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Industry · Ex. 02

Portfolio disputes move at deal speed, not litigation speed.

PE houses and their portfolio companies bring disputes where a fund's next raise, or a portfolio company's next round, can be shaped by how quickly and quietly a dispute resolves.

£1.2bn largest acquisition dispute4 practices regularly engagedLed by Thomas Ashworth-Lee
Why This Industry

Timing is often the whole strategy.

A warranty claim or a shareholder dispute involving a PE-backed business rarely exists in isolation — it sits alongside a fund's reporting cycle, a planned exit, or a follow-on financing round that can't wait for a two-year trial.

We advise funds and portfolio companies with that calendar in view from the outset, often prioritising a fast negotiated outcome over a technically stronger position that would take significantly longer to realise.

— Thomas Ashworth-Lee, Partner

Where We Help

The disputes clients bring us.

01

Warranty & Earn-Out Disputes

Post-acquisition disputes arising from completion accounts, warranties and earn-out mechanisms.

02

Shareholder & Governance Disputes

Unfair prejudice petitions and boardroom deadlock involving PE-backed management teams.

03

Portfolio Company Insolvency

Creditor and director liability advice when a portfolio company faces financial distress.

Latest Insights

Recent thinking on private equity.

Insight

When We Advise Clients Not to Litigate

Boardroom

Warranty Claims: The First 30 Days

Publication

Unfair Prejudice Petitions in Practice

TA
Speak With A Partner

Thomas Ashworth-Lee

Partner, Corporate Disputes
Contact Thomas