Nick Stockley

I qualified from Queens Mary and Westfield College, University of London with a degree in Economics but I have always seen myself as someone who would help others.  I worked in a variety of commercial roles for several years after I left University all of which were client relationship management roles.

I then lived and worked in New Zealand for a year before deciding to go to law school. I have always been able to help solve problems and have (on the whole) been the sensible one. I have always both dealt with people and developed relationships with them and working in law has offered me the chance to combine those skills in finding solutions to challenging problems.  

The commercial experience that I have means that I can understand other considerations businesspeople will have beyond the strictly legal avenues.

What attracted, and keeps you in this area of law?

I have always worked in a client facing role and working in law is, as I see it, the ultimate client service industry. I find it both challenging but personally rewarding as dispute resolution provides so many more options than simply winning and losing. The goal is always to find a way in which a client can find a resolution. It is always interesting working with people in order to do that.

What do you most enjoy about your role? 

Clients often come to a dispute resolution lawyer because they feel that they have nowhere else to turn. My goal is to give them both clear and comprehensive help and advice in a difficult time and work with them to achieve the best outcome. Dispute resolution is both wide ranging and ever-changing and always presents a number of daily challenges.  

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day will involve, drafting court documents, setting out clients’ positions to opponents, reviewing evidence, considering strategy, and advising clients on their next steps. My day is often taken up either thinking about, advising on, and answering the question “what happens next”.

What are your strengths and skills?

My strengths are that I can explain complicated legal processes to clients in a way in which they can understand. I can identify the relevant information and explain to clients not only the legal merits of their position but also the financial and commercial reality of what they should do next. My expertise extends both to any commercial dispute, property litigation and contentious probate. 

I am approachable, considerate, and full appreciative that clients want to conclude matters in a timely manner. I know that my clients, often, do not want to go to war but they do want “fairness” and I always aim to achieve that for them.

I am both accessible and responsive and do not lose sight of the commercial realities, damage and costs surrounding the resolution of disputes.  

I am also an accredited mediator which has really helped me advise my clients on that method of resolving disputes. I have also worked in non-contentious commercial transactional work which has helped identify specific issues when disputes arise.

Tell me about a memorable time when you have helped a client.

I recently acted for two investors in a property development. The developers went into liquidation and our clients both faced losing hundreds of thousands of pounds through no fault of their own. Through a variety of different steps and actions were we able to recover the money that the investors had spent plus their legal costs.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I spend my time outside of work with my family and our friends. I enjoy swimming and keeping fit generally and I help coach my son’s football team which takes up a lot of the weekend.

I try not to be too obsessed with the fortunes of both the England cricket team and Tottenham Hotspurs.