Stormcatcher Law’s unparalleled insight and unique skill set position us as a leading law firm for car dealerships, repairers, restorers, car buyers, and collectors. We offer specialised legal solutions for every automotive need.
We are regularly consulted for our deep understanding of automotive fraud, sales, and repairs of classic and supercars, and are proud to extend our expertise across the United Kingdom and internationally.
Call The Motor Industry Lawyers for First Free Advice
Why you may need a car dispute lawyer
Consumer law and trading standards legislation can be complex for both businesses and individuals. It’s easy to be confused by conflicting advice from Citizens Advice, online forums, and high street solicitors. Auto lawyers like us apply their specialist knowledge of both the industry and the laws that regulate it to reach a positive outcome.
Not only can our automotive lawyers help you understand what your rights are either as a dealer or a consumer, but they’ll also help you quickly navigate your way to the outcome you deserve, only taking things into a courtroom if it’s absolutely necessary.
What Our Customers Are Saying
Who we work with as car dispute lawyers
Automotive businesses
We’re specialists in motor trade law, and we offer a range of legal services covering all aspects of the automotive industry. This includes legal advice for sole car traders, main dealerships, and automotive organisations. Our expertise extends to issues related to car sales, repair disputes, and consumer rights, ensuring that you receive informed and effective legal support.
The types of automotive businesses we can help include:
- New and used car dealerships
- Vehicle leasing and rental companies
- Car repair and servicing centres
- MOT testing centres
- Car finance and credit providers
- Auction houses
Consumers
We pride ourselves on offering swift, effective legal advice at any stage of the complaint or litigation, offering pragmatic and financially sensible solutions.
For a case review and advice
Book a 1 hour motor industry lawyer consultation
£250 + VAT Per hour
Conference will be via Zoom & Terms and conditions apply.
Due to the complex nature of consumer law and trading standards legislation both businesses and individuals often find themselves confused by conflicting advice from citizens advice, on line forums and high street solicitors advice.
We pride ourselves on providing swift, effective legal advice at any stage of the complaint or litigation offering pragmatic and commercially sensible solutions.
How our motor industry lawyers can help you
Our team of expert car dealership lawyers can resolve a wide range of automotive conflicts. From dealership disputes to consumer complaints, we provide comprehensive legal support to ensure your rights are protected. Whether it's car warranty issues, purchase disagreements, or service disputes, our experts are equipped to handle complex cases with ease.
Understanding car warranty law
Navigating the intricacies of car warranty law can be challenging. Our experienced team offers guidance on both new and used car warranties, ensuring that your legal rights are upheld. We assist with warranty claims, disputes, and negotiations, providing reliable legal advice tailored to your specific situation.
In effect, a warranty fills in the gaps by covering things that are not protected by statutory rights in the first six months, and offer an alternative to claiming from the dealer. Longer term warranty policies over six months will, of course, provide some peace of mind for problems that occur in the medium and longer terms.
If you require information about setting up your own in-house warranty, or you’re a consumer looking to make or defend a warranty or consumer rights claim, contact Stormcatcher Law.
Handling mileage adjustment, or ‘car clocking’
The rise in car finance agreements with an annual mileage cap has seen an increase in car clocking and mileage adjustment. Car clocking and mileage adjustment has become especially pervasive with premium and luxury brand cars such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Porsche. CAN filters are becoming a problem; these are devices that can block or manipulate mileage data by stopping the odometer from syncing with the vehicle's anti-theft system.
Stormcatcher Law can help you pursue legal action if you have sold or been sold a clocked car or a car with a CAN filter installed.
Navigating distance selling laws
These govern goods sold by a dealer or business to a consumer without ever meeting face to face. Contracts conclude away from the business premises, though these regulations also cover those that conclude on or at the business premises too.
In the event a business fails to comply with the distance selling rules, the customer may be entitled to cancel the contract and receive a refund.
There is much confusion regarding the distance selling regulations returns policy. This includes whether or not a business has to collect the vehicle, and whether they are allowed to deduct an amount from the refund for mileage. Stormcatcher Law can help get all this straight.
For Initial Free Advice on Consumer Rights Laws
Our automotive lawyer
Stormcatcher Law is led by Philip Harmer, a lawyer and arbitrator with extensive knowledge of the automotive industry, a straight-talking approach, and an impressive track record of positive outcomes. Insight and expertise guides him together with his clients to the stress-free conclusion they deserve.
Philip knows cars, the trade, and the rules; he and his team are invaluable in your corner when you need automotive legal advice.
Why choose Stormcatcher Law?
Using our extensive experience, Stormcatcher Law stands apart in providing legal solutions to the motor trade, excelling in motor industry legal services. We’re proud to offer:
Flexibility
We can advise and accept instructions on behalf of private clients as well as automotive organisations, from sole car traders to car dealers and franchise dealerships.
A wealth of insider knowledge
This experience comes from working in every aspect of retail motor trade for over two decades.
Motor vehicle technical expertise
Our unsurpassed knowledge spans a vast number of car, van, and truck makes and models. It comes from first-hand experience of buying, selling, repairing and maintaining them over a 40 year period.
Jargon-free advice
We can quickly cut to the heart of an issue, translating even the most complicated concepts into something easily understandable.
Specialist insight
We’re proud to have specialist knowledge of new, used, and classic German manufacturers, including Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche.
In short, we know the law, the cars, the tricks of the trade and the motor industry inside out. We’re the go-to firm for all motor vehicle related legal issues, and we’d love to help you.
Motor Industry Lawyers FAQ
Stormcatcher Motor Industry Lawyers is probably the only law firm in the country which specialises in motor law and motor trade law and works for both the retail motor industry and private clients. The business was founded and is headed by Philip Harmer, who brings over 30 years experience of the motor trade and new and used car sales, repairs and financing.
There are other law firms that offer legal solutions for the motor trader and motor industry legal services, but only who knows the cars and the industry inside out.
Our legal protection plan has been designed using this insight to cover all the legal needs of car dealers and repairers for a whole year.
The legal package offers clients unlimited access to legal advice, unlimited customer complaints handling, unlimited finance company dispute resolution and assistance with all your commercial legal needs.
Motor industry lawyers cover all aspects of law involving car sales, repairs and financing which includes:
- Sale of Goods Act
- Supply of goods and services
- Consumer rights
- Misrepresentation
- Unfair trading practises
- Negligence and Tort
- Contract law
- Product liability
- Fraud
- Consumer Credit
Yes, we offer a range of fixed-price services for consumers and private clients who have bought a car from a dealer and are looking to have it repaired, replaced or rejected. However, our no conflict of interest policy prevents us from advising or accepting instructions against an existing retained motor dealer client.
We advise clients and offer dispute resolution services in circumstances arising from the sale of a new or used car, or repair work. We are not authorised to carry out litigation but are able to offer cost-effective solutions for preparing and drafting particulars of claim, witness statements and other legal documents. Our overriding objective is to analyse the facts, apply the law and enter into a dialogue to resolve the problem out of court. Should litigation become necessary we can advise on where to go to source this.
We are not solicitors but aim to offer an affordable cost-effective alternative to using solicitors. We hold professional indemnity insurance and are authorised to provide legal advice and legal services, save those which are reserved for those who hold a practising certificate.
We operate a fixed fee structure, dependent on your circumstances, which enables private clients and dealers the opportunity to budget and maintain control of the overall costs of the claim. Operating without expensive offices and support staff enables us to pass the savings onto you.
Yes, we can provide legal advice for businesses facing investigations, fines, or legal action from Trading Standards or other regulatory bodies.
Contact Stormcatcher Motor Industry Lawyers for First Free Legal Advice
About Philip Harmer
With over a decade in the retail motor trade, including front-line experience running sales and repair operations, Philip is one of very few legal professionals who has a working knowledge of the trade from both sides of the desk. His work has included advising motor traders and garages on compliance, dispute resolution, and customer complaints, and he has delivered workshops on integrating consumer law into sales and repair processes.
He regularly advises dealers on
motor trade compliance,
industry legal standards, and
used car warranty complaints.
Contact Stormcatcher for First Free Advice