Commercial and disputes counsel

Most disputes are won or lost in the first letter.

Halden Chambers is a small firm for commercial contracts and the disputes that grow out of them. A partner reads every enquiry, and writes that first letter with you.

Write to a partner
Example. A first letter, with the blanks we fill in for each matter.

Practice

Where we are most useful.

Six areas of commercial work. Each one is led by a partner, not passed down to someone you have never met.

  1. 01

    Commercial contracts

    Supply, distribution and services agreements, read as if they will one day be argued over.
  2. 02

    Contract disputes

    Breach, termination and unpaid invoices, from the first letter to the last day of trial.
  3. 03

    Shareholder disputes

    Deadlock, exits and claims between owners and partners who used to agree.
  4. 04

    Arbitration

    Institutional and ad hoc arbitration, for parties who need a private forum.
  5. 05

    Urgent injunctions

    Freezing orders and injunctions, for the weeks when something has to stop now.
  6. 06

    Settlement and mediation

    Negotiated outcomes, prepared as carefully as if the matter were going to court.

Approach

How a matter usually runs.

Every matter is different. Most follow the same four stages, and you will always know which one you are in.

Read

A partner reads what you send, then calls you before anyone else is involved.

Advise

A short written view: how strong your position is, what it may cost, and the routes that avoid court.

Act

Letters, negotiation or proceedings, run by the same partner from the first page to the last.

Close

A settlement, a judgment or an award, with a plain account of what it cost against the estimate.

This is the usual shape of a matter. It is not a promise of any outcome.

Partners

The people who will read it.

A small bench, by design. The partner you speak to first is the one who runs your matter.

  • Senior partner

    Commercial disputes

    Breach, termination and payment claims, from the first letter to trial.

    Disputes

  • Partner

    Commercial contracts

    Supply, distribution and services agreements, drafted to survive a disagreement.

    Commercial

  • Partner

    International arbitration

    Arbitration under the main institutional rules, and the court work around it.

    Arbitration

  • Partner

    Shareholder disputes

    Deadlock, exits and claims between owners who used to agree.

    Disputes

Portraits and names are placeholders until the partners supply their own.

Principles

Halden Chambers

We are a small firm on purpose. Every matter is run by a partner who reads the documents themselves, answers the telephone, and tells you early whether the case is worth fighting. We would rather settle a dispute well than prolong it for fees. When it must go to court, we prepare as though the judge will read every page, because sometimes they do.

Step 1 of 4

What is it about?

Pick everything that applies.