As a business owner, you probably watch expenses carefully. You may be concerned about building and maintaining your company’s reputation. To hone your competitive edge, you look for ways to use tools and information to your advantage. When it comes to business litigation, a Florida business lawyer might suggest using alternative dispute resolution methods that address your concerns.
Business Disputes
You may find yourself in situations where a client, vendor, partner, or employee strongly disagrees with you. They may threaten legal action, or you may wonder if that’s your only recourse. Some of the most common reasons for business owners to consider litigation include:
- Intellectual property infringement actions,
- Discrimination and ADA violations,
- Defective products or services,
- Enforcing employee agreements and non-compete agreements,
- Breach of contract, and
- Other contract-related issues.
Legal disputes can be very costly, especially if you have to file a lawsuit or defend against one. There may be other options to consider.
Solutions and Suggestions from Your Florida Business Lawyer
After you and your attorney discuss your case, you can discuss how to handle it. Your lawyer might suggest the following ways to solve your problems:
- Negotiation. This can be considered a form of alternative dispute resolution. Some legal problems can be resolved by simply talking about them. Make sure your attorney is involved, however, to avoid saying something counterproductive.
- Litigation. When negotiation does not work, you may have to file a lawsuit.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution. Your Florida business lawyer might suggest alternate ways to settle your case. The parties to a case might agree to mediate their dispute or have a panel of arbitrators decide their fate.
Your Florida business lawyer can discuss how you might use alternative dispute resolution to benefit your case.
Advantages of Using Alternative Dispute Resolution
Litigation is expensive. In most cases, using arbitration or mediation can lower your costs significantly. Also, you might use the following aspects of alternative dispute resolution to move the case in your favor:
- Confidentiality. Most of the time, the details of your settlement remain private. The impact of the dispute on your company’s reputation may be minimal.
- Relationships. If you can negotiate an amicable settlement, you might keep important business relationships viable for future work.
- Flexibility. Without the restrictions of a formal trial, more opportunities exist for you to present your case the way you and your attorney want.
- Control. Unlike a formal trial, you have at least some control over the mediator and the schedule.
As soon as you realize you may be embroiled in a bitter legal disagreement, contact a lawyer to learn the best ways to handle your case.
As Florida Business Lawyers, We Understand Alternative Dispute Resolution
Attorney Richard Sierra at the Florida Small Business Center assists clients like you with business and litigation matters. As always, Our Goal Is to Help You Succeed™. For an appointment, you may call us at 1-866-842-5202 or use the contact form on our website. We represent clients throughout the State of Florida, including Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Pompano Beach, Sunrise, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Deerfield Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Orlando, Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa, and surrounding communities.