Corporate and trial counsel
Clear advice and steady representation for companies, founders and families when the outcome matters.
Halden Row is a firm of trial lawyers and corporate advisers working as one bench. We take fewer matters than we could, give each one a partner from the first day, and put our advice in writing before we put it in a bill.
A partner on every file
The partner you meet is the partner who signs the advice and stands up at the hearing.
Advice in writing
Within ten days you receive a plan: the options, the risks and what each step will cost.
Ready for court from day one
Deals are drafted by people who have argued contracts; disputes are run as if they will reach trial.
Six practices. One bench of counsel.
Most of our clients come to us for one thing and stay for a second. The corporate team drafts with the trial team in the room, so the contract you sign is one we would be glad to defend.
All practice areas
Building something, or defending it.
The same people see a business through both. It changes how we draft, and it changes how we fight.
When you are building
- Formation, financing and shareholder terms
- Acquisitions and disposals
- Commercial contracts that survive a dispute
- Board and governance advice
When it goes wrong
- Early case assessment in writing
- Injunctions and urgent hearings
- Mediation, arbitration and trial
- Appeals and enforcement
A way of working you can hold us to.
Four steps, the same on every matter. You always know who is responsible, what happens next and what it will cost.
How we workThe first call
Twenty minutes with a partner, free of charge. You tell us what happened; we tell you honestly whether we are the right firm.
A written plan
Options, risks and a cost range for each step, set out in a scope letter you can show your board or your family.
The work
One partner and one associate on your file, with direct lines, and a short report at the end of every month.
The close
A closing note on what was done and what to watch. For a dispute, an honest review of how it was run.
The partners who will know your file.
Four partners and a small bench of counsel and associates. Every matter has one partner who answers for it, by name, from the first call.
Meet the peopleElena Varga
Commercial disputes and trial. Leads bench and jury trials and the urgent hearings before them.
Write to ElenaTomas Achterberg
Corporate and transactions. Acquisitions, financings and shareholder terms for owner-managed companies.
Write to TomasMiriam Okafor
Shareholder and partnership disputes. Deadlock, exclusion and contested exits.
Write to MiriamJonah Pell
Employment counsel. Senior hires and departures, covenants and workplace investigations.
Write to Jonah
From the engagement letter every client signs with us.
“We would rather tell you early that a case is weak than tell you late that it was.”
A named partner
One person answers for your matter, and you have their direct line.
A plan in ten days
Options, risks and a cost range for each step, in plain words.
A monthly report
What happened, what it cost, and what comes next. Never a surprise invoice.
Notes from the boardroom and the courtroom.
Short, practical notes our partners write for clients. No forecasts, no marketing: what we would tell you across the table.
All insights
Before you call.
The questions clients ask most often in the first conversation. Anything else, ask us directly.
How are fees agreed?
Before any work starts, in a short scope letter. Most advisory work is quoted as a fixed fee per stage; disputes are estimated by phase with a cap we only exceed with your written agreement.
Is the first conversation charged?
No. The first call with a partner is free and carries no commitment. We run a conflict check first, so we may ask for the names of the other parties before we talk.
Who will actually work on my matter?
A named partner, supported by one associate who knows the file. You will have both direct lines, and the partner signs every piece of advice that leaves the firm.
How quickly can you start?
For urgent court deadlines, the same day. For everything else, the scope letter usually follows within a week of the first call.
Do you act for individuals as well as companies?
Yes: founders, executives, shareholders and families, usually where their affairs touch a business. We do not take personal injury, criminal or immigration matters.
Tell us what is at stake. A partner replies within one working day.
A short note is enough to begin. We run a conflict check first, then call you to talk it through, without charge and without commitment.
- 01 A few lines on what happened and when
- 02 The names of the other parties, for the conflict check
- 03 Any date that cannot move: a hearing, a closing, a deadline