Conor Maher

My Approach

I recognise that disputes are rarely just legal problems. They can be stressful, time-consuming, and, for businesses in particular, a distraction from what matters most. My approach is to cut through the noise, identify the key issues, and help my clients make informed decisions with confidence.

I provide clear, pragmatic advice focused on achieving the best commercial and practical outcome. Whether acting for a business, business owner, or individual, I take the time to understand what success looks like for my client and build a strategy around those objectives.

Clients value my straightforward approach. I believe in being honest about the strengths and weaknesses of a case, setting realistic expectations, and communicating in plain English rather than legal jargon and stuffy correspondence. Whilst, as a Solicitor Advocate, I am always prepared to pursue matters through the courts when necessary, I recognise that litigation is not always the most effective solution.

As an accredited civil and commercial mediator and strong advocate of alternative dispute resolution, I regularly help clients resolve disputes through negotiation and mediation, avoiding unnecessary cost, delay, and disruption wherever possible. However a dispute is resolved, my focus remains the same: delivering practical solutions, exceptional service, and the best possible outcome for my clients.

Directory Recognition

• Ranked as an Associate to Watch for Litigation in Chambers & Partners UK Guide 2026 - "Conor was fantastic. He explained legal concepts clearly and concisely to his clients and was a pleasure to work with."
• Ranked as a Leading Associate in The Legal 500 2026 for Commercial Litigation
• Ranked as a Key Lawyer and Leading Associate in The Legal 500 UK 2025 for Commercial Litigation - described as having "exceptional reputation for advocacy in the county courts". One of only 4 lawyers to be named a ‘Leading Associate’ for Commercial Litigation across the whole of Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall.
• Recommended Lawyer in The Legal 500 UK 2024 guide for both Commercial Litigation, and Property Litigation - "Conor Maher is extremely good with clients and has a tireless work ethic."

Area of Expertise

I advise businesses, directors, shareholders, professionals, and private individuals on a broad range of civil and commercial disputes (including complex High Court litigation, shareholder and boardroom disputes, professional negligence claims, judicial review proceedings, and regulatory investigations). I advise from pre-action strategy and negotiation through to High Court litigation, trial advocacy and mediation.

As a Solicitor Advocate, I regularly represent clients at court (at all levels) in both civil/commercial and regulatory proceedings where appropriate and proportionate to do so. Unlike many commercial litigators, I am able to represent clients throughout the life of a dispute, from initial advice and strategic planning through to advocacy at final hearings and trial, providing clients with continuity of representation from the outset.

I am also a qualified Civil and Commercial Mediator and member of the Society of Mediators (MSoM), mediating disputes involving both businesses and individuals across a range of sectors and subject matters from commercial and corporate disputes, professional negligence claims, through to property and construction disputes.

Dispute Resolution (Commercial Litigation)

I am an experienced civil and commercial dispute resolution specialist, with particular expertise in:

• Contract Disputes (including breach of warranty claims, agency fee disputes, and contract construction and interpretation issues);
• Shareholder Disputes (with experience in acting for both minority and majority shareholders in claims before the High Court);
• Directors/Boardroom Disputes (including breach of directors’ duties claims);
• Share Purchase Agreement Disputes;
• Professional Negligence Claims;
• Judicial Review (particularly planning reviews, acting for both developers and interested parties);
• Commercial Debt Recovery; and
• Alternative Dispute Resolution including Negotiation and Mediation (SCMA Advanced Mediation Advocate).

Regulatory Law

I am a widely recognised contentious regulatory practitioner with experience dealing with a range of regulatory investigations and disputes, including:

• DVLA medical revocation and licensing disputes;
• Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle licence appeals;
• Firearms and Shotgun licensing disputes;
• Health & Safety investigations and prosecutions;
• Local Authority and Trading Standards investigations and prosecutions; and
• Professional discipline matters and internal investigations.

Advocacy

I am a well-regarded Solicitor Advocate with an exceptional reputation for advocacy, having been noted by the Legal 500 guide to have an “exceptional reputation for advocacy in the county courts”. I am often instructed to act on behalf of clients of Ellis Jones (and as agent for other firms) to attend interlocutory and substantive hearings and Trials. I routinely deal with:

• Contested Application Hearings in the High Court and County Court;
• Directions Hearings and Costs/Case Management Hearings;
• Residential and Commercial Property Possession Hearings;
• Part 8 Disposal Hearings;
• Substantive Hearings, Final Hearings, and Trials; and
• Regulatory Hearings within the Magistrates’ Courts and Crown Court.

Professional Development

Outside of my litigation practice, I am regularly asked to deliver legal training webinars and seminars across a host of subjects for various external organisations including MBL Seminars, Legal Futures, local Law Societies, and others.

I am often asked to deliver sessions to legal professionals and others across a range of topics, including:

• Civil Litigation Practice and Procedure
• County Court Advocacy
• Mediation Advocacy and Skills
• Consumer Contract Regulations
• Privilege
• Limitation Periods
• Residential Possession
• Advising on DVLA Medical Revocations
• Taxi/PHV Licensing Appeals
• Tactical Use and Approach to ADR/NCDR

Alongside my practice, I am an Associate Lecturer in Law at Bournemouth University, where I teach Civil Procedure and Civil Litigation on the LLM Legal Practice and Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship programmes. I enjoy helping the next generation of lawyers develop the practical litigation skills required for modern legal practice. I lecture across the entire topic of civil procedure and dispute resolution, from ADR/NCDR through the life of a civil claim up to trial and enforcement of judgments.

Recent Work

My clients range from SMEs, company directors and shareholders to professionals, public bodies and private individuals facing complex disputes and regulatory issues.

Recent instructions have included acting in complex shareholder disputes, High Court litigation, judicial review proceedings, regulatory investigations and contested advocacy matters.

Dispute Resolution Work Highlights

• Shareholder Disputes – Successfully negotiated a settlement for an unfair prejudice petition involving a £3Million share buy-back for minority shareholder clients in respect of a high-value family-owned business.
• Commercial Disputes – Successfully defended a complex breach of contract and professional negligence claim through to trial, obtaining an indemnity costs order for the client.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution – Negotiated a successful mediated agreement against a large Magic Circle law firm in respect of a complex intellectual property and contractual dispute.
• Professional Negligence – Acted for an individual client in a professional negligence action against a surveyor, successfully negotiating payment of 100% of damages, interest, and costs, without needing to issue proceedings.
• Judicial Review – Represented a community interest group in a successful planning decision challenge before the High Court.

Regulatory Work Highlights

• Firearms Licensing – Successfully negotiated with Dorset Police to facilitate the return of a Firearms Licence following an unsuccessful criminal prosecution.
• Taxi/PHV Licensing – Regularly instructed to act on behalf of Taxi and PHV Licence Drivers in result of Licensing Committee, Magistrates’ Court, and Crown Court appeals against decisions to refuse or revoke drivers’ licences.
• DVLA Medical Appeals – Successfully represented a large number of clients in securing the return of driving licences medically revoked by the DVLA, including the return of a licence for an elderly driver whose licence had been revoked after an incorrect diagnosis of cognitive impairment following an incident of sepsis/infection.
• Regulatory Discipline – Advising private clubs (in particular a Local Football Club, a Golf Club, and an Armed Forces Club), in respect of internal investigations and regulatory discipline proceedings.
• Food Safety Investigations – Represented a takeaway restaurant owner in a voluntary interview under caution and made representations to avoid criminal prosecution.

Advocacy Highlights

• Instructed to advocate on behalf of a PHV Driver during an appeal against TfL before HHJ Durran sitting at the Old Bailey (Central London Criminal Court); resulting in the appeal being granted, overturning the decision of the Magistrates’’ Court, the client’s licence being saved, and almost 100% of costs being recovered from TfL.
• Instructed as agent on behalf of another solicitors’ firm to advocate on behalf of their client in a contested Police Property Act application in relation to stolen property, securing the return of a high-value car to the client from whom it had been sold (as stolen goods), as opposed to whom it had been stolen from.
• Represented a client in the High Court before Master Sullivan, defending an urgent injunction application and successfully obtaining (what is believed to be) the first ever order for possession of a Property under a niche piece of Immigration Legislation.
• Conducted a successful application for a ‘show cause’ hearing to be listed in respect of a wasted costs application against another firm of solicitors who had failed to respond to correspondence for a number of months.
• Routinely instructed to pursue possession orders in complex residential possession cases across the South West and London.
• Successfully defended at Trial a regulatory prosecution against the Security Industry Authority in relation to offences under the Private Security Industry Act.

Professional Associations & Qualifications

Qualifications

• LLB (Hons) Law with European Legal Study (University of Exeter)
• Law and International Relations (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid)
• PgDip Legal Practice (University of Law)
• Accredited Police Station Representative (Cardiff University)
• Higher Courts Advocate / Solicitor Advocate (Civil) (BPP Law School)
• SCMA Advanced Mediation Advocate (ADR Group)
• Accredited as a Member of the Society of Mediators (MSoM) 2026
• Became a Partner in July 2026
• Qualified as a solicitor in 2021

Associations

• Member of the Society of Mediators (MSoM)
• Member of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
• Member of the Commercial Litigation Association (CLA)
• Treasurer of the Bournemouth & District Law Society (BDLS) since 2024
• Civil Litigation Representative to the Bournemouth & District Law Society’s Dispute Resolution Sub-Committee since 2024
• Associate Lecturer in Law at Bournemouth University, lecturing on Civil Procedure and Civil Litigation on the LLM Legal Practice and Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship