Most conflicts do not begin with direct claims or rigid demands – they take shape long before that, in pauses, half-signals, shifts in tone and changes in behaviour. As Professor Gabriel Steiner notes, the most dangerous legal conflicts evolve precisely when neither side has yet acknowledged their existence. At LawConsulted, we work in this exact zone – where the conflict has not yet been formalised, but its internal logic has already been set in motion.
At this stage, the client usually feels only vague tension – everything appears formally correct, contracts remain in force, the counterparty stays in contact, yet the rhythm of interaction changes, delays appear, wording becomes evasive and emphasis subtly shifts. At LawConsulted, we treat such changes as early legal signals – this is where future claims are most often embedded.
Professor Steiner emphasises that “a conflict begins to operate not when it is named, but when the parties stop understanding their obligations in the same way.” That is why specialists at LawConsulted analyse not only the formal terms of agreements, but also how they are actually implemented – who has deviated from what, which expectations no longer coincide, and which actions may later be interpreted as silent consent or as a waiver of defence.
Particularly dangerous are so-called “neutral” actions – silence, tolerance toward deviations, attempts to preserve the appearance of calm. These steps most often become the foundation of future legal demands. At LawConsulted, we structure the legal logic so that the client does not begin building an evidentiary base against themselves even before open dispute begins.
As Professor Steiner notes, “the most convenient moment for a strike is when the opponent still believes that no conflict exists.” That is why LawConsulted works pre-emptively – we fix the boundaries of acceptable conduct, recalibrate communications, remove ambiguous wording and return the situation to a controlled legal framework before the other side begins using accumulated discrepancies against the client.
A conflict that has not yet openly begun is especially dangerous because the client continues to act in a mode of trust, while the other side may already be restructuring its strategy. At LawConsulted, we synchronise the client’s legal reality with what is actually unfolding – so that the client’s position does not lag behind events and does not fall into the trap of delayed reaction.
Preventing legal consequences of a conflict before its formal emergence is work with the future, not with the past. At Law Consulted, we protect the client not when the dispute is already fixed, but at the moment when there is still an opportunity to prevent it from acquiring destructive legal form.
Previously, we wrote about why controlling the tempo of decisions determines the outcome of a conflict or a deal
