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Business Legal Services
Partnership Disputes
Service overview: Partnership dispute resolution
- Disagreements between partners are among the most sensitive type of commercial dispute. They arise inside a business between close business associates and have the potential to infect the entire business.
- Our partnership disputes solicitors understand the different factors at play during a partnership dispute. Circumstances are present which don’t always arise during other types of commercial dispute.
- Sensitivity at all stages of the legal process is essential. Without it employee performance and focus can be affected. In addition the external image of the partnership and individual partners among clients and competitors may be damaged.
- There’s a lot at risk from a mismanaged partnership dispute. Goodwill and capital assets that may have been built up over years could be in jeopardy. Carefully developed business reputations may be damaged irrevocably.
- If there’s a partnership agreement in place it will normally set out a procedure for dispute resolution. If there’s no agreement it’s essential to decide quickly how to approach the dispute.
- At Harper James we will always explore settlement, using recognised alternative dispute resolution methods (ADR), including negotiation, arbitration and mediation.
- We also have offices in Sheffield, Birmingham, Oxford, Manchester, Cambridge and London where we meet clients in person when that is necessary. But you don’t need to be based near any of these offices to get our advice. Using cutting edge legal software we handle a large amount of our work remotely.
Experts in partnership disputes
Our team can assist you across all areas of dispute resolution, including:
What we do: Solicitors to resolve partnership disputes
Partners have a unique business relationship. It’s based on mutual trust and respect – a shared outlook on how to run the business. When the relationship goes wrong it can be difficult to prevent the dispute becoming personalised. We work with partnerships and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) of all sizes across a wide range of business sectors to resolve disputes. Our priority is to forcefully defend the position of the partner or partners we represent and to minimise any impact on the business resulting from the dispute.
We handle all types of partnership dispute including disputes that arise relating to division of assets after a partnership is dissolved or following the death of a partner. Our advice covers:
Breaches of partnership agreements
Enforceability of clauses in partnership agreements (members’ agreements in LLPs), including restrictive covenants, compulsory retirement and partner expulsion provisions.
Disputes over partnership accounts and business valuation mechanisms
Ownership disputes
Alleged breaches of fiduciary duties by partners
Partnership winding up and dissolution issues
Discrimination issues, including enforceability of rights specified in a partnership agreement
Partner status issues, including advice on employed/self-employed status for tax and employment law purposes
We also help businesses avoid the disruption caused by partnership disputes through periodic reviews of partnership agreements and partnership processes and working practices.
We encourage existing partnership clients and those approaching us for the first time to get in touch as soon as a disagreement – or the possibility of one – arises. The personal nature of many disputes between partners means they can escalate quickly making partnership dispute resolution more complex and costly than it needs to be
Who we help: Partnerships and LLPs of all sizes
Partners and members of LLPs facing a partnership dispute approach us from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are a full-service law firm so have the capacity and expertise to advise on partnership disputes in all sectors. Our clients come from traditional sectors including the professions and manufacturing. But we also represent partnerships operating in the emerging, and disruptive industry sectors like technology and energy.
Testimonials
What our clients say
Harper James has provided us with a highly responsive and pragmatic dispute resolution service which has been efficient and very cost effective in resolving recent disputes.
Alex Sloley
CFO,
Triptease
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
Our solicitor Michael was very honest and open. I really appreciated that, and would like to pass thanks to him for making our options so clear.
Philip Spencer
Director,
Dextra Insight
I can’t sing our solicitor’s praises enough: fast, efficient, sensible and supportive. A quick and fair resolution to all queries that we have worked on together and would thoroughly recommend her to any of my contacts.
Samuel B Higgs
Account Director,
Signal Media
Harper James has provided us with a highly responsive and pragmatic dispute resolution service which has been efficient and very cost effective in resolving recent disputes.
Alex Sloley
CFO,
Triptease
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
Our solicitor Michael was very honest and open. I really appreciated that, and would like to pass thanks to him for making our options so clear.
Philip Spencer
Director,
Dextra Insight
I can’t sing our solicitor’s praises enough: fast, efficient, sensible and supportive. A quick and fair resolution to all queries that we have worked on together and would thoroughly recommend her to any of my contacts.
Samuel B Higgs
Account Director,
Signal Media
Why use our partnership dispute solicitors?
We’re a modern firm with a fresh approach. Our emphasis on ADR to resolve partnership disputes helps businesses move forward efficiently and reduces the internal upheaval associated with disputes between partners.
Our focus on remote working allows you to get City-quality legal advice affordably. We never compromise on the quality of our advice. Expect to be guided by partner-level solicitors trained at Top 100 UK law firms and lawyers with extensive experience working for national and international commercial organisations.
Find out more about our partnership dispute lawyers:
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 £215 per month, with £145 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 34% discount on our Standard Rates.