5 May 2026
How long does a commercial dispute really take?
Weeks, months or years. The honest answer depends on three things, and we set them out at the start so the timetable is never a surprise.
The second question in almost every first call is how long this will take. We give a real answer, with dates, because a dispute with no end in sight is exhausting.
A letter: two to six weeks
Most matters that settle do so after the letter before action and one round of correspondence. Average time to resolution across our files is 21 days.
A mediation: two to four months
Long enough to gather documents and agree a mediator, short enough that nobody has spent a fortune. Most of our settled matters end here.
A trial: twelve to eighteen months
Court timetables are what they are. If we think you are heading there, we say so at the start and price it in stages so you can stop at any point.
Notes from the partners
More from the partners
Short notes on what a dispute actually involves, written for the people in them.
