Bishop Fleming joins Escalate dispute resolution platform

Accountancy firm Bishop Fleming has become the latest leading professional services business to join Escalate, the ground-breaking commercial dispute resolution process for SMEs.

Bishop Fleming has over 340 staff across offices in Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Truro and Worcester. With Bishop Fleming on board, Escalate has further strengthened its geographic footprint in the South West.

Escalate helps SMEs to achieve a prompt settlement to a wide range of commercial disputes, with fixed fees payable only on a successful outcome and no upfront costs. The Escalate process was recognised as ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the prestigious British Accountancy Awards in 2017, ‘Best Collaboration Initiative’ at the 2018 Lawyer Awards, ‘Excellence in Business Development’ at the 2018 Law Society Excellence Awards and ‘Innovation in Legal Services’ at the 2018 British Legal Awards.

“Partnering with Bishop Fleming is an indication of our ambitions for Escalate”

Chris Clay, Managing Director of Escalate, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Bishop Fleming to give SMEs even greater access to the Escalate dispute resolution process.

“Partnering with another top tier professional adviser is a sign both of the progress that we’ve made and an indication of our ambitions for the future.

“We’re already helping SMEs to recover more than £30 million that is currently locked up in commercial disputes and, with Bishop Fleming on board, are confident that we can help even more SMEs with their cashflow.”

Jonathan Williams, Partner and Head Business Recovery and Insolvency of Bishop Fleming, said: “Escalate is seeing considerable demand from businesses, and it’s not hard to see why. The traditional dispute resolution model has been heavily stacked against SMEs for a long time, and we are keen to be part of the solution.

“By removing financial risk, providing transparency on process and pricing, and ensuring that the claimant remains the main beneficiary on settlement, Escalate gives our clients an opportunity to resolve their disputes in a way that helps rather than hinders their cash flow. Escalate provides SMEs with an innovative means of securing the resources they need to survive and grow, and I have no doubt that our clients will benefit considerably from having access to it.”