Ian Carson

Ian is a Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at Harper James. He qualified as a solicitor in 1993 and has over 30 years of experience in handling a broad range of commercial disputes.

Ian’s career has been split equally between his time in London, working for a global law firm and a Big 4 Accountancy firm and in the Midlands, focusing more on the SME market. This enables him to flex his skills to deal with all manner of clients from multinationals to sole traders.

Ian excels at explaining complex legal matters in a concise and comprehensible manner, ensuring clients fully understand their options and the potential outcomes. Ian is an exceptional communicator, able to bridge the gap between legal jargon and practical business considerations.

Ian has an impressive track record of dealing with all kinds of commercial disputes, including contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, professional negligence, insolvency disputes, and international disputes. His expertise extends across numerous industries, enabling him to provide tailored solutions to a diverse range of clients. Examples of types of disputes he has successfully concluded include:

• Representing a shareholder in an international family dispute over control of one of South America’s largest agricultural groups
• Obtaining judgment at trial in a claim against a media figure for breach of fiduciary duty for diversion of a business opportunity
• Settling a multi-million professional negligence claim against a leading firm of accountants arising out of tax advice to a national hotel chain
• Defending Judicial Review proceedings over disputed landing rights for private jets at Heathrow Airport
• Representing a national foodstuffs manufacturer in its claim for large-scale disruption to its production due to defective installation of key electrical equipment

His client-centric approach ensures that clients always feel informed, empowered, and confident in their decisions. Ian believes his pragmatic approach helps clients focus on and achieve their objectives.

“It’s rewarding to find a solution to any commercial dispute which allows the client to move on and focus on what really matters to their business. To achieve this, I will give a frank assessment of any case which takes account of not just the legal and evidential issues but the wider commercial context of the dispute. Thirty years of dispute resolution experience means that I’ve seen most contentious scenarios before, which brings a practical realism to my advice.”

Outside of work, Ian enjoys playing tennis, golf, going to the cinema, walking and cycling.