Civil dispute resolution

With today’s spiralling house prices more people are turning to rented accommodation to meet their housing needs. Sometimes this is provided by local authorities or housing associations, but more frequently by private landlords.

Whilst the majority of landlords are familiar with their legal responsibilities many nevertheless overlook the obligations that they owe to their tenants, both during the course of the tenancy and at the end of the tenancy. Sometimes tenants are left in accommodation which is simply not fit for habitation or needs substantial repair. On other occasions they ask tenants to leave the premises at very short notice.

Our civil dispute resolution team work closely with Slee Blackwell’s specialist housing lawyers to ensure a first class legal service for landlords and tenants alike.

We live in a consumer led society. But whether shopping for you is a passion or a chore we all demand that are our purchases to do exactly what we want them to. Unfortunately this does not always happen, which is why a complex structure of consumer rights has evolved. Compared with days gone by todays consumers are in a very powerful position, though many of the don’t know it. Anything you buy must be fit for the purpose for which it was bought. It must be durable and it must be safe. If the goods do not comply with your expectations you may have the right to have them repaired or replaced or even have your money returned. So, whether you have just bought a swing for your little girl or splashed out on a top of the range car, if there is something wrong we can help.

You know the feeling. You need something but don’t actually have the money to pay for it. So we end up relying on credit either by loan, hire purchase agreement or credit cards.
In time, the credit eventually gets repaid – unless the borrower runs into serious financial difficulties. If this occurs, don’t despair. There maybe something that can be done. Lenders often make mistakes. In their eagerness to lend us money many of them overlook the strict legal requirements that have to be observed. When this happens, we can help turn their oversight into your gain.

As the 60’s song said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to get on with your neighbours?”. Luckily most of us do, however sometimes a neighbour can cause some irritation perhaps by trying to surreptitiously taking some of your land or by restricting your rights of way. If you find yourself in this position and are unable to smooth matters out in a neighbourly fashion then give us a call. A solicitors letter is sometimes all that it takes.

Whether you are in the business of buying and selling goods or providing services and whether your market is within the UK or global, all of these transactions will be based around a contract and probably one that has been carefully drafted and thought through many times. When people’s rights and obligations are so clearly set you would have thought that the scope for disputes was negligible. Unfortunately that is not the case. Sometimes the company encounters cashflow difficulties and is not able to pay for the goods. Sometimes they may simply be claiming that what was supplied was not what was agreed. On other occasions situations outside of their control may impact upon the other party’s ability to deliver his side of the bargain.

Although these disputes do arise, in the business world the paramount objective is to get the business relationship back on an even footing as soon as possible. At Slee Blackwell we pride ourselves in dealing with these disputes on a very commercial, proactive and pragmatic basis, looking at the bigger picture. Obviously it is in everyone’s interest if matters can be resolved quickly and cheaply and with that in mind we certainly encourage where appropriate the use of mediation and arbitration. Obviously there are the occasions where the other side is so bloody minded that you have no option but to litigate and in that event we will work with you to achieve a happy balance between preparing the case thoroughly and preventing the legal proceedings from eating up all your valuable management time.

The means by which businesses sell their wares are becoming more varied, particularly with the advent of e-commerce transactions. However the old familiars of agency and distribution agreements still occur in the commercial world. Our team have a thorough knowledge of the complexities of the law of contract and are here to provide innovative solutions to legal problems old and new

Legislation governing commercial tenancies is a minefield which could result in you losing substantial sums of money should you not follow the rules.

Since June 2004 the rules relating to commercial premises have been altered so that they are more in keeping with the commercial relationship. However failure to comply with what are still quite strict time limits may have serious effects on your long term business plan.

If in doubt, give our team a call.

In this country it is common for businesses to be operated through either a small limited company or a partnership. Unfortunately the fact that you get on well with your colleagues at the start does not mean that you will continue to do so. Obviously one way of ensuring you continue to play an effective role in your business or that you receive the benefits of your investment should you wish to withdraw is to make sure that either a proper partnership deed or a shareholder agreement is put in place.

Although these documents certainly improve your position, disputes over their meaning and effect nevertheless arise. If you are unfortunate enough to experience such a dispute it is important that these are resolved as quickly as possible to ensure that the business suffers minimal disruption or that you receive what is due to you so that you can continue with other ventures. At Slee Blackwell we are able to offer specialist advice in respect of both the legalities and commercial realities.