Commercial and Corporate Law
What it is: A contract dispute arises when parties disagree about whether a binding agreement exists, what its terms mean, or whether a party has breached its obligations. Nigerian contract law rests largely on common law principles of offer, acceptance, consideration and intention, supplemented by statute and any arbitration or jurisdiction clause the parties agreed. Remedies for breach include damages, specific performance, injunctions and rescission. When it applies: This service is relevant when a supplier, customer, partner, contractor or employer fails to perform, disputes payment, or seeks to escape an agreement, and when you need to enforce or defend a contract, recover a debt, or resolve a disagreement over terms. How a lawyer helps: A commercial lawyer reviews the contract and correspondence, advises on your rights and the strength of the claim or defence, and pursues resolution through negotiation, mediation, arbitration or litigation in the appropriate court. Counsel also drafts demand letters and enforces judgments or awards. First steps: Assemble the contract, purchase orders, invoices, receipts and all correspondence, note key dates and losses, and consult a lawyer early, as prompt action improves recovery and preserves remedies. Where the agreement contains an arbitration or jurisdiction clause, a lawyer will also confirm the correct forum so that your claim is pursued in the right place from the outset.
