In November we achieved a great result at mediation in a claim relating to unpaid introduction fees, for which the assignor company had been seeking payment for 4 years prior to assignment to H&J.
The defendants instructed the company in 2013 to assist with a restructure of their successful group of construction companies, by introducing parties with the requisite experience and/or external funding to ensure the successful continuation of the business. After introducing a number of interested parties in 2014 and assisting with the ongoing positive negotiations, the introduction agreement was terminated by the defendants in early 2015. Within 2 months, the defendants had concluded a restructure of the group with one of the parties introduced.
The company became aware of the completed restructuring from filings on Companies House, and no further information was provided to the defendants despite a number of requests and demands for payment. Following those demands, there was a lengthy and costly exchange of correspondence between the parties' solicitors between 2015 and 2019, at which point the claim was assigned to H&J.
The legal team at H&J spent countless hours poring over the documents and, approaching the claim with fresh eyes, was able to identify key facts which the company had initially overlooked when trying to assert its legal rights against the Defendants. After some 18 months of robust correspondence between H&J and the Defendants, during which time litigation was commenced and pleadings exchanged, the Defendants agreed to mediate the claim.
H&J is pleased to have achieved an excellent result in the mediation, resulting in significant sums being paid to the wronged party - and a real feeling of justice having been served.
The owner of the company that assigned its claim to H&J commented: "I had every confidence that you would succeed and I am truly delighted with the outcome. I would also like to express my huge appreciation and thanks to the team for seeing the potential in this claim and for taking on the risks."
This great result goes to show that the devil truly is in the detail, and that a fresh pair of eyes and a robust approach can really change the dynamic in dispute resolution, with excellent results.
