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Our expert commercial litigation team has decades of experience helping claimants and defendants in legal proceedings. Whatever your claim and whatever your personal circumstances - we have the team to help.

Commercial Litigation Solicitors

Speak to commercial litigation specialists

Our brilliant team of commercial litigation solicitors can advise you on the following:

Pre-action protocols

We can assist with advice on what steps you or your opponent should take before issuing a claim, and the costs protection such steps will achieve. Avoid mistakes and potential cost orders for not following the rules before a claim is issued.

Issuing a claim

Francis Wilks & Jones can advise you on the various benefits of different litigation claims, how to issue your claim and the legal risks associated to wrongly issued claims, and the deadlines a defendant may be subject to upon issue of a claim. Make sure your case is as strong as it can be.

Small claims court

Our commercial disputes team can advise and assist you with all small claims court cases, from single cases to help issuing bulk claims. Make the small claims process work for you and maximise your chances of success.

Defending claims

The defence of a claim can be difficult.  Your opponent has spent months or years preparing, and you have weeks or (at best) months to respond.  At Francis Wilks & Jones we have a particular speciality in supporting defendants in commercial dispute claims and have comprehensive experience and strategies to manage a defended claim to best improve your prospects of success.

Case management and the court rules

We can help you manage your claim in accordance with the strict court requirements. At Francis Wilks & Jones we have extensive experience of litigation proceedings and how best to present and run your case.

Striking out a claim and summary judgment

If the defendant to a claim believes it is weak or a “try on” – they can apply to strike it out before it ever reaches trial.  We can help bring these applications or defend them.

Disclosure

Sometimes you do not have all the information, but you know it exists.  Or maybe you do not know such information or evidence exists, and it appears during the proceedings.  At Francis Wilks & Jones it is very important at such points to manage the disclosure process, to understand what has been disclosed and to understand the options available if the information or evidence that should have been provided has not.

Part 18 Requests for Information

Sometimes a claim or defence is unclear and may not have even been presented by a lawyer.  At Francis Wilks & Jones we seek to avoid the trap of responding to a claim or a defence you do not truly understand and use such Requests for Information regularly to support our client’s understanding and remove any misunderstanding, to best improve their position in litigation proceedings.

Evidence & expert evidence

What type of evidence do you have, how is it capable of improvement and what is best in support of your claim or defence in commercial litigation proceedings?  At Francis Wilks & Jones we will immediately examine your evidence and provide you with advice on whether it properly supports your claim, or you need to make more detailed enquiries.

Security for costs

Legal proceedings can be expensive. At Francis Wilks & Jones we can help Defendants by getting a claimant to pay money into a court bank account – to ensure your legal costs are paid if the claim is unsuccessful.

Costs

So, if you are successful in a claim or defence, who pays your costs and how do you maximise recovery of such costs?  At Francis Wilks & Jones we are very alive to such issues – there is no point spending money on a legal claim or a defence if the associated legal costs are not recovered.  We also have extensive experience of costs recovery proceedings and strategies to maximise the costs you recover.

Litigation funding

You may have a great claim, but you do not have the funds available to instruct lawyers over a long period of time to obtain that outcome.  Alternatively, you may have concerns that – no matter how strong you think your claim is – if you lose your opponent will seek an order that you pay their legal costs.  This is where litigation funding has great benefits – at Francis Wilks & Jones we can assist you with funding of litigation, both externally or via your legal advisors, and insurance protections against litigation risks.  We are instructed on many funded cases and can assist you with making the right choice for your circumstances.

Appeals

An order made against you is a painful one – you may not agree with it or it or you may not have been there when it is made.  At Francis Wilks & Jones we can advise on the legal requirements of an appeal, whether you satisfy them or whether alternate options (such as a set aside application) are more appropriate.

Injunctions

We can help you obtain or defend an injunction application. Our team has all the answers you need to make sure you follow the correct protocol.

Norwich Pharmacal orders

Sometimes the information you seek is not under the control of parties to the proceedings.  Additionally, the parties in possession may not agree to give you such information.  At Francis Wilks & Jones we have considerable experience of making applications for Norwich Pharmacal orders, the pitfalls of such applications and the enforcement of the order secured.

One of the most astute appointments I have ever made.

A company director

If there was ever a star rating for law firms, Francis Wilks & Jones would score five stars plus. Professional and pro-active, they were able to understand my problem quickly, provide expert advice, outline a solution and put it into place with a successful outcome. I should have gone to them sooner.

A client we successfully defended in legal proceedings

Speak to us about a commercial litigation claim today

If you’re in need of a high quality team of commercial litigation solicitors, regardless of whether you are a claimant or defendant, look no further than the team at Francis Wilks & Jones. We are a team of commercial disputes specialists, based in Clerkenwell, London (around a 10 minute walk to Farringdon station) but operating across the UK to help those in need.

If you would like to contact us, please use our contact details to get in touch and our helpful team will direct your enquiry as required. Or speak to Partner Stephen Downie or Maria Koureas-Jones direct.

Key contacts

Andrew Carter

Andrew Carter

Partner

Maria Koureas-Jones

Maria Koureas-Jones

Partner

Stephen Downie

Stephen Downie

Partner

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