Dispute Resolution · Global
Resolve contract, partnership, employment, and international commercial disputes through negotiation, mediation, and arbitration support, usually faster, cheaper, and more privately than litigation, while preserving the relationships that matter. Across India, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and APAC.
Share what the dispute is about, who the other party is, and where it has reached. A dispute resolution lawyer from our team will assess whether negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or, honestly, litigation is the right route, and respond with a clear strategy and quote.
Most disputes are best opened with negotiation and escalated to mediation only if direct talks stall. We will tell you where yours sits and what it is likely to take.
Written and reviewed by Prakhar Rai, Advocate · Last updated October 2026
Business disputes are inevitable. Lengthy court battles are not. Whether you are facing a contract disagreement, a partnership conflict, an employment issue, or an international commercial dispute, how you handle it decides whether you preserve a valuable relationship or burn the bridge for good.
My Legal Pal provides negotiation and mediation services that resolve disputes efficiently, cost-effectively, and confidentially. Our dispute resolution lawyers act for you in India and in cross-border matters involving the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and APAC, working with accredited mediators and locally qualified counsel where a neutral or a local seat requires it. The aim is a favourable outcome that keeps the relationships that drive your business.
This is distinct from negotiating the terms of a deal before you sign it. If your need is to negotiate or redline a contract that has not yet been concluded, see contract negotiation. If you are about to sign a contract and want it checked first, see contract review services. This page is about resolving a dispute that has already arisen, where negotiation, mediation, and arbitration are the alternatives to going to court.
Negotiation and mediation serve different purposes. Smart dispute resolution often starts with negotiation and escalates to mediation only when direct communication proves insufficient, which keeps costs down and tests whether the parties can resolve it themselves first.
| Aspect | Negotiation | Mediation |
|---|---|---|
| Third party | None, just the parties and their representatives | A trained neutral mediator facilitates |
| Control | Parties keep complete control of process and outcome | Parties keep decision power; mediator guides the process |
| Process | Flexible, formal or informal | Structured: opening statements, caucuses, joint sessions |
| Cost | Lowest-cost option | Higher than negotiation, far lower than litigation |
| Works best when | Parties communicate well, issues are clear, power is balanced | Communication has broken down, emotions are high, issues are complex |
| Outcome | A directly agreed settlement | A facilitated voluntary settlement |
Litigation drains resources, damages relationships, and can take years. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, offers faster, cheaper, more private outcomes. The advantages are concrete.
Mediation is usually far cheaper than litigation and can resolve a dispute in weeks or months rather than years, freeing resources to run the business rather than fight in court.
The collaborative nature of mediation is far less adversarial than litigation, so it is less likely to destroy a relationship the parties may need to continue.
An outcome the parties have agreed themselves is usually complied with more readily than one imposed on them.
Unlike public court proceedings, mediation keeps sensitive information private, protecting trade secrets, financial data, and competitive strategy from public exposure.
Mediation allows outcomes a court cannot order: ongoing business arrangements, restructured payment schedules, future supply terms, relationship resets. The settlement can be commercial, not just a number.
Contested litigation can run for years. Mediation can often be completed within weeks, enabling faster recovery and less uncertainty.
Select the closest match. We will tell you the likely route, what it involves, and how we engage.
Negotiating a settlement of a dispute that has already started, with the other side or their counsel, focused on interests rather than only positions. We prepare your position and walk-away, manage the exchange, coordinate multi-party discussions, and handle cross-border disputes that span different legal systems and business cultures.
Structured resolution with a neutral mediator who facilitates communication toward a voluntary settlement. In mediation we act for you; the mediator is independent and advises neither side. We prepare your case, represent you through the process, and negotiate the settlement, and where a mediator is needed we help agree one or appoint one through the institution. We act in commercial, employment, construction, intellectual property and international commercial mediations, including under ICC and SIAC rules. See also our mediation agreement template and the future of online dispute resolution in cross-border disputes.
Where a binding decision is needed, we advise on and manage arbitration under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the American Arbitration Association (AAA/ICDR), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA), as well as ad hoc arbitration under UNCITRAL rules, working with locally qualified counsel or arbitration practitioners where the seat requires it. This includes arbitrator selection, evidence and witness preparation, and enforcement of the award under the New York Convention, which has more than 170 contracting states. See the arbitration agreement template and arbitration vs litigation in cross-border contracts.
A resolution is only as good as its documentation. We draft settlement agreements that capture every term, prevent future disputes, and are designed to be enforceable in the relevant jurisdictions, structured as a consent award or judgment where that adds enforcement power, and we support implementation and compliance afterward. If the matter has not yet escalated, our pre-litigation advisory and a formal legal notice are the usual first steps.
The most common business conflict: different interpretations of terms, performance failures, or changed circumstances. Includes supply chain disputes, service agreement conflicts, international trade disputes, and technology licensing disputes.
Conflicts that can threaten a company’s existence: partnership dissolution, minority shareholder protection, dividend and management disputes, joint venture deadlock, and buy-sell valuation disagreements. Sensitive matters that need to protect value and, often, a continuing relationship.
Executive conflicts, compensation and severance disputes, non-compete enforcement, and wrongful termination, resolved confidentially to protect both the business and the individual and to keep the matter out of public proceedings.
Patent infringement, trademark conflicts, trade secret disputes, and licensing disagreements resolved without court proceedings that can stall innovation. For trademark conflicts specifically, this often connects to trademark opposition or a cease-and-desist legal notice as the opening move.
Understanding how cost builds up in each option helps you decide how to handle a conflict. The actual cost depends on the dispute value, the number of parties, the forum, and how hard the matter is contested. We quote your matter specifically after the initial assessment.
Costs usually comprise the mediator’s fees, often shared between the parties, and your lawyers’ preparation and attendance. Most commercial mediations are completed in one to three sessions, so the total is typically a fraction of a contested court case.
Costs include the arbitrators’ fees and institutional administrative fees that scale with the dispute value (ICC, AAA, and SIAC each publish their own schedules), plus preparing and presenting the case. It is usually more expensive than mediation, with the advantage of a binding, enforceable award.
Court fees and lawyers’ fees over what can be several years, and for larger matters evidence and expert costs on top. The outcome is uncertain and the relationship often does not survive. Management time, business disruption, and opportunity cost can exceed the legal fees themselves.
Mediation is collaborative: a neutral facilitator helps the parties reach a voluntary agreement, and no decision is imposed. Arbitration is adversarial: a neutral arbitrator hears both sides and issues a binding award, like a private judge. Mediation preserves relationships and allows creative solutions but needs the parties to agree; arbitration gives a definitive, enforceable result but can damage the relationship. Many contracts use both in sequence. For a fuller comparison, read mediation vs arbitration vs litigation compared.
Litigation is a public court process producing a binding, appealable judgment, usually over a long period, adversarial and expensive. Mediation is private, confidential, and collaborative, and usually much quicker and cheaper, but it only works if the parties agree. Litigation gives binding precedent and the court’s coercive power; mediation gives speed, privacy, control, and a preserved relationship.
Mediation works best when the parties have a relationship to preserve, want a confidential resolution, need creative solutions beyond money damages, and will engage in good faith. It is less suitable when you need binding precedent, emergency injunctive relief, or face a party acting in bad faith. We assess suitability honestly, including telling you when litigation is the better route.
No. We act for you. A mediator is an independent neutral who advises neither side. We prepare your case, represent you in the mediation, and negotiate the settlement, and we help agree or appoint a suitable mediator, including through an institution such as ICC or SIAC.
A simple dispute may settle in a single day-long session; a complex multi-party matter may need several sessions over some weeks or months. Timing depends on how ready the parties are and when a mediator is available. It is usually far shorter than contested litigation.
A properly drafted mediation settlement is a binding contract, enforceable through normal contract remedies, and it can be structured as a consent award or judgment for additional enforcement power. Cross-border settlements can use treaty mechanisms, including the Singapore Convention on Mediation for countries that are parties to it.
Mediation is conducted “without prejudice,” so you can proceed to arbitration or litigation without disadvantage from having tried it. Even an unsuccessful mediation usually narrows the issues and informs the next step. We plan the contingency at the outset so the transition is smooth.
Mediation costs are mainly the mediator’s fees and your lawyers’ time, and most are completed in a small number of sessions, so the total is usually far lower than a contested court case. The actual cost depends on the dispute value, the parties and the forum, and we quote your matter specifically after the initial assessment.
Yes. International commercial mediation runs through institutions such as the ICC and SIAC, which provide rules, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms built for cross-border disputes. We handle the institutional choice, the cultural dynamics, and the enforceability question.
Negotiating a contract is agreeing the terms of a deal before signing. Dispute resolution is resolving a conflict that has already arisen. Different stage, different service. If you need to negotiate or redline a contract that has not been concluded, that is contract negotiation; if you want it checked before you sign, that is contract review. This page is about resolving disputes.
A dispute resolution lawyer from our team with experience in the relevant dispute type, working with mediators and arbitration practitioners as the matter requires. For cross-border matters, someone experienced in the relevant institutional framework, with locally qualified counsel where a country requires it.
Prakhar Rai is an advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of India and the founder of My Legal Pal. An alumnus of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, with a Master of Business Laws, Prakhar has 10+ years of experience advising startups, companies, and entrepreneurs on commercial disputes, contracts, and corporate matters across India, the UAE, the UK, and Southeast Asia.
His practice has particular depth in commercial dispute resolution: negotiation and mediation, settlement structuring, and arbitration support across institutional and ad hoc frameworks. My Legal Pal’s dispute resolution service is led by Prakhar and delivered by a team experienced in negotiation, mediation, and international arbitration. Read Prakhar’s profile.
Negotiation, mediation, and arbitration support, usually faster, cheaper, and more private than litigation. Confidential assessment of your matter and an honest view of the right route. Across India, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and APAC.
Confidential consultation · +91 8004800100 · contact@mylegalpal.com
