Department profile
Paris Smith LLP

Litigation

UK Guide 2026 : The South

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Paris Smith LLP

Rankings

About

Provided by Paris Smith LLP

KEY COMMERCIAL DISPUTE SERVICES

We can advise on various types of commercial disputes including:

  • commercial contractual disputes including insurance disputes;
  • director, shareholder or partnership conflicts;
  • debt collection;
  • intellectual property infringements;
  • construction and property disputes;
  • professional negligence;
  • insolvency issues; and
  • judicial review.

KEEPING YOU OUT OF COURT

Mediation is a very successful alternative to court litigation in resolving disputes. It offers a forum in which an accredited mediator – who is of course also a neutral party – acts as a facilitator in order to help parties resolve their differences.  

Arbitration might also be an option for you. Arbitration is where an independent arbitrator is appointed by either the parties involved in the dispute or a third party. Decisions on the merits of the dispute by an arbitrator are usually final and not subject to appeal.

Case studies:


  • Making a claim for a director and 50% shareholder against her business partner and ex husband for defrauding the company and HMRC by falsely claiming £hundreds of thousands of expenses.
  • Defending a director of a failed business against a Director’s Disqualification claim.
  • Pursuing one of four directors of an investment company for wrongly extracting the proceeds of sale of a property for her own personal benefit.
  • Seeking the liquidator’s consent via court proceedings to use a “prohibited name” of the previous business in a new copyright and designs.






Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Litigation - The South

Band 3

What the Team is Known For

Paris Smith has experienced teams in Southampton and Winchester and an established reputation on the South Coast. The firm acts for a range of regional and national clients in sectors as diverse as manufacturing, recruitment and financial services. Regularly called upon for its strength in shareholder and payment disputes, the team has additional expertise in contentious insolvency matters and contractual issues.

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Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • The team have excellent knowledge of the market and they give clear advice.

    Litigation respondentUK

  • The team has outstanding knowledge and the ability to communicate, break down and explain legal jargon.

    Litigation respondentUK

  • The team handles cases at speed with in-depth expertise and industry knowledge.

    Litigation respondentUK

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Chris Holliss
    Chris Holliss

    Chris Holliss

    Chris Holliss advises clients on shareholder and contractual disputes as part of his wider litigation practice. Based in Southampton, he is also head of the debt collection and asset recovery team at Paris Smith.

    • He is a highly trusted adviser who genuinely understands our business and the industry we serve.

      Litigation respondentUK

    • Chris puts people at ease and communicates complex issues in a clear and straightforward manner.

      Litigation respondentUK

    • Chris Holliss possesses an impressive depth of legal knowledge and has an astute understanding of complex legal matters.

      Litigation respondentUK

    • Chris Holliss has a magic touch in handling clients and is able to absorb technical and contractual issues quickly in order to distil the important issues.

      Litigation respondentUK
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  • Helen Brown
    Helen Brown

    Helen Brown

    Helen Brown handles a range of corporate litigation concerning breaches of warranty and fiduciary duties, as well as issues related to shareholder and partnership agreements. She is based in the firm's Southampton office.

    • I can't recommend Helen enough – she's approachable and always happy to take time to explain complex matters.

      Litigation respondentUK

    • She picks things up quickly and is able to provide a well-thought-out timetable of actions to follow with various scenarios for each outcome in advance.

      Litigation respondentUK

    • She is very straightforward and gives timely, efficient advice. I really like her approach to clients and her realism in her advice and what she can achieve for us.

      Litigation respondentUK

    • Helen Brown is a superb solicitor. She is extremely brilliant and has a good way of explaining complex legal matters to clients.

      Litigation respondentUK
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Ranked Individuals at Paris Smith LLP (2)

The South

Members

Provided by Paris Smith LLP

  • David Eminton

    Head of Department

  • Cliff Morris

  • Lucy Andrews

  • Lisa White

  • Jason Oliver

  • Lucy Taggart

  • Steve Adams

  • Peter Ralls QC

  • Stephen Stafford

  • Mike Pavitt

  • Rachel Reynolds

  • Emma Cory-Wright

  • Oliver Brady

  • Christina Spiers

  • Helen Brown

  • Peter Taylor

  • Christopher Parsons

  • Nicola Davies

  • Diane Godfrey

  • Chris Holliss

    View profile of Chris Holliss

  • Helen Brown

    View profile of Helen Brown

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