Five ways to settle a legal dispute without taking it to court

If you’ve found yourself in a legal dispute, it can be easy to get caught up in the emotion and the ‘principle’ of the situation. This is what often leads people to pursue a dispute — until they realise how much stress, money and time that principle is likely to cost them.

If a dispute makes it all the way to trial, it is likely to take about 18-24 months. In a Magistrates Court matter, a cost of $40,000 to $70,000 — depending on the complexity — to take it to trial is a reasonable estimate. To take a matter to trial in the Supreme or District Court, legal costs are likely to be in the range of $120,000 to $200,000 depending on the case.

So if you’re fighting with someone over a $10,000 debt, you may want to think twice about how hard you want to pursue it.

Here are five ways to keep a dispute out of court, to save you time, money and stress.