Most disputes don't need a courtroom — they need a resolution. Connaught Law's dispute resolution solicitors use mediation, arbitration and structured negotiation to settle conflicts faster, more privately and at a fraction of the cost of trial — with litigation kept ready as leverage, not used as the default.
· Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority · Legal 500 · Lexcel
How We Can Help
Mediation
A neutral mediator works with both sides — usually in a single day — to find a settlement the parties control, rather than one a judge imposes. Nothing said in the mediation can be used in court if it fails, which is precisely why parties speak candidly and why most mediations settle. We prepare the case as thoroughly as for trial and represent you throughout the day.
In family matters the considerations differ — our guide on the advantages and disadvantages of family mediation covers them.
Arbitration
Arbitration is private litigation: an arbitrator the parties choose decides the dispute, confidentially, with an award that binds and is enforceable like a judgment — internationally more readily than most court orders. Many commercial contracts require it. We act in arbitrations under the framework modernised by the Arbitration Act 2025, from appointment through to enforcing or challenging awards.
Expert Determination & Early Neutral Evaluation
Some disputes turn on a single technical question — a valuation, an account, a defect. Expert determination puts that question to an independent specialist whose decision the parties agree to accept: quick, final and inexpensive. Early neutral evaluation instead buys a candid, non-binding view of the merits from a senior lawyer — often enough to make a stubborn opponent settle.
Structured Negotiation
Most disputes settle by negotiation — the question is on whose terms. We use without-prejudice discussions and well-timed formal settlement offers, which carry costs consequences the other side ignores at their peril, to move opponents who won't engage. A negotiated deal preserves relationships that a trial would end.
When ADR Is Expected — and Effectively Required
The pre-action protocols require parties to consider ADR before issuing proceedings, courts now have the power to order it, and a party who unreasonably refuses can be punished in costs — even if they win. Many contracts also prescribe mediation or arbitration before court. We make sure the route you take strengthens your position rather than exposing it.
Choosing the Right Route
The right mechanism depends on what the dispute is really about: relationships favour mediation, technical questions favour expert determination, confidentiality and enforceability favour arbitration — and some opponents only respond to issued proceedings. We advise on the route first, because choosing well is worth more than arguing well. Where court becomes necessary, our commercial litigation service takes over without missing a step.
How We Work
We treat ADR as litigation by other means: the case is prepared to the same standard — evidence organised, merits assessed, numbers analysed — because the best settlements are won by the side that is plainly ready to fight. That preparation is also what protects you from settling cheap.
Timing matters twice over. Limitation under the Limitation Act 1980 keeps running while you negotiate — we protect deadlines while talks proceed — and the earlier ADR happens, the more of the relationship and the costs there are left to save.
Why Connaught Law
We negotiate from prepared strength — opponents settle properly when they can see you're ready for trial.
The same team advises on both routes, so you're never pushed toward one because it's all the firm can do.
Your dispute is run by our experienced litigation team, not passed down — with direct access to the person handling it.
ADR is chosen partly to control cost — so we give you a costs picture before each step and keep the cost-benefit case under review.
Fee structures and funding options are set out on our fees page — we discuss costs openly before you commit to anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is mediation legally binding?
The process isn't — you can walk away — but the settlement agreement signed at the end is a binding contract, enforceable like any other. In practice that combination is mediation's strength: no one is forced into a deal, yet the deal done holds.
How much does alternative dispute resolution cost?
A fraction of a trial. A commercial mediation typically concludes in a day, with the mediator's fee usually shared between the parties; expert determination and evaluation are similarly contained. Our fees page explains our fee structures, and you'll have a costs estimate before any step is taken.
Can I refuse ADR and just go to court?
You can — but unreasonably refusing carries real consequences. Courts expect parties to attempt resolution, can now order it, and punish unreasonable refusal in costs even against a winning party. If ADR is genuinely unsuitable for your dispute, we'll say so and record why, so refusal doesn't cost you later.
What if the other side won't engage?
Their refusal becomes your advantage: we put settlement proposals on record, and their unreasonable silence feeds the costs argument when proceedings follow. Meanwhile a well-prepared case for trial is itself the strongest invitation to negotiate — most opponents engage once the alternative is real.
Tell us what it's about and who's on the other side. We'll advise which route gets you the best realistic outcome — and what it will cost — before you commit to anything.
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