Litigation
Sometimes people find themselves faced with a situation where a dispute is unavoidable. This can be difficult and stressful and you may need assistance to resolve the issue. If you find yourself with the need to raise a Court action, or if you are in a position where you need to defend one, we can help.
Dispute Situations
Our team can advise you as early as possible with a view to avoiding the dispute escalating and the parties finding themselves involved in a court action.
Some of the situations where our team can help are as follows:
- Difficulties arising with contractors, for example, during a building project or development of a property;
- Recovery of unpaid money due to you, whether a personal or business debt;
- Disputes relating to land, land ownership or land usage;
- Disputes arising from executry estates;
- Allegations of professional negligence;
- A court action is raised against you and you need to defend yourself;
- Urgent action is required to prevent damage to your property or financial interests;
- If you have been injured in an accident at work, a road traffic accident or think you might have suffered medical negligence.
Raising a Court Action
If the dispute cannot be resolved without an action being raised, our team has experience of doing this both the Court of Session in Edinburgh and in Sheriff Courts across Scotland.
Based in Edinburgh, we are well placed to instruct Advocates to appear on your behalf in the Court of Session or Sheriff Court, or we can represent you ourselves in the Sheriff Court, if required.
We also have contacts across Scotland and can instruct local Solicitors to appear on your behalf, if that is appropriate.
It is important to bear in mind the deadlines for raising court proceedings. Please do contact us as soon as possible to discuss these matters fully with our legal team.
Out of Court Settlement
In some situations, negotiating an out of court settlement can be beneficial to you. It not only avoids the stressful and sometimes upsetting experience of attending court and giving evidence, but it can also be a more economical way to proceed.
If you find yourself in a dispute, we will advise on whether an out of court settlement is something to be considered, the appropriate level of settlement and at what stage we should commence negotiations.
Mediation
Sometimes it may be appropriate for your dispute to be referred to mediation. During this process, a trained mediator will liaise with the involved parties to try and achieve an outcome which is satisfactory for everyone.
Our litigation team will work with you to achieve the outcome you want in the most efficient, cost effective and least stressful way possible.
To find out more about our litigation services, please contact Dawn Robertson or Sarah Chilton on 0131 225 1200.