It may surprise you to learn that the Watkins Firm is able to utilize effective leveraged negotiation to resolve most business disputes in San Diego and throughout California.  Effective, leveraged negotiation is the key to resolving business disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner.  The Watkins Firm has more than four decades of experience and legal skill resolving partnership disputes, shareholder disputes, disputes between members in an LLC, real estate disputes, civil disputes and business to business or B2B lawsuits.  We employ a unique approach to business disputes which is specifically designed to bring them to resolution quickly and cost efficiently while accomplishing our client’s goals and objectives.

The chronology of events, a mastery of the associated damages, as well as the underlying relationships are the core of any dispute.  While the underlying real estate or business contract plays a critical role in how the dispute began, and, in some cases, how they are resolved, it is the facts of the matter and associated financial damages that most often provide the ability to quickly get the parties back on track. These tools guide the steps taken by your Watkins Firm attorney to resolve a dispute.  These are the keys to how the Watkins Firm is able to use effective leveraged negotiation to resolve your business dispute.  This is how we are able to resolve the vast majority of our business, real estate and civil disputes.  It is also the fastest and least expensive path to accomplish the goals of our clients.

Our experienced litigation attorneys quickly and accurately develop a thorough, well-documented chronology and analysis of potential damages to identify the options and leverage required to resolve the dispute.  We are often able to negotiate a settlement or modifications to the underlying agreement which preserve the valued business relationship while providing additional time or financial compensation to allow the parties to achieve the intended “benefit of the bargain.”

When the positions of the parties become intransigent or there are principled areas of disagreement, mediation can prove to be an effective alternative.  We represent our clients in mediation and when necessary arbitration to protect their interests and guide the dispute to a resolution which meets our client’s goals and objectives.  Mediation provides a private, confidential legal environment to contain costs and keep your business and financial information out of the public record, while resolving part or all of the issues in dispute.  Arbitration is a more controlled environment, much like a trial, and the ruling of the arbiter is final will bring the dispute to a conclusion.

Pro-Tip: “If you’re going to be in a dispute, you should know what potential steps the future may hold. And the future for you is hopefully effective, leveraged negotiation and a cost-efficient and timely resolution. Then, in those cases where negotiation alone is not able to completely resolve the situation, you may ultimately need to consider arbitration or trial. But before you get to an arbitration date or a trial, you’re likely going to be end up in a mediation or a settlement conference, meaning you’re going to have to go talk to a judge or a learned attorney about your dispute and have them try to help you resolve it.

We want to get the facts nailed down and we want to organize the evidence they have in chronological order, because that’s the best way to communicate to any other party involved in the dispute. That’s how we think. Then I want to help our clients analyze the damages. This is the key whether you are feeling like they owe you something, they’re not complying with the agreement or vice versa. So, more than just a mastery of the potential financial damages, we also need to analyze what it’s going to cost to fight and win. You also have to look at the potential for future business or the nature of the relationship between the parties. Can we can salvage this relationship? All of those important things should come into play.

Our job in these cases is to give good advice, and to help solve problems. Sometimes we’ll even advise our clients how we would think about it, and then let them go talk to their partner or whoever they’re dealing with on their own armed with our knowledge and our negotiation technique(s).” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner

The ability to use effective leveraged negotiation to resolve most business disputes in California quickly and efficiently is the valuable skill most of our clients are looking for.  They also value our team’s ability to manage any size dispute through every potential legal venue, including trial in Superior Court when necessary.  If you are looking for a legal partner with extensive business and litigation experience and a proven track record of success across more than four decades, we invite you to review our podcast Episode 11 – Resolving Business Disputes as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today.

We will work to efficiently resolve the dispute at hand in a timely manner, and to protect and preserve existing valuable business relationships while achieving your goals and objectives.