When a deal goes wrong in court
Breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition and business torts, in the Commercial Division and federal court.
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Your dispute.
My full attention.
I'm Elena Marlowe. Twelve years in New York courtrooms, and I still handle every case myself: no handoffs, no junior team, one number to call.
One lawyer. One plan.
Start to finish.
Every case moves through the same four stages, I lead each one myself, and you get all four in writing.
01
First call
You speak to me, not an intake desk. Thirty minutes, no charge, and a straight answer on whether you have a case worth pursuing.
Note of first call
· 12 Oct 2026
02
Case assessment
Within 48 hours you get it in writing: your strongest claims, the defences they will run, and what a realistic outcome looks like.
Case assessment
· 14 Oct 2026
03
Strategy & fee plan
We agree the plan and the price together — which court or forum, what I file first, and a fee you approve before any work starts.
Strategy & fee plan
· 21 Oct 2026
04
Resolution
Settlement, mediation, arbitration or trial. I prepare every case to be tried, which is usually why it never needs to be.
Settlement agreement
· 06 Mar 2027
How I work
A one-lawyer practice by choice. The person you meet on the first call writes the brief, takes the deposition and stands up in court.
Me, on every hour you pay for
I take on no more than 14 active cases at a time, so yours never waits behind a bigger client. A paralegal helps with filings; the legal work is mine.
About Elena
✓
Lead
✓
✓
✓
You always know where it stands
You get a private case page: what's done, what's next, and every deadline. I update it myself, the day anything changes.
Ask for a walkthrough
In court and at the table
State and federal courts in New York, Delaware Chancery, and private arbitration. When there's a choice of forum, I pick the one that favours you.
See practice areas
Fees you can plan around
Fixed prices where the work is predictable, monthly caps where it isn't. You approve the budget before I start, and it only changes if you say so.
Get an estimate
Every dispute.
Every stage.
From the first demand letter to the last appeal, I represent companies, their owners and the executives who run them.
Most business disputes never reach a courtroom. The ones that settle well are the ones prepared as if they will.
My guide walks through real costs, timelines and the decisions that move them, stage by stage, with numbers from my own cases.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter turns on its own facts and law.
Why I work alone
A one-lawyer practice by choice: fewer cases, and my full attention on every one of them.
ELENA MARLOWE · ATTORNEY AT LAW
NEW YORK · SINCE 2019
I spent six years at a large Manhattan firm, watching clients with serious problems get junior attention. In 2019 I opened my own practice to do it the other way round: fewer cases, all of my time on each.
I’ve tried 11 cases to verdict since then, and every client I take on has my mobile number.
I would rather tell you not to sue than bill you for a case you shouldn’t bring. When I do go to court, the other side knows I’m ready to finish it.
Elena Marlowe
Elena Marlowe · Attorney at law, Columbia Law ’13
AT A GLANCE
Education
Columbia Law School, J.D. 2013 · Cornell University, B.A. 2010
Admitted
New York (2014), Delaware (2017), S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., Second Circuit
Before this
Senior associate, commercial litigation, Manhattan (2013–2019)
Also
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Languages
English, French, conversational Spanish
Admitted, accountable, and confidential by default.
Licensed where I practise. Conflicts cleared before I hear the details. Your documents never travel as email attachments.
New York State Bar
Admitted in New York since 2014, in good standing with the Appellate Division, with no disciplinary history.
NYS BAR
Delaware Bar
Admitted before the Court of Chancery, where most corporate and shareholder disputes are decided.
DE BAR
Federal courts
Admitted to the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
SDNY · 2d
Chartered arbitrator
I sit as an arbitrator myself, so I know how a panel reads your brief.
FCIArb
Conflicts in 24 hours
I check for conflicts with names only, before you share any detail, and confirm within one business day.
24 H
Encrypted client portal
Documents, updates and invoices live in one encrypted matter page, with access limited to your team and me.
PORTAL
Talk to me this week.
Tell me what's happening. I read every enquiry myself and reply within one business day, usually sooner.