Commercial litigation barristers for Brighton, Hove and Sussex.
Counsel for commercial disputes, shareholder and partnership claims, insolvency work and business property litigation in Brighton, instructed by solicitors or directly on a fixed fee.
Commercial Litigation Barristers for Brighton clients
Brighton carries a steady commercial disputes docket. Claims are issued at the County Court at Brighton at William Street, Brighton BN2 0RF, with Business and Property Court work heard in London. The work ranges from mid market contract claims through to shareholder petitions, insolvency applications, injunctions and business property litigation.
Clerk and Counsel is a clerking agency, not a chambers and not a firm of solicitors. We place independent, BSB registered commercial barristers from the South Eastern Circuit and the London Bar on Brighton commercial disputes. Our job is to match counsel to the case, the court, the timetable and the budget, then get conflict checks and the engagement letter done quickly so counsel can start.
Instructions come from Brighton solicitors who want specialist counsel on a discrete issue or at a hearing, from in house teams across the region, and directly from company directors, shareholders and business owners using Public Access. Where Public Access is not the right route we say so on the first call and, where it helps, point you to a solicitor to lead the file with counsel kept in reserve.
For urgent applications, freezing orders, contested winding up petitions and short notice injunctions, counsel can usually be briefed within twenty four to forty eight hours. Advice, pleadings and merits work is normally engaged within two to three working days.
Areas of work in Brighton
Contract and commercial disputes
Breach of contract, warranty, agency, distribution and sale of goods claims heard on the Brighton fast track, intermediate track and multi track.
Shareholder and partnership disputes
Unfair prejudice petitions under section 994, derivative claims, LLP and partnership dissolution, joint venture breakdown and exclusion of a director from management.
Business property litigation
Commercial lease renewals under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, break notices, rent arrears, forfeiture and relief, dilapidations, service charge disputes and beneficial ownership of business property.
Insolvency and companies work
Winding up and bankruptcy petitions, statutory demand set aside applications, administration challenges, transactions at an undervalue, preferences and director disqualification.
Professional negligence
Claims against solicitors, accountants, surveyors, valuers and financial advisers, including limitation, causation and loss of a chance arguments.
Injunctions and interim relief
Freezing orders, search orders, springboard injunctions, delivery up and restrictive covenant applications, including urgent and out of hours applications.
Where these cases are heard
The County Court at Brighton at William Street, Brighton BN2 0RF hears County Court commercial claims for the city and much of East Sussex.
Business and Property Court work for the South East is heard in the Business and Property Courts in London, with suitable Chancery and insolvency matters listed at the County Court at Brighton where the value and complexity allow.
Related claims are heard at the County Court hearing centres at Hastings, Worthing, Lewes, Horsham and Guildford. Remote listing of interim applications is routine on Sussex commercial claims.
What drives this work in Brighton
Brighton and Hove has a commercial base weighted towards digital, media and creative agencies, technology and software, financial and insurance services, hospitality, leisure and tourism, education and a very large population of small and owner managed businesses across Sussex.
That base produces agency and services contract disputes, software development and licensing failures, intellectual property and confidential information arguments, founder and shareholder fallouts in agencies and startups, hospitality supply and franchise disputes, and professional negligence claims against accountants and advisers.
Business property disputes in Brighton commonly involve seafront and city centre retail, restaurant and bar premises, office and studio space, and hotel and short let investments. Lease renewals, break notices, rent arrears, forfeiture and relief, dilapidations and service charge disputes are the usual instructions.
What instructing counsel costs
Fees on Brighton commercial litigation are fixed and agreed in writing before any work starts. Written advice on the merits of a commercial dispute typically runs between six hundred and two thousand pounds plus VAT depending on the volume of documents. Drafting Particulars of Claim or a Defence on a mid market claim is usually one thousand two hundred to four thousand pounds plus VAT.
Hearing fees in Brighton run from around eight hundred pounds plus VAT for an interim application through to three thousand five hundred pounds plus VAT for a full day multi track or Business and Property Court hearing with senior counsel. Urgent injunction and freezing order work is quoted separately, with evening and weekend availability where the matter demands it.
For business owners running their own dispute we work stage by stage so exposure is capped and visible from day one. If the honest view is that the claim is not worth pursuing, or that a solicitor should lead the file, counsel will say so at the advice stage rather than after the money has been spent.
Send a short brief covering the parties, the contract or lease in issue, the sum at stake, the court and any listed hearing dates. A clerk will come back with shortlisted Brighton commercial counsel, an indicative fixed fee and confirmation of conflict check timing.
We also place counsel across the wider region and in London, so if your dispute moves up to the Business and Property Courts or the Commercial Court we can keep the same counsel on the case or bring in a leader where the value justifies it.
Every barrister we place is regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Clerk&Counsel is a clerking agency and does not provide legal services itself.
Commercial Litigation Barristers in Brighton, common questions
Where are commercial disputes heard in Brighton?
The County Court at Brighton at William Street, Brighton BN2 0RF hears County Court commercial claims for the city and much of East Sussex. Business and Property Court work for the South East is heard in the Business and Property Courts in London, with suitable Chancery and insolvency matters listed at the County Court at Brighton where the value and complexity allow.
Can I instruct a Brighton commercial litigation barrister without a solicitor?
Yes, where Public Access is suitable for the matter. Counsel will look at the volume of disclosure, the number of parties and the procedural burden before accepting the instruction. If a solicitor needs to be on the record we will say so before you commit to anything.
What does a commercial litigation barrister in Brighton cost?
Written advice on merits usually runs between six hundred and two thousand pounds plus VAT. Drafting a statement of case is typically one thousand two hundred to four thousand pounds plus VAT. Hearing fees run from around eight hundred pounds plus VAT for an interim application to three thousand five hundred pounds plus VAT for a full day. Every fee is fixed and agreed in writing first.
Do you cover business property disputes in Brighton?
Yes. Commercial lease renewals under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, break notices, dilapidations, forfeiture, rent arrears, service charge disputes and arguments over beneficial ownership of business property are all regularly placed with counsel on our panel.
How quickly can counsel be instructed for an urgent Brighton matter?
For injunctions, freezing orders and short notice hearings counsel can usually be engaged within twenty four to forty eight hours. Advice, pleadings and merits work is normally set up within two to three working days.
Are counsel locally based in Brighton?
We use a mix of South Eastern Circuit counsel and London counsel who travel or attend remotely. The choice is driven by the fit with the case, availability on the listed date and the fee rather than by which set a barrister happens to be in.