Dispute Resolution and Civil Law

For most clients a civil dispute is an exceptional and costly event. The first decision is often more important than the subsequent course of proceedings: negotiate or go to court. The firm’s practice covers both routes — with a clear conviction that the choice should follow analysis of the specific case rather than default habit.

Negotiation and mediation

Where the parties retain the capacity to talk, a settlement reached before proceedings are commenced is usually faster, cheaper, and less burdensome than a judgment. Negotiations conducted with counsel allow the client’s interest to be protected both in substance and in enforceability. A settlement reached before a mediator and approved by the court has the force of an enforcement title.

Negotiation is not, however, a universal method. Where the other side fails to respond, plays for time, or has no intention of performing an eventual settlement, negotiating without parallel preparation for litigation weakens the client’s position. In practice, pleadings are sometimes drafted before a formal decision to file is taken — the mere signal of procedural readiness changes the tone of discussions.

Court representation

Representation covers the full course of civil proceedings: filing the claim (or response), evidence, closing arguments, appeals, and enforcement. In factually complex or high-value cases, planning the evidence is critical — establishing which facts will be contested, which require expert opinion, which call for documents from abroad.

The practice covers actions for payment, damages, contractual penalties, non-performance or improper performance of contracts, and tort claims. In family matters — maintenance, division of marital property, residence and contact orders.

Cross-border disputes

A growing share of disputes carries an international element: a counterparty in another EU State, a Polish contractor for a French investor, an heir living abroad. Working on such cases requires upfront identification of four layers: jurisdiction (where the case can or must be heard), applicable law (which law governs the relationship), recognition of judgments (whether one State’s judgment is enforceable in another), and enforcement (where and how actual recovery occurs).

A misjudgment at any of these layers can defeat an otherwise meritorious claim. Some of these choices can be made in advance — through contractual clauses, choice-of-law clauses — and that work often precedes the actual dispute by years.

Appeals and cassation

Representation in appellate proceedings calls for a different discipline than first instance. Limited room for new evidence, strict deadlines, the need to demonstrate procedural defects or errors in the application of law — all of this makes appeal a distinct exercise. A cassation appeal to the Supreme Court is available within narrow grounds and requires showing a significant question of law or a need for unification of case law.