How Can Businesses in Covington Effectively Handle Commercial Litigation?

How Should Business Owners Handle Business Disputes?

A business dispute is a disagreement between two businesses or between a business and some other party. When a business dispute becomes a legal matter, a Covington business attorney at the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith can ensure that your rights and interests are protected.

Are you a business owner in Northern Kentucky? Business owners today face all sorts of legal challenges, so if you anticipate a business dispute – or if you find yourself involved in a business dispute – you’ll need a lawyer who offers dedication, superlative service, and genuine value.

When Does a Dispute With an Employee Require a Lawyer’s Assistance?

Usually, a business dispute emerges when there is a disagreement over the conditions and terms of a legally binding contract. A business dispute may arise from differences over employment agreements, including non-disclosure, non-compete, and severance agreements.

Employment contracts set forth the responsibilities and obligations of both employers and employees. A dispute may emerge if either party does not fulfill its obligations or breaches the employment contract.

What Other Types of Business Disputes May Require a Lawyer’s Assistance?

Business disputes may be triggered by disagreements over purchase contracts, service contracts, or commercial leases, and business disputes may also be based on charges of stockholder manipulation.

Kentucky business owners also must comply with discrimination laws, tax statutes, zoning regulations, environmental rules, and legal advertising practices. If you hire immigrants, you must understand and comply with the pertinent immigration and employment laws.

In Northern Kentucky, if you become involved in any kind of business dispute or any other legal matter that affects your business, you must be represented and advised by a Covington business lawyer, and you should contact that lawyer as quickly as possible.

What Else Should You Know About Business Disputes?

Contract disputes may arise due to fraud, mistakes in a contract’s written text, or a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of a contract’s conditions and terms. You should have a Covington business attorney review your active contracts to find any discrepancies or mistakes.

A business owner signs contracts with contractors, clients, vendors, employees, insurance companies, commercial landlords, and many other parties. When one party does not meet its obligations, the other party may pursue a mediated or arbitrary settlement or bring a lawsuit.

When a company’s directors or officers breach their duty to act in their shareholders’ best interests and manipulate individual or institutional investors through negligence or fraud, those investors may bring a lawsuit against those directors or officers or seek a settlement out-of-court.

How Do Mediation and Arbitration Work?

Not every business dispute goes to trial. In fact, many business disputes in Kentucky are resolved out-of-court in mediation or arbitration proceedings. In arbitration, a neutral third-party arbitrator hears arguments from both sides and then renders a binding decision.

Mediation is different. A neutral third-party mediator makes no decisions. Instead, the mediator helps the parties compromise and negotiate until they can reach their own resolution.

Mediation and arbitration do not sound difficult, but resolving even a minor business dispute can be costly and time-consuming. If arbitration or mediation fails, and you must take a business dispute to court, a resolution will be even more costly and time-consuming.

Who Can Help You Deal Effectively With a Business Dispute?

When a business dispute arises, you must be advised and represented by a Kentucky business attorney who can help you quickly reach a favorable resolution – an attorney who has considerable experience resolving the most complex and difficult business disagreements.

A minor dispute can quickly become a serious legal difficulty if it isn’t handled properly from the beginning. Your business lawyer should have substantial experience in mediation and arbitration, but your lawyer should also have experience taking business disputes to trial.

Perhaps the most important thing a business attorney can do for you is to help you put legal solutions in place before legal problems develop. Before you sign any contract, have it reviewed by your Covington business lawyer.

Can Business Disputes Be Avoided?

Business attorneys can help business owners develop and enforce policies that diminish the possibility of lawsuits. Established policies that govern hiring, promotions, and terminations reduce the possibility of lawsuits that allege harassment, discrimination, or wage-hour violations.

Sometimes a lawsuit is unavoidable, but if you establish the right policies and practices – that is, if you can prove that you take safety, discrimination, and employees’ rights seriously – you’ll have a much stronger case if an employee files a lawsuit against you.

Your employment contracts should include language that clearly and precisely spells out your harassment and discrimination policies. Your business attorney can help you prepare employment contracts that offer you maximum legal protection.

What Else Should Business Owners Know?

There is no way to guarantee that your business will never be sued. Even if you prevail and have a good business lawyer on your side, a lawsuit is costly and time-consuming. By heeding the following suggestions, you’ll reduce the chances of a lawsuit that could damage your business:

1.  Never settle for a verbal agreement. Don’t be cajoled, flattered, or bullied into accepting a verbal agreement.
2.  If you do not trust someone, don’t do business with that person. If you are uncomfortable – for any reason – walk away. Trust your common sense and your instincts.
3.  If you can’t meet your obligations as required by a contract, you must negotiate – with your business attorney’s help – a termination or an amendment to the contract that will prevent the other party from bringing a lawsuit.

Let the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith Advise and Represent You

At the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith, we offer business owners in Northern Kentucky and Ohio a wide range of legal services. We represent business owners effectively in legal disputes and provide advice regarding contracts, liability, and important business transactions.

Award-winning Kentucky business attorney Shannon C. Smith leads an experienced, dedicated team of lawyers who guide and advise our business clients. We offer your business the same care as in-house legal counsel, but without the considerable cost of keeping an attorney on staff.

For over a decade, the business attorneys at the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith have built a reputation for legal excellence and a record of success. Contact us promptly to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation case evaluation about a specific business dispute or about your company’s ongoing legal needs by calling 859-414-0543.