Corporate & Commercial Disputes

Corporate and commercial disputes go to the heart of your business and reputation.

Overview

Our seasoned team of commercial litigators have the experience and appetite to put those interests first. No matter how complex or hard-fought the litigation, we have the expertise and resources to take control of the agenda to achieve your objectives. We are tenacious, resilient and thrive under pressure.

We are regularly instructed on the largest and most complex corporate and commercial disputes before the English courts and have the capacity to litigate your case to the highest courts. Our scale and breadth of experience means that we can take on any commercial dispute and, in partnership with you, resolve it successfully. 

As commercial litigators, we understand the importance of immersing ourselves in our clients’ businesses. We advise major UK and global entities on their commercial and corporate claims, including banks, financial institutions, private equity houses, investment funds, corporates and multinational commercial organisations, as well as individuals. 

Our clients come to us when the stakes are highest because we offer both technical excellence and business common sense. As part of a full-service firm, our commercial litigators can also draw upon the expertise of Travers Smith’s market-leading transactional and advisory practices. We do not operate in silos, and frequently collaborate with our colleagues across the firm to serve your interests with our best minds. Our in-house litigation technology experts ensure that the way we litigate is forward-thinking and smart.

The majority of our cases have a cross-border element. Our strong relationships with the best overseas disputes practices allow us to offer a seamless and tailored service outside this jurisdiction to our clients if the case requires.

We are adept at handling the broadest range of commercial litigation, including:

  • contractual disputes between companies
  • claims arising from the acquisition or disposal of businesses
  • shareholder disputes
  • professional negligence disputes
  • banking and insolvency claims
  • financial services disputes
  • public and product liability claims
  • novel tortious claims
  • property and construction cases
  • insurance disputes
  • intellectual property and patent disputes
  • trust and pensions claims

Our lawyers are award-winning.  We were recognised in 2019 as Commercial Litigation Team of the Year by both The Lawyer and Legal Business.  We are proud to offer, at every level, an agile team of entrepreneurial, bright and committed people to our litigation clients.

Recent work advising:

Leading the defence of two separate sets of proceedings against Camellia plc and two of its English subsidiaries involving novel "parent company liability" claims concerning alleged human rights abuses in the operations of two overseas subsidiaries of the Camellia group in Kenya and Malawi respectively.

Hewlett Packard in relation to fraud claims amounting to US$5 billion, with parallel criminal proceedings in the US, arising out of the US$11 billion acquisition of Autonomy Corporation plc in late 2011.

Kaupthing and Jóhannes Rúnar Jóhannsson in two Commercial Court cases in which the Tchenguiz brothers claimed damages of £3 billion for an alleged unlawful conspiracy to mislead the SFO.

A European truck manufacturer defending multiple damages claims brought before the English courts (both as individual claims and as collective proceedings) arising from the European Commission's Trucks decision.

A smart card chip producer in respect of a damages claim brought in the High Court against our client and another addressee of the European Commission Smart Card Chips cartel decision.

Clients in relation to a freezing injunction and disclosure order obtained in the Commercial Court by Kazakh bank BTA against our clients, which arose out of the long running dispute between BTA Bank and Mr Ablyazov.

An international shipping company in respect of a damages claim brought in the Commercial Court by a car manufacturer based on the European Commission Maritime Car Carriers cartel decision.

Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited in connection with its successful Commercial Court claim for financial advisory fees against Nordsee Offshore MEG I GmbH.

The Defendants in Andrew Cole & Others v Scion Limited & Others in the Business List of the Business and Property Courts in relation to claims arising from investments in film finance schemes.

Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (in administration) (LBIE) in connection with a number of disputes relating to the close-out of derivatives and other financial contracts following LBIE's entry into administration.

Pathfinder Minerals Plc in connection with the disputed ownership of its mining licences in Mozambique and of the shares in its local Mozambique subsidiary.

Sebastian Holdings Inc. in its multi-billion dollar claim in the Commercial Court against Deutsche Bank arising from a series of exotic derivatives transactions.

London Mining plc in relation to a number of contentious matters, including a disputed additional royalty payment in respect of iron ore sales at the Marampa Mine in Sierra Leone and proceedings in Minnesota and England arising from a joint venture for the acquisition and development of an iron ore mine and processing plant in China.

The former directors of an insolvent company defending various claims against them including breach of duty and under the Insolvency Act 1986.

Various corporates in relation to product liability claims and alleged breaches of product safety regulations.

Merlin Entertainments in relation to civil proceedings for damages and an injunction for alleged noise nuisance at the Alton Towers theme park.

The Dispute Resolution Yearbook 2025

Find out more about our disputes practice and how we go about our business. Containing a host of thought leadership pieces on UK litigation trends and insights into what matters to us as a team.

A guide to commercial litigation in the High Court of England and Wales

This guide aims to provide a high-level overview of the key steps which are likely to be involved in a piece of commercial litigation in the English courts.

A guide to commercial litigation in the High Court of England and Wales
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