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Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Experiencing a dispute can be confusing, difficult and have the potential to seriously impact your entire life. Our civil dispute resolution solicitors in Romford, Essex can provide expert advice and practical guidance for all types of disputes.

Our team understands how challenging and impactful civil litigation can be on your life, especially when matters are not swiftly resolved. Instructing our team means you will receive friendly and proficient advice, with sensitive support.

At F Barnes, our team of specialists can offer a free 30-minute consultation for civil litigation and dispute resolution in Romford, Essex to understand your requirements and deliver further information about how we can assist you with your dispute.

Our civil litigation and dispute resolution expertise includes:

  • Providing clear advice on your legal position
  • Private negotiation
  • Mediation
  • Adjudications
  • Court proceedings

You can read more about how our lawyers deal with civil disputes, in our Frequently Asked Questions about civil litigation and dispute resolution.

Contact our civil litigation and dispute resolution lawyers in Essex

You can contact our civil dispute litigation solicitors during our office hours of 9am-5pm at your local branch in Romford, Gidea Park or Collier Row by giving us a call on:

Alternatively, contact us at any hour of the day by filling in our online enquiry form, and we will get in touch.

We endeavour to return all enquiries the same or next working day and you will be able to speak to someone within our dispute team straight away.

Our civil litigation and dispute resolution services

Our civil litigation and dispute resolution solicitors have considerable expertise in matters such as:

Frequently Asked Questions about civil litigation and dispute resolution

What is civil litigation?

The term ‘civil litigation’ refers to the process of resolving a private legal dispute between individuals or businesses. Some people tend to use the term ‘litigation’ if they are referring to court proceedings and ‘dispute resolution’ for out-of-court proceedings, but technically, the terms are interchangeable.

What is civil dispute resolution?

As stated above, the term ‘civil dispute resolution’ means the same as ‘civil litigation’ but is often used to refer to out-of-court approaches to resolving a dispute. This can include methods of alternative dispute resolution, otherwise known as ADR. ADR refers to round table negotiation, mediation, conciliation, and arbitration.

Resolving a dispute out of court is generally preferable for many reasons. It tends to be less contentious, more cost-effective, and quicker than court proceedings.

What types of civil dispute resolutions methods are there?

There are several types of civil dispute resolution methods available, these include:

Round table negotiation

During this method, those involved will meet with their individual civil litigation lawyer to discuss the dispute and put forward their preferred outcome in the hope of finding common ground to resolve the issue.

Mediation

Other than round table negotiation, mediation is the most commonly used method of ADR due to being informal yet effective.

During the mediation meeting, the parties will meet with a neutral trained mediator to discuss the dispute. This mediator will help guide those involved towards finding an outcome both can amicably agree on. Civil mediation usually takes place over a single day or half day as opposed to mediation for divorce and separation, which typically takes place over several sessions.

Conciliation

Conciliation is slightly different from mediation, due to the conciliator listening to the matter, encouraging the parties to discuss it and then providing their opinion on the matter and offering outcome ideas to the involved parties.

Arbitration

Arbitration is the ADR method most similar to civil litigation due to the outcome being legal binding. During the process, the parties will meet with an arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators to find a resolution to the dispute.

Is civil litigation the same as dispute resolution?

The terms civil litigation and dispute resolution can be used interchangeably, but as set out above, people tend to use ‘litigation’ to refer to court proceedings and ‘dispute resolution’ for out-of-court processes.

Which disputes are considered as civil disputes?

Civil disputes are private disputes, which are separate from criminal proceedings and often occur when a claimant is trying to get compensation or a resolution.

Typically, civil disputes include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Personal injury
  • Breach of contract
  • Family law
  • Property disputes
  • Landlord and tenant disputes
  • Workplace mediation
  • Neighbour disputes

Is litigation the same as court?

Not necessarily. Litigation simply means the process of dealing with a dispute, which can be either in or out of court.

How long does a civil lawsuit take?

How long a civil lawsuit will take completely depends on the situation. Going to court notoriously takes longer than dispute resolution methods, such as round table negotiation and mediation.

This is not due to the trial itself, which usually only takes a couple of days, but waiting for a court date can take months or even years. Other aspects can cause the process to become lengthy, such as pre-litigation and preparing the case, e.g. the supporting arguments and evidence.

Our civil litigation and dispute resolution solicitors’ fees

Our team can offer a free 30-minute consultation to understand your requirements and deliver you further information about how we can assist you.

We understand how daunting a civil litigation can be, with the potential to impact your finances, reputation, mental health, and more. That’s why we try to make matters simpler by offering reasonable fees. From the outset, we are completely transparent with the cost of our services and offer fixed or capped-fee estimates whenever possible.

To discover more about our flexible funding options, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the team.

Contact our civil litigation and dispute resolution solicitors in Romford, Essex

Get in touch with our friendly civil litigation solicitors in Romford, Essex, to talk about how we can help you with civil dispute resolution law.

You can contact us during our office hours of 9am-5pm at your local branch in Romford, Gidea Park or Collier Row by giving us a call on:

Alternatively, contact our civil dispute resolution solicitors at any hour of the day by filling in our online enquiry form, and we will get in touch.

We endeavour to return all enquiries the same or next working day, and you will be able to speak to someone within our dispute team straightaway.