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Business Legal Services
Commercial Contract Disputes
We take a fresh approach to contract disputes. Our contract dispute solicitors focus on quick, commercial outcomes by combining modern thinking with sound legal principles.
Commercial contract disputes are an inevitable part of doing business. Whether it is a supplier failing to deliver, a customer refusing to pay an invoice, or a disagreement over the terms of a contract, these issues can quickly consume your time, drain resources, and strain important business relationships. The longer they are left unresolved, the greater the risk that there will be commercial disruption, reputational damage, and financial loss.
Our contract dispute solicitors will work hard to help you resolve your dispute. We will listen to your concerns, provide clear explanations of your legal options, and guide you through the steps you need to take to resolve your dispute.
Experts in commercial contract disputes
Our team can assist you across all areas of dispute resolution, including:
How our contract dispute solicitors will help you resolve your dispute
When you instruct us, we start by assessing your legal position, identifying any commercial risks, and outlining your options. You will get honest, practical advice on the best way to resolve your dispute, whether that’s early negotiation, a formal letter of claim, or alternative dispute resolution like mediation.
Mediation tends to be the quickest way to settle a dispute. Statistics from the Ministry of Justice shows that most small claims mediations happen within 28 days, while court cases typically take 12 to 18 months to reach trial. Which is why we often prioritise quick, commercially sensible solutions to protect your business and keep things moving.
If court action becomes unavoidable, we have the expertise to manage litigation confidently, keeping you informed at every stage and pursuing recovery of any losses wherever possible.
Our approach to contract dispute resolution
We understand that for many businesses, preserving valuable commercial relationships can be as important as winning the dispute itself. Our advice will always be tailored to your commercial priorities.
If preserving future trading arrangements matters to you, we will approach the dispute with that in mind.
If it is a straightforward recovery issue, we will move quickly and more aggressively to secure what is owed.
From day one, you’ll deal with a senior solicitor who’s been in your shoes. Many of our solicitors at Harper James have worked in-house and know what it’s like to manage legal issues alongside day-to-day business pressures.
We don’t just step in when disputes have already escalated. Many of our clients work with us on an ongoing basis to proactively manage contractual risk within their businesses. By advising them early on contract terms, potential disputes, and operational processes, we help them reduce the likelihood of disputes further down the line.
Finding the right legal partner
Why work with Harper James
Choose a legal partner you can trust: we’ll help protect your goals, your business and your people so you can move forward with confidence and focus on growing your business.
Affordable, transparent and predictable pricing
Clear itemised invoices, subscription plans with up to 50% discount, and fixed fee products help you plan and manage legal spend – with no nasty surprises.
Proven track record and measurable results
We’ve supported over 7,000 businesses since 2014, with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60+ from monthly client surveys.
Straight-talking, responsive advice
We’re here to make things easier, not add complexity. That means fast response times, practical expert legal advice delivered in plain English, and dedicated client service and account management support.
Risk and compliance assured
We’re an SRA regulated firm, but more importantly, we build quality, data, and compliance best practice into everything we do.
Appointing a legal partner is a big decision. That’s why we’re open about our values, culture and model, so you can see what makes us tick. And because a productive partnership starts with understanding, we always begin with a conversation – listening to your goals, pressures and plans, then tailoring our support to fit.
Testimonials
What our clients say
As with any business, we need access to good quality legal advice without the fear of facing huge legal fees. The service provided by Harper James is ideal because they are always available to assist and we know that the advice provided is of outstanding quality, with pricing that is cost effective and completely transparent.
Laura Bowen
Director,
Admedo
Great customer service with experienced staff. Mark and the HJS team worked well with us and took the stress out of a situation. Advised us proactively to achieve the the best outcome for our situation.
Paul Smith
COO,
Incuto
Excellent communication and all correspondence answered very quickly. Very attentive to detail, gave sound advice and secured a good deal in a short time frame.
Dr Karen Wilson
Director,
Odyssey Recruitment
Choosing Harper James was one of the best choices we made as a start-up. The firm has provided invaluable advice and insight throughout the early stages of our business.
Leigh Purnell
CEO,
Petalite
I was looking for intelligent, fast feedback on things I couldn’t do myself. Every step of the way, Harper James have fulfilled that promise – they’ve been so responsive. It’s run as a business, not as a law firm. Anyone who’s been near a law firm knows the difference. It’s a real pleasure.
Geeta Sidhu-Robb
CEO and Founder,
Nosh Detox
Knowing that we have Harper James to help us through complex situations and difficult negotiations is very reassuring. Sarah knows our business inside out and we can rely on her to provide clear and timely commercial advice.
And on the odd occasion that we’ve needed help through a dispute, Ian Carson has always stepped in and dealt with the situation before it gets out of hand.
Nick Thompson
CEO,
One Beyond
We've used you for a couple of years and the quality of help is always great - thank you!
Claire Taylor
CEO and Founder,
Simply VAT
We consulted Michael Key, who had prior experience in the software value-added services business model. He subsequently followed up with a contract review and advice in a very timely manner.
Abbas Khan
CEO,
Abacus Cambridge Partners Limited
As with any business, we need access to good quality legal advice without the fear of facing huge legal fees. The service provided by Harper James is ideal because they are always available to assist and we know that the advice provided is of outstanding quality, with pricing that is cost effective and completely transparent.
Laura Bowen
Director,
Admedo
Great customer service with experienced staff. Mark and the HJS team worked well with us and took the stress out of a situation. Advised us proactively to achieve the the best outcome for our situation.
Paul Smith
COO,
Incuto
Excellent communication and all correspondence answered very quickly. Very attentive to detail, gave sound advice and secured a good deal in a short time frame.
Dr Karen Wilson
Director,
Odyssey Recruitment
Choosing Harper James was one of the best choices we made as a start-up. The firm has provided invaluable advice and insight throughout the early stages of our business.
Leigh Purnell
CEO,
Petalite
I was looking for intelligent, fast feedback on things I couldn’t do myself. Every step of the way, Harper James have fulfilled that promise – they’ve been so responsive. It’s run as a business, not as a law firm. Anyone who’s been near a law firm knows the difference. It’s a real pleasure.
Geeta Sidhu-Robb
CEO and Founder,
Nosh Detox
Knowing that we have Harper James to help us through complex situations and difficult negotiations is very reassuring. Sarah knows our business inside out and we can rely on her to provide clear and timely commercial advice.
And on the odd occasion that we’ve needed help through a dispute, Ian Carson has always stepped in and dealt with the situation before it gets out of hand.
Nick Thompson
CEO,
One Beyond
We've used you for a couple of years and the quality of help is always great - thank you!
Claire Taylor
CEO and Founder,
Simply VAT
We consulted Michael Key, who had prior experience in the software value-added services business model. He subsequently followed up with a contract review and advice in a very timely manner.
Abbas Khan
CEO,
Abacus Cambridge Partners Limited
Why use our contract dispute resolution solicitors?
Our team’s credentials speak for themselves. The majority of our business disputes solicitors have between 15-30 years of in-practice experience and includes former partners and heads of department at Top 100 law firms, Legal 500 Recommended Lawyers and panel specialists.
Our team are pragmatic, results focused team of lawyers who have a strong track record of resolving contract disputes.
Learn more about the team that will be working for you:
Top ranked SME focused firm
"Harper James is a one-stop shop for anything legal. It has excellent breadth, with experience on a large number of deals and multiple departments for different legal areas."
Chambers and Partners 2026
Pricing and service plans
Legal support designed
to fit your business needs
Our three transparent service plans are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:
Engage
Flexible access to senior solicitors at highly competitive rates
An alternative to our subscription plans, offering access to full service legal expertise on a project-by-project basis.
Enable
Purpose built legal support for start-ups and smaller businesses
Monthly subscription plan for £239 per month, with £159 monthly credit and access to all legal services at 50% discount on our Standard Rates.
Extend
Comprehensive legal partnership for established businesses
Fully account managed and scalable annual subscription plan with support from a curated team of partners and senior solicitors, with up to 33% discount on our Standard Rates.