Trouble-shooting
Some of our clients use us as "trouble-shooters" to help them resolve difficult or unusual problems or situations. These situations usually call for a more thoughtful, creative or diplomatic solution than conventional legal services. Examples over the years have included:
- Helping a university client to deal with a situation where an academic was accused of fraud in his research activities.
- Brokering a commercial deal where the parties' representatives were barely on speaking terms and mis-trusted one another.
- Assisting a professional mediator on commercial law issues in a patent infringement dispute.
- Helping a client to terminate a licence agreement and obtain a seven-figure sum in compensation from the licensee; the dispute had dragged on inconclusively for nearly two years before we became involved.
- Acting for business clients in several commercial disputes, where the client had been dissatisfied with the service provided by his previous solicitors.
How we might help
Our precise role will depend on the situation. Possible roles include the following:
- Representing a client as its external solicitor, drawing on our wide experience.
- Performing a "wise counsel" role. This may involve discussion of strategy with the client. On some occasions it may involve instructing experts, including external solicitors or barristers. In some areas, eg tax or regulatory affairs, there is a useful role in both assisting the client to instruct suitable experts and to interpret the advice given, drawing on our general experience and conceptual (non-specialist) understanding of the subject.
- Acting as a mediator or other intermediary, usually on the basis of joint instructions from the clients.
Please contact Mark Anderson if you would like to discuss how we might assist you to resolve a difficult situation.
