A Winter of Discontent updated for 2024: Rising insolvencies and 5 tips to avoid commercial disputes

The news headlines generally make for bleak reading every Winter, with economic uncertainty prevailing, and all eyes on the upcoming Autumn Budget. Labour has already warned that their first budget since coming to power will be “painful” and contain “difficult...

A David vs. Goliath case: Achieving a 92% recovery uplift against a global corporation

Taking on a multi-national corporation as an independent business owner isn’t for the faint-hearted. In fact, most contractors would baulk at the thought of doing so.This particular case had a conventional background – an independent contractor who was working...

What is a Part 36 offer, and how are they used during the dispute resolution process?

Part 36 offers are a commonly used tactic employed during the dispute resolution process, and when used strategically can often bring a swift conclusion to a case, thus avoiding court altogether. This article explains exactly how they work, and the terms and...

How do you turn an £12,000 debt into a £40,000 one? How not to handle a business dispute

At Escalate we often encounter litigation cases that initially appear straightforward, but end up escalating (pardon the pun) beyond all expectations. This particular business dispute serves as an excellent example. A land surveying consultancy approached us last year...

Small print, big problems: Not reading the fine print can be a costly mistake

Not reading the small print is something that most of us are guilty of – how often do you skim read through pages of a lengthy contract before quickly signing on the dotted line? In some cases though, that can cost big. This case involved a disputed telecoms contract,...

Your unpaid invoices: Three routes to reclaiming what’s yours

Reminder letters that go unanswered. Phone calls that end with promises of payment which never materialise. Sound familiar? Dealing with unpaid invoices is an unwelcome but inevitable part of life for many SMEs – previous research from Pay.Uk indicates that a third of...