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Litigation in Georgia

We run disputes from pre-action work through to enforcement. The two areas where we have the most practice are disputes with developers over unfinished buildings and damages claims.

What the work covers

• Assessing the position before filing. What the documents support and what they do not, the prospects, and how long it will take. This comes first, and sometimes the conclusion is that court is not worth it.
• Pre-action work: a formal demand, negotiation, an attempt to settle. Often cheaper and quicker than court, and useful in court afterwards.
• Preparing the claim and assembling the evidence.
• Representation in court at every stage.
• Interim measures, where there is a risk that assets will be moved or the property resold.
• Enforcement. Winning a case and receiving the money are not the same thing; enforcement is often separate work.

Disputes with developers

The most common category. Typical grounds:

• Delay in handing over the property, sometimes running to years.
• The property does not match the contract: area, layout, finish, what counts as common property.
• The developer unilaterally changed the design or the price.
• Withdrawal from the contract and recovery of what was paid when construction has stopped.
• Refusal to register title once the building is completed.

The analysis starts with the contract: what exactly the developer undertook to hand over, by when, and what liability for delay is provided for.

Damages

Claims for damage to property: flooding, damage during work by neighbours or in the building, damage caused by third parties, damage to property while a service was being provided.

Two things decide the outcome here: whether the damage was properly recorded and whether the person responsible has been identified. That makes the first few days more important than they seem. A report, photographs, notice to the managing organisation, a valuation. Reconstructing all that six months later is far harder.

What is not included

• Any guarantee of the outcome. The court decides. We assess the prospects honestly, including when the assessment is negative.
• Court costs: state fees, expert examination, an interpreter. These are paid separately, as incurred.
• Recovery from a debtor who has nothing to recover from. Worth establishing before filing, not after judgment.
• Proceedings outside Georgia.

What you will need

• The contract and all its annexes.
• Correspondence with the other side, including messengers.
• Payment records confirming the amounts paid.
• Documents on the property: the extract from the register, the developer's documents.
• Evidence of the amount of the damage: a report, photographs, a valuation, estimates.
• Any demands already sent and the replies to them.
• Dates: when the event happened and when you learned of it.

How the work goes

1. You describe the task, through the form on the site, by email or in a messenger.
2. A lawyer goes through what you have, what still has to be obtained and where the tight spots are.
3. We agree the scope and the price. You pay nothing before that point.
4. We sign a contract in which the scope of the service is set out in writing.
5. You hand over the documents, we check the set and tell you what is missing.
6. We run the procedure and keep you informed at every step.
7. You receive the result and the full set of documents.

Prices

Running the case in court, interim measures and enforcement are charged separately.

Employment disputes. Depending on the situation we either challenge it with the employer, start proceedings at the Labour Inspection Department, or go to court.

Consultation - from $30. The price for your case is confirmed before the work starts and fixed in the contract.

What is outside our control

• The court's decision and how long the case takes.
• The other side's position and whether they can pay.
• The findings of an expert examination if one is ordered.
• How enforcement proceedings go.

On time limits: the right to go to court is limited in time, and the limits differ by category of dispute. That is the first thing we check, because a missed deadline devalues even a strong position.

About this page. It sets out the scope of our service and the general order of the procedure. It is not legal advice and not a public offer: the scope, the timing and the price for a particular matter are agreed individually and recorded in the contract. Requirements, fees and practice change, so anything here is checked against the position on the day you apply. In many procedures the final decision rests with the competent authority and its discretion, so a positive outcome cannot be guaranteed.