Civil & Commercial Litigation
When a dispute threatens business operations, cash flow, reputation, or control of an asset, clients need clear advice on the available remedies and how quickly the firm can act.
Strategic litigation and dispute management
For companies, directors, investors, professionals, and private clients involved in contested civil claims, business disputes, urgent applications, or litigation risk.
When a business dispute, debt recovery matter, or contested civil claim reaches the point where legal intervention becomes necessary, having a civil litigation attorney in Trinidad and Tobago with real courtroom experience on your side is not a luxury — it is a practical requirement. Litigation is expensive, time-consuming, and unpredictable when it is not managed strategically from the outset. At Martin George & Company, we have represented clients in the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and before the Industrial Court for over thirty years. Our approach to civil and commercial disputes is built around one question: what is the most effective way to protect the client’s position given the evidence, the risk, and the remedy they are seeking?
Not every commercial dispute should go straight to court. Some can be resolved through firm pre-action correspondence, without the delay and cost of proceedings. Others require urgent court intervention — an injunction to freeze assets, restrain a threatened breach, or preserve the status quo while a dispute is resolved. Knowing which path to take, and when to shift between them, is where experienced litigation counsel adds the most value. We assess the strength of the claim, the likely response of the other side, the urgency involved, and the practical outcome the client is trying to achieve before recommending a course of action. Where summary judgment is available, we pursue it. Where a negotiated settlement is genuinely in the client’s interest, we advise that clearly and without equivocation.
The firm’s civil and commercial litigation practice covers the full range of disputes that arise between individuals, businesses, and institutions in Trinidad and Tobago. This includes straightforward debt recovery, complex multi-party commercial disputes, industrial relations matters before the Industrial Court, banking and financial disagreements, insurance disputes, and corporate conflicts between shareholders or directors. Where constitutional or administrative law issues intersect with a commercial matter, those can be addressed within the same broader representation rather than treated as entirely separate proceedings.
Services in this practice area
- Civil Claims
- Commercial Disputes
- Breach of Contract
- Debt Claims
- Negligence
- High Court Litigation
- Court of Appeal Matters
- Industrial Court / Industrial Relations
- Banking and Financial Disputes
- Insurance Disputes
- Corporate Disputes
- Injunctions
- Damages Claims
- Summary Judgment Applications
- Contempt of Court Applications
Before a litigation consultation, it helps to gather the core documents: the contract or agreement in dispute, a clear timeline of what happened and when, any correspondence between the parties, and an honest account of what you want to achieve and what you are willing to accept as an outcome. You do not need to have a formed legal theory — that is our job. You need to give us enough factual material to assess liability, quantify the claim or defence, and identify the most effective next step. For urgent applications involving injunctions or contempt of court, contact us as soon as the threat materialises — delay in those matters can limit the relief available.
Our litigation team is direct about risk, realistic about timelines, and focused on outcomes rather than process for its own sake. Clients across Port of Spain, South Trinidad, and Tobago who are dealing with contested commercial or civil matters can expect clear advice on the merits, transparent guidance on costs, and active management of their case from the first consultation through to resolution. We do not let matters drift, and we do not let the other side set the pace.
Contract and payment disputes
Advice and representation where agreements have broken down, invoices remain unpaid, or one side needs urgent leverage to preserve its position.
Business and shareholder conflict
Support in commercial disputes affecting ownership, management, decision-making, and relationships between business stakeholders.
Injunctions and urgent relief
Rapid review where a client needs interim protection, restraint, preservation of assets, or another urgent court remedy.
Debt recovery and civil claims
A structured approach to disputed debts, civil liability, and matters that may require pre-action strategy, negotiation, or proceedings.
Built for clients dealing with Trinidad and Tobago legal realities, deadlines, and procedural demands.
Matters we handle
Common instructions in this area
- Breach of contract and payment disputes
- Shareholder and business-owner conflict
- Urgent injunction applications
- Debt recovery and contested civil claims
- Insurance, banking, and related commercial disagreements
What to expect
How the first stage usually works
- Outline the dispute, the parties involved, the commercial risk, and any deadlines or threatened action.
- Review agreements, correspondence, internal records, and the practical options for negotiation, protection, or proceedings.
- Move into pre-action strategy, urgent applications, or litigation depending on the strength of the claim and the remedy required.
Why clients use this practice
Built for contested matters
The page is designed around the practical questions clients ask when they need representation fast: urgency, documents, leverage, and next steps.
Commercially aware approach
Not every dispute should be fought the same way. Strategy is shaped by risk, reputation, cost, and the business outcome the client is trying to protect.
Prepared for urgency
The service flow leaves room for injunction work, protective action, and fast review where a commercial or civil issue cannot wait.
Related attorneys
Your Civil & Commercial Litigation Legal Team
Meet the attorneys most closely connected to litigation work.
Martin George
Principal Attorney & Lead Counsel
Principal attorney with more than 35 years of experience in the courts of Trinidad and Tobago, leading the firm's civil litigation, family, and estate-related matters.
Gayatri Badri Maharaj
Attorney-at-Law
Attorney with more than 20 years of legal, management, and environmental-law experience, including work at the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Companies Registry, and the Environmental Management Authority.
Josiah Cyrus
Associate Attorney-at-Law
Associate attorney admitted to practise in 2019, with a focus on civil law, public and constitutional law, and commercial matters.
Frequently asked questions
What should I prepare before a litigation consultation?
Bring the contract or key documents, a short timeline, the names of the parties involved, and any urgent deadlines, threats, or correspondence that explain the dispute.
Does every civil or commercial dispute have to go straight to court?
No. Some matters are best handled first through pre-action correspondence, negotiation, or a protective step short of full proceedings. The right path depends on urgency, leverage, and the client’s objective.
When should I seek help for an injunction or urgent order?
As soon as there is a real risk of dissipation of assets, breach of rights, damage to the business, or another event that could make later relief ineffective.
Ready to discuss your matter?
Speak with the firm about litigation issues, timelines, and the best next step for your situation.