If you own a business, you understand how vital contracts and partnerships are for your business’s success. But what happens when you make a deal with the wrong partner, or someone tries to sue you for breach of contract?
It can be quite helpful to have a lawyer on your side. Working with a civil litigation lawyer can help you with everything from preparing contracts and navigating agreements to choosing sound partnerships. Even if one day you decide to dissolve your business.
Most Common Types of Business Disputes
Partnership Disputes
When entering a partnership with another business or individual, there is a legal binding between the parties. Whether a contract exists or not, there are specific duties each partner is responsible for upholding. Any business partnership should start with a contract. A contract is best to have not only for legal reasons but also to make it clear to everyone involved what the expectations are from each side.
While you may think you’ve made it clear verbally what you’d like from your business partner, your partner may interpret those terms differently. Getting everything down in writing can make all the difference and align everyone with the same plan and goals. A business lawyer can help draft a contract for you, and if there ever is a dispute down the line, the same lawyer can also litigate the case for you.
Some partnership disputes may be resolved in mediation, without having to take your case to court. Discovering a resolution from a dispute can make or break your business. Partnership disputes can harm your business’s growth and profits, as well as its reputation. Effectively resolving disputes may mean consulting a lawyer. Our civil litigation attorneys are experienced in helping companies to navigate disputes.
Breach of Contract
Partnership disputes often stem from a breach of contract. When a party fails to uphold their end of a legally binding contract, they’ve breached their contractual obligations. Disputing a contract agreement can get deep down into the nitty-gritty of the contract’s language. Interpreting the contract language correctly can sometimes make all the difference in your case.
Suppose you feel that your business partner, vendor, employee, or other party failed to uphold the end of their contract, whether that be by providing goods, services, actions, or otherwise. In that case, you may wish to sue them for damages to your business. A breach of contract can include the following types of issues:
- Failure to deliver or perform
- Failure to meet a timeline or other agreed-upon conditions
- Violation of a non-disclosure or non-compete agreement
Mergers
As previously discussed, choosing to partner your business with another company or individual should include a contract. However, a merger takes a partnership contract a step further and is an agreement that unites two existing companies into one. Merging two businesses can be quite fruitful for all involved. But having a clear, legal contract is important for both parties.
Merging two businesses means potentially working with many individuals who are used to making decisions on their own. Those individuals now need to realize they have partners who should be included in the decision-making process and be consulted before making changes to the business. Working with a business lawyer throughout the merger process can help avoid any potential partnership disputes down the road.
When You May Need a Business Lawyer
Violation of Business Standards
There are many, many different state and federal laws businesses need to comply with and follow. Laws may be amended and updated from year to year, and ensuring your business is following the latest laws can help you avoid a lawsuit. However, if you are not compliant with a state or federal business law, you risk the chance of being sued. Sometimes, you may have been non-compliant with these laws without even realizing it. Having a civil litigation lawyer on retainer can help you navigate these laws and ensure you’re following the rules and regulations as needed.
Debts
If you are struggling with paying your vendors, employees, or business partners, they may attempt to take you to civil court. Or, you might be working with a partner who has failed to pay you for your business’s services. Both of these situations can result in a debt collection lawsuit. Typically, debt collection lawsuits run a bit differently than other civil lawsuits. Unfortunately, it is quite common for the party who is being sued not to appear or show up in court if they’re being sued over their inability to pay. Our civil litigation lawyers can help you understand what to expect from these situations.
Dissolutions
If you’re looking to close your business permanently, you may wish to have a lawyer help walk you through the process. It’s not as simple as closing down and locking your doors. You have certain financial obligations you must fulfill when dissolving a business. Closing a business can be a stressful and challenging process. We are here to help you through every step of the process and ensure your business dissolution goes as smoothly as possible.
If you have questions or would like to discuss a potential civil case with one of our litigators, we can help.
Contact our offices today to learn more or schedule your consultation with our team.