Un-dispute-d champions: meet Susan Howe, head of dispute resolution
What do a spare house key and a dispute resolution lawyer have in common? You don’t tend to think you need them until it’s too late – usually when you’re already locked out of your house or locked into a legal dispute.
Here, we get to know Susan Howe, head of our dispute resolution team, and find out how having the right support can make all the difference.
When you start a new project, whether it’s setting up a new business or collaborating with a new supplier, the last thing on your mind is probably any potential disputes. However, you could argue (see what we did there) that disputes are inevitable.
“Commercial disputes can occur for all sorts of reasons, from differing interpretations of contractual terms to shareholder disagreements,” says Susan, “Once a dispute begins, it can snowball quite quickly, and with mounting financial (and often personal) costs. That’s why a dispute can make or break a business, particularly an SME.”
Local heroes
With over 35 years of experience, Susan Howe knows a thing or two about dispute resolution. Having honed her skills at two of the biggest law firms in the UK – ‘Magic Circle’ firm Slaughter and May, and Eversheds Sutherland – Susan joined us in 2010 to develop the firm’s commercial litigation offering.
Now, 15 years later, Susan leads not only one of the fastest-growing teams at the firm but also one of the largest dispute resolution teams in the region.
“People often think you need to go to London or another bigger city for dispute resolution,” says Susan. “At Muckle, we specialise in high-value, multi-party, cross-jurisdictional work, and we pride ourselves on our ability to carry out the big-ticket work that other regional firms can’t. For example, we are one of the only regional law firms that offers specialist music and media dispute resolution expertise.”
The ball’s in your court
Litigation – the process of taking a dispute to court – is probably what you think of when you think about what lawyers do. From famous TV dramas like Boston Legal or Suits, or reading about Ed Sheeran’s latest copyright battle, litigation is everywhere. And, whilst litigation can be an appropriate and effective way of resolving a dispute, it is only one of the options that fall under the dispute resolution umbrella.
Despite her litigation expertise, Susan understands the importance of offering clients the full package when it comes to resolving disputes: “We don’t just say that we’re experts in litigation. Getting the right result for the client is, of course, important, but it’s also important how you get to that result.
“We’ve got so many tools at our disposal to get the best outcome for our clients; strategies, tactics, and negotiation all play an incredibly important role. In addition, we see more and more cases that bypass the court altogether and are instead determined by some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)”.
Solving, not creating, problems
It’s long been established that ADR is a solution for commercial disputes. In fact, the courts can order parties and their lawyers to consider ADR where suitable.
Susan says this works in our favour: “We’ve always been of the mindset this is the right way to approach disputes, that’s why our team is named ‘dispute resolution’ and not ‘litigation’. We’re a commercial law firm, and where ADR makes commercial sense for our clients, we’ll always pursue it.
“In most cases, it’s more cost-effective and better for maintaining relationships in the long run. Nobody wants to land on the ‘losing side’ of a court battle. ADR focuses on collaboration and finding mutually agreeable solutions, which offers opportunities to preserve relationships and offer a more constructive resolution to a dispute. However, if ADR fails or isn’t appropriate for some reason, we have all the skills to take the matter all the way through the litigation process and win.”
Award-winning legal advice
It’s that commercial approach which has led to the success of Muckle’s dispute resolution team. Described in Legal 500 as having a “versatility of approach that permits them to work in a wide range of industry sectors”, the team can support in various specialist disciplines including contentious construction, procurement and technology disputes, and contentious trusts and probate, as well as music and media.
Susan was named ‘Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year’ at the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards as well as being listed in the 'Hall of Fame' in 2025's Legal 500 rankings, which recognises "lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work."
Despite her successes, Susan is particularly proud of the work she’s done in building up the team: “I lead a brilliant team of individuals who specialise in a range of legal specialisms. They are all fantastic to work with and exceptionally good commercial lawyers!”
If you need advice and support, get in touch with Susan at [email protected] or call 0191 211 7920.