SG Murphy Solicitors have years of experience of resolving disputes swiftly and to our client’s satisfaction. We are highly experienced, tenacious and focused on achieving your goals from the litigation.
Civil litigation covers a range of legal disputes between two or more parties in regard to civil matters. Civil matter disputes are legal disputes that are non-criminal matters.
Examples of civil disputes include court action for unpaid debts, landlord and tenant disputes, property disputes, defamation claims and contract disputes.
SG Murphy Solicitors are specialist litigation solicitors who have significant experience in a range of civil disputes, acting for Plaintiffs and Defendants.
We can advise you on the merits of your case, the potential costs and potential value of any claim. We are skilled at negotiation, efficient and tenacious in pursuing your goals.
We will guide you, based on the injuries and losses you have suffered, as to what compensation you should be entitled to in your personal injury claim.
Read our Five Star reviews to see why hundreds of clients across Northern Ireland continually choose SG Murphy solicitors to represent and advise them.
Our business grows by our customers recommending us. Our satisfied clients trust us to the extent they refer us to their friends and family, knowing we will do a similarly excellent job for them.
Our property solicitors Belfast are specialised, experienced and focused on achieving results that meet ours and our clients’ high expectations.
Check out our reviews for yourself.
If you are successful in your case, then you may be able to recover all or a proportion of the costs payable. But if you are not successful or even sometimes when you are, you may still have a substantial legal bill to pay.
Legal Aid can sometimes be available, depending on your financial circumstances and the merits of your case. At our initial consultation we can advise you as to whether you may be eligible for Legal Aid. In addition we will advise you of other alternative funding for your case.
Book your free consultation with one of our expert Belfast lawyers, who can advise you on the merits of your claim, risks, potential value of any claim and costs.
Before proceedings are issued your solicitor on your behalf will write to the other party or their solicitors setting out your case and putting forward your arguments.
If the dispute resolution efforts fail then the next step is normally the issue of proceedings. Before proceedings are issued we will advise you fully of the merits of your case.
There are a number of steps to be taken once proceedings are issued to prepare the case for trial. These include, serving on the other side all relevant documents you hold, called discovery, asking and answering questions called Particulars etc.
When the case is ready it is listed for hearing. Before the trial the Plaintiff’s solicitor lodges in court a trial bundle and provides a copy to the Defendant’s solicitor. At the hearing you, and any witnesses you have, may have to give evidence and be cross-examined by the opposing legal representative.
Legal Aid may be available, depending on your financial circumstances and the details and merits of your case. During our Free initial consultation we will advise you as to whether you may be eligible for legal aid or any alternative funding arrangements.
Each case is different and depends on a number of things, such as whether a resolution can be found, whether the case proceeds to a hearing and the complexity of the case. We aim to try and find a resolution, if possible, that is to your satisfaction as soon as possible. If this cannot be found then we aim to move your case to a satisfactory conclusion at hearing as quickly as possible.
The time taken therefore can vary from a number of months to a number of years.
Escola v Coca-Cola
This is a Californian case involving a claimant who was working as a waitress in a restaurant, when a Coca-Cola bottle she was holding in her hand spontaneously exploded, causing a deep 5 inch cut. Coca-Cola tried to defend the claim arguing that they were not in control of the bottle when it exploded. The court found that the defect in the bottle occurred when Coca-Cola made the bottle and awarded the waitress her claim.
Donoghue v Stevenson
This 1932 case set a very important precedent in product liability claims. A woman drank nearly an entire bottle of ginger beer before noticing a dead snail at the bottom. She then became very sick and sued the manufacturer who argued that as the woman did not originally purchase the bottle they owed no duty of care to her. The court however ruled that the company had a duty of care to the ultimate consumer of the ginger beer who was the claimant.
Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co, 1893
In this case Mrs Carlill sued the manufacturer of a carbolic smoke ball, who had promised a reward of £100 to anyone who used their product and then caught the Flu afterwards. Mrs Carlill did use the device and caught the Flu but the defendant refused to pay out. The court found that the use of the product as directed by the company, together with the promise made by the company amounted to a legally binding contract. Therefore the company had to pay to her the £100. This case was important due to the exploration of the principles of making a contract, including offer and acceptance.