful as our requirements have been diverse. ’

‘My experience of PDT Solicitors has been excellent from both the Partner dealing with my case and the other members of the practice, who dealt with specific administrative matters on his behalf. Although PDT Solicitors is a relatively small legal practice, it is well resourced.’

‘Justin McConville is professional, personable, empathetic and diligent.’

‘William Angas is excellent.’

‘William Angas was helpful and professional- his attention to my case was reassuring and conscientious. He found time to always be available for my telephone calls. His attention to correspondence was prompt and reliable. ’

‘Ben Ashworth maintained a good level of communication, had a superb understanding of the issues to be resolved and a clear route to achieving our goals. He was realistic with our prospects of success when it came to taking action and ended up over-delivering.’

‘Griffin Law has become my go-to firm for any commercial litigation matters regardless of size or complexity. They consistently have outperformed any central London firms I have worked with and punch well above their weight without the price. I’ve always felt part of the team and remained informed throughout. They are both transparent and reasonable with their billing. They never back down from a challenge and I would never use anyone else.’

‘The team at Griffin Law is excellent in its communication skills, unlike a lot of other solicitors. More often than not you want regular updates on the work that is being done and the timescale in which they hope to achieve this, and Griffin Law excel in keeping us up to date at all times.’

‘The firm specialises in dispute resolution. This is a potentially difficult type of work as tensions are usually high between the parties including their client. Management of the problem is key and listening to their client is really important, which they do. They explain in simple terms the procedure and warn of weakness and strength of argument.’

‘The commercial litigation team is an oasis of commercial pragmatic advice in an otherwise roiling sea of uncertainty. Griffin Law possess a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by businesses in the COVID-19 landscape and never shy away from advising the client of their options, no matter how unpalatable they may be. They are unique (as far as I am aware) in actively electing to share risk on cases they take on as they regard themselves as true partners in a clients’ case, standing shoulder to shoulder in the battle ahead. Their rates compare very favourably with their dressier London contemporaries, but make no mistake, Griffin Law can mix it with the best of them.’

‘Griffin is a superb and entrepreneurial boutique litigation firm. It provides blue chip-level litigation services but by virtue of its regional base does so at extremely good value. The secret of this success seems to be very careful recruitment, as the lawyers practising at the firm are invariably excellent. Its impressive client-base is testimony to this strength.’

‘Mark Edmonds is a straight-talking litigator who has consistently cuts through the noise of a claim to get right to the important issues before presenting an elegant and cost-effective solution. He is extremely robust in dealing with the opposition while keeping costs down. I cannot endorse him highly enough.’

‘Donal Blaney is a highly ingenious and strategically-minded solicitor. Perhaps because of his own business success as principal of the firm he is extremely commercially aware and entirely focused on the best possible outcome for the client. He is indefatigable in pursuit of his clients’ interests and easily digests the most complex scenarios. 

‘Neil Kelley has great experience and wisdom. He is never rattled, always measured and has an unerring instinct for positioning his clients most favourably from the perspective of the court.’

‘The team clearly have a wealth of experience in this field and were able to utilise it to good effect in my case. Their very strong success rate was very reassuring. They were able to develop good and effective working relationships with my other advisers.’

‘This commercial practice punches well above its weight as a smallish firm. It delivers excellent work and service at a level that competes well with the London firms. It has a London office which also means that it can deliver support on cases more easily in the High Court jurisdiction.’

‘An excellent firm with a vast range of specialist knowledge and experience. A very collaborative, dynamic and modern way of instructing counsel which i find very effective.’

‘David Bailey has kept me fully updated with the progress of my case. I feel that he has handled it with sensitivity and professionalism, and although we are not yet at a resolution, I am still confident that I am in good hands.’

‘David Bailey is an excellent lawyer and very effective with more demanding clients. He takes a grip on the case and plans and executes strategy from the outset, so the case develops with a focused, lean approach.’

‘The stand-out partner is David Bailey. David is vastly experienced but remains extremely approachable and takes time to listen to appreciate each critical issue. David provides effective tactical, commercial and pragmatic advice, in a clear and calm manner.’

‘Nicholas Taylor is a very experienced and good litigator, who knows how to get good results for clients. Easy to work with, a good ear to his client’s concerns.’

‘It is quite common to find lawyers with a solid understanding of the law, but it’s quite rare to find ones that have such a deep understanding of how businesses work. The team at Helix has helped us in a couple of disputes, and have often advised in a way that really focuses on commercial viability rather than just suggesting nuclear legal routes (that would most likely be more profitable for the law firm). What has also stood out, is the dedication of individual team members to their cases, and how invested they are in fully understanding your company’s needs – making sure they can meet and exceed them.’

‘They are very focused on securing a commercial outcome on the best possible terms for their clients. They are often instructed in cases against bigger and better known firms and they more than hold their own. They are very experienced in dealing with a wide variety of commercial disputes, often arising from property transactions, but also shareholder and general business disputes.’

‘Having been instructed by larger City firms whose costs can be very high, Helix’s fees are much more reasonable despite the firm providing the same level of service.’

‘An approachable, down to earth boutique law firm specialising in commercial disputes – always available, adapted well to the pandemic, would highly recommend.’

‘Alex Cook is an outstanding lawyer. He is absolutely determined to secure the best possible outcome for his clients, and will fight tenaciously to achieve that outcome. He is very experienced in dealing with a wide variety of commercial disputes, often arising from property transactions.’

‘Alex Cook is a hardworking and experienced litigator. He adopts a bullish style to litigation which is extremely effective and typically brings about a swift resolution.’

‘Having worked predominantly with Alex Cook, I have admired his transparency from the start of any engagement. He has absolutely no problem with telling you if something is a long shot, or if there is no case to be had. What is really special though about Alex, is his dedication to clients and how much he invests himself into their cases, making sure he fully understands the bigger picture and then advising accordingly.’

‘Rix & Kay always, without fail, put in the effort to progress matters. They have 100% of my legal work. ’

‘Rix &  Kay is a very strong regional firm with considerable strength in depth in its core areas. Its practitioners have a high level of specialism by the standards of most regional firms. ’

‘Excellent knowledge of the issues and legal precedents. ’

‘Dan Sherlock pretty much handled my case from start to finish, and I thought he was exemplary in every way. I cannot imagine that anyone else anywhere could have done a better job.’

‘Dan Sherlock is a wise and experienced litigator who has contributed very substantially to the development of Rix & Kay’s litigation offering. Dan is able to grasp the intricate detail of even the most complex disputes easily. He is measured, charming with clients, and has a great instinct for putting his clients in the best position before the court. ’

‘Alistair Rustemeyer has excellent client management skills. Very hands-on and willing to work extremely long hours as required to ensure the best outcome for his client. ’