Business and commercial litigation, Newport Beach
Commercial litigation for companies that can't afford to lose.
Contract, shareholder, trade secret and real estate disputes for companies in Newport Beach, CA, prepared as if every one will go to trial.
Facing a TRO, a walkout of key staff, or a deadline this week? Call and say it's urgent.
Disputes between businesses
On either side of the caption, as plaintiffs' counsel or as the defense.
Contract disputes
Breach of supply, licensing, distribution and services agreements: enforcing the deal you signed, or getting out of one that was never honored.
Supply chain, SaaS, distribution
Partnership and shareholder disputes
Deadlocked boards, freeze-outs, fiduciary breaches and buy-sell valuations, for founders, minority holders and the companies caught between them.
Closely held, LLC, family business
Trade secrets and non-competes
Departing executives, poached teams and copied code. Motions for injunctive relief, and the defense of employers accused of the same.
DTSA, CUTSA, injunctions
Business torts
Fraud, interference with contract, unfair competition under Section 17200, and the conversion claims that come with a deal gone wrong.
Fraud, UCL, interference
Real estate litigation
Commercial lease defaults, purchase-and-sale disputes, construction defect and partition actions on the properties that carry a balance sheet.
Commercial lease, construction, title
Arbitration and mediation
AAA, JAMS and ICC proceedings, and the mediations that end many cases, prepared as if the panel will decide.
AAA, JAMS, ICC
Industries we work with include technology, healthcare, real estate and construction, manufacturing, financial services, hospitality, logistics, and family-owned companies.
What happens after you call
The usual order for a new matter. Every case turns on its own facts, the court and the other side.
First call
Tell us who is involved, what happened and any deadline you are facing. No documents yet. You hear whether we can help.
Conflicts check
We confirm we have never represented anyone on the other side before you share anything confidential, then send an engagement letter.
Reading the file
Contracts, correspondence and records, and conversations with the people who were in the room. Ask for a written read of the claims and the exposure.
Choosing the path
Negotiate, mediate, arbitrate or file. Each option with its cost and timeline, including when settling makes sense.
The first move
A demand letter, a complaint, a response or a motion for emergency relief, prepared as if the case will be tried.
Built for the boardroom as much as the courtroom
A dispute is a business problem with a legal answer. You should know what your case is worth and what it will cost to prove before the bills start to grow.
The numbers, early
Ask for the claims, the exposure, a realistic budget and an honest recommendation, including when that is to settle.
Ready for trial from the first filing
Opposing counsel can tell when a firm will actually try a case.
Updates your board can read
Where things stand, what was spent, and what comes next, in plain English.
Questions in-house counsel ask first
Urgent matter? Injunctions and TROs can't wait for a callback form.
Call (949) 555-0172Should our dispute be litigated or arbitrated?
Often your contract already decided that, so the dispute-resolution clause comes first. Where there is a choice, arbitration is usually faster and private but harder to appeal; court gives you broader discovery and a jury. Which one favors you depends on your facts.
How do you bill?
Ask about fees and budgets in the first meeting and you'll get a straight answer, in writing, before you commit to anything.
How fast can you move on a TRO or injunction?
If trade secrets, customers, or assets are walking out the door, call the main line and say it is urgent. Evidence for a temporary restraining order can be gathered while the conflicts check runs.
What happens before you can take our case?
A conflicts check. We need the names of every party, affiliate and likely witness so we can confirm we have never represented the other side. Until it clears and an engagement letter is signed, please send no confidential documents.
Where do you litigate?
State and federal courts around Newport Beach, CA, plus arbitrations wherever the contract sends them. Ask about out-of-state matters on the first call.
We already have outside counsel. Can you step in mid-case?
Ask. A second opinion on the file is a reasonable first step, and a handoff can be coordinated with your current firm.
The other side already has a lawyer.
Tell us what happened. We'll run a conflicts check and get back to you about next steps.