I act in the disputes that follow broken partnerships, failed deals, and difficult boardroom decisions.
Barrister · Called 2008 · Commercial Court · LCIA
The instructions that have shaped my career.
Most of my work arrives when trust has gone, the timetable is short, and somebody needs a lawyer who can keep the facts, the law, and the human problem in the same frame.
Typical clients
Founders, private investors, family offices, boards, and the solicitors who bring me in when a matter has become more delicate than expected.
A few matters that explain the sort of lawyer I am.
The details are adapted for confidentiality, but the pattern is true to my practice: difficult relationships, imperfect facts, and a need for calm judgment under pressure.
A habit I learned early
Most cases are won or lost in the chronology before anyone reaches the courtroom. I have trusted that instinct since my first years in City disputes.
I keep my practice small enough to stay close to the facts.
Clients tend to come to me when they want one senior lawyer on the problem from start to finish, not a procession of updates from people who have only skimmed the bundle.
I start with chronology
Most disputes become clearer once the dates are right. I build the chronology early and use it to test every allegation, defence, and witness account.
I write the case theory before the room gets noisy
Clients often arrive with an avalanche of detail. My job is to decide what a judge, tribunal, or board will still care about six months later.
I prepare witnesses properly
Good witness preparation is not coaching. It is making sure the person understands the documents, the pressure points, and the questions that matter.
I protect room to settle
I like cases that are ready for trial, because those are usually the cases that settle on terms my client can live with.
The route to this practice was not accidental.
I grew up in York, read History at Durham, completed the BCL at Oxford, and trained in City disputes before moving into independent advocacy. That route still shapes how I think.
York
I grew up around practical people who distrusted drama and admired preparation. Law suited me for exactly that reason.
Durham
Studying History taught me to care about chronology, motive, and the danger of overconfident narratives.
Oxford
The BCL sharpened my company law and restitution work, but it also taught me how much clear writing matters.
Practice today
I now run a deliberately focused disputes practice from London, acting in court, arbitration, and pre-action crises.
Most of my instructions come back through the same solicitors.
That matters to me more than public profile. I would rather be remembered for steadiness, preparation, and judgment than for noise.
The professional detail behind my practice.
The essentials of my background, courts, writing, and working habits. Enough to understand how I came to this work and how I try to do it.
If the facts are moving quickly, send them early.
I am based near Chancery Lane and I usually answer new enquiries myself. If the matter is urgent, send the documents first and I will tell you quickly whether I can help.
Julian Mercer
Confidential instructions and new enquiries
38 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1EN
London based, acting nationwide in court and arbitration.