Background

Disputes

At Coodes, we understand that personal disputes can be challenging, taking up time, resources and emotional energy, and potentially souring or disrupting important relationships. Our personal disputes team know that resolving personal disputes effectively requires sensitivity and experience, as well as first-class legal expertise. We have been advising and representing clients throughout the South West and nationally for more than 275 years, helping to resolve disputes and limiting the damage they cause.

We recognise that every dispute is unique, and we tailor our advice accordingly. Working closely with you, we will develop a comprehensive understanding of the details of the dispute, and your goals and priorities, allowing us to develop a practical and effective legal strategy with you. We aim to minimise the impact of disputes on your life while ensuring your rights and interests are protected.

Whatever the dispute, our specialist personal dispute lawyers will help you to understand the strength of your individual case, your options for resolving the dispute, and the likely costs and potential risks. The law around personal disputes is full of technical jargon that can be both confusing and frustrating. We’ll help to break it down for you, explaining the process and laying out the various routes you could take to achieve a satisfactory solution.

Our approach to personal disputes

We believe that effective communication and understanding are key to resolving personal disputes, and we strive to create a comfortable and supportive environment where you can openly discuss your concerns. Our focus is always to understand what you want to achieve in resolving a personal dispute – your objective.

Our personal disputes team will provide an initial case consultation – an expert diagnostic review of the matter at hand. This will be a brief review of the dispute and will give you a better understanding of your options and the potential legal costs and timescale of taking the dispute forward. We provide this consultation for a discounted fee to ensure that you are able to make an informed decision about how to take your case forward.

Our personal disputes lawyers are specialists in their fields, combining technical legal knowledge with practical experience of how best to resolve disputes quickly and as cost efficiently as possible.

For some clients, having their ‘day in court’ and defending a ‘principle’ is important. Or you may feel the need to secure a positive judgement. If you instruct us to initiate or defend a case, we will help you develop the best strategy to secure a positive ruling should the matter ultimately lead to court. We have substantial experience of positive outcomes in cases in court. Our team of personal dispute lawyers are experienced and technically expert advocates with an impressive record of success. We also have strong relationships with a wide range of barristers and other professionals that we can bring into your legal team to give you the best possible chance of a successful outcome.

However, court action is not the only or necessarily the best approach. Your objective may be to simply bring the dispute to a close – to find a solution that works, is acceptable to both parties and leaves you to get on with your life. We are experts in many forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and would always recommend you consider your options fully before committing to court action. For many people, focusing on a solution rather than seeking a ‘victory’ is the best and most practical approach – it’s almost always faster and cheaper and it saves both you and the other party from a lengthy and stressful process with an uncertain outcome.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

Our personal disputes lawyers are experienced in many forms of ADR. These are legal approaches that help people to resolve disputes without resort to the court, which can be both costly and drawn out, and which ultimately may not deliver the outcome you want. Our focus is always on finding practical solutions that enable you to move forward with your life.

ADR provides you with a range of options. They usually involve an appointed professional considering the merits of your case and making a judgement based on their experience and the weight of the evidence. In some cases, these judgements are legally binding.

ADR routes include:

  • Early neutral evaluation
  • Mediation
  • Adjudication
  • Arbitration

Fees for personal disputes

We approach each personal dispute on a case-by-case basis, offering a range of funding options and always seeking to provide strategies that are as economical as possible.

During your initial consultation, we will explain the various approaches to funding your legal action, including exploring whether you have legal expense cover in any of the relevant insurance policies you may hold.

Our approaches include:

  • Discounted initial consultation at £200 plus VAT for the first hour
  • No win, no fee (for selected cases)*
  • Deferred fees*
  • Insurance-funded support
  • Standard hourly rates

*Any deferred or conditional fee agreement do not include disbursements which must be paid as the matter progresses.

Team

Melanie Grose

Head of Personal Disputes

Colin Hunter

Partner

Ben Sidgwick

Associate

Hayley Gaffney

Associate

Caitlin Facey

Trainee Solicitor

Emily Stark

Solicitor

Jenny Carter

Solicitor

Jodie Walmsley

Litigation Executive

Poppy Pain

Paralegal

Client Testimonials


The service provided by Coodes has been absolutely top class. Their advice was wholly appropriate explicit and totally reliable based on what is obviously a thorough comprehension and handling of the various problems that arose. Melanie Grose is clearly an extremely competent lawyer.

Client

Your support and advice has been so very much appreciated, during what has been a very sad and difficult time. I am so relieved that the matter will now come to a conclusion. I hope that I will not have to trouble you again, but it is reassuring to know that you are there if I do. Your professionalism and expertise has been so gratefully received, shedding some light during a dark time for me.

Client

Your dedication and professionalism in this matter has been first class. You are a credit to the team at Coodes and I will have no hesitation in recommending you to my family and friends.

Client

Your service has been 5 star and I would thoroughly recommend you to anyone I meet whilst here in Devon / Cornwall and beyond.

Client

I would like to say a very big thank you for helping us to finally sort things out so promptly and efficiently, we really do appreciate it.

Client

I cannot thank you enough for the result you have achieved. You showed thoughtfulness and professionalism throughout, because of your skill and knowledge in your field I can now begin to put my life together slowly and look to the future.

Client

You have been such a wonderful help to me and I really can't thank you enough. You have helped change my life I'm truly grateful. I shall continue to recommend you to others and should I ever need a solicitor in the future, you will be the first person I will contact.

Client

I am really so appreciative, you have been so helpful. Excellent. A stark contrast to representation the solicitors we had before. They made it seem complicated and costly but you have kept everything simple, as cost effective as possible, have dealt with it very quickly and you have genuinely changed my perception of lawyers.

Client

You have been effective, prompt and reassuringly clear. I want to say how pleased I am with the work you have done on my behalf. I would unhesitatingly recommend Coodes and will use you again.

Client

I hope you don't mind me saying, but I think you are probably the nicest solicitor I have ever met. You have made what has been an incredibly hard time for me, that much more bearable.

Client

Darren has advised me over two important matters in recent years and his advice has been absolutely pivotal in resolving both problems. I would strongly recommend him to friends and acquaintances who need clear, decisive and wise guidance.

Client

Heart-felt thanks for the time and effort you have given me while dealing with the probate process. Your very patient, clear and helpful advice and guidance through what I found to be a challenging and exhausting process was massively appreciated. As frustrating as this chapter has been your expert knowledge and confident handling of myself and the business at hand has been instrumental in getting to this milestone of completion. Coodes will be at the top of my list of recommendations [for solicitors] as a result of your individual treatment of this business.

Client

Extremely sound and professional advice at a very reasonable price.

Client

I'm so delighted, its only just sinking in! Thank you once again for everything. I'm absolutely delighted with the outcome! I really can't thank you enough for all your support and hard work. I'm very grateful, its changed my life. You have been fantastic.

Client

I feel very fortunate to have chosen your firm and cannot think of anything that would need changing.

Client

Thank you Ben Sidgwick for all your efforts on my behalf. It certainly made my life a lot easier knowing I was dealing with someone I felt I could depend on. I will certainly use Coodes again.

Client

Ben Sidgwick did a really good job for me so I like coming back to Coodes.

Client

We are grateful for your professional advice on this matter and appreciate your prompt response. We're relieved that we have managed to get to this point so quickly given the challenges of the situation.

Client

Ben Sidgwick and Coodes helped me resolve a very long-running dispute. They gave me the strength to do it. When I felt weak their strength and honesty got me through.

Client

Ben Sidgwick provided invaluable assistance in obtaining a satisfactory result with regard to our dispute.

Client

News & Events

Read more

Key contact

Melanie Grose

Head of Personal Disputes

Get in touch

Call us on 0800 328 3282, or complete the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Portfolio Builder

Select the legal expertise that you would like to download or add to the portfolio

Download    Add to portfolio   
Portfolio
Title Type CV Email

Remove All

Download


Click here to share this shortlist.
(It will expire after 30 days.)