Our proven approach to a business dispute resolves them quickly and in a cost-efficient manner while accomplishing our client’s goals and objectives.
Resolving a corporate dispute, dispute between business owners or partners, or disputes between San Diego employers and their workers is an important component of business in San Diego and across California. At the Watkins Firm, our approach to litigation ensures that you are represented by a team with more than four decades of experience and legal skill while resolving your dispute in the shortest possible amount of time and with the lowest cost possible. How do we accomplish this?
The Watkins Firm’s Proven Approach to a Business Dispute
Our proven approach to to a business dispute is specifically designed to accomplish our client’s goals in the most timely and cost-effective manner possible. The primary process for resolving a breach of contract dispute or any form of business litigation is negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and, when necessary, ultimately litigation in a Court of Law.
Taking a case through a trial is expensive and time consuming, and most of our clients want to resolve the dispute more effectively. There are occasions where deep matters of principal or financial exposure require extensive litigation, and our track record in these cases should impress you.
However, it may surprise you to learn that the Watkins Firm is able to resolve the vast majority of our business disputes and lawsuits through effective, leveraged negotiation. This is the fastest and least expensive path to resolve the dispute while accomplishing our client’s goals. The key to our success is the leverage we generate through our preparation and research prior to opening negotiations. We work to quickly establish a thorough chronology of events and master the potential damages and the facts surrounding the dispute. The Watkins Firm then uses this leverage to bring the other party to negotiating table to quickly resolve the dispute.
Pro-Tip: “we want to get the facts down and we want the evidence our clients have in chronological order, because that’s the best way to communicate to the other party, to a third party, to anyone throughout the process is in chronological order. That’s how we think.
Then I want to help our clients analyze the damages. Whether you are feeling like they owe you something, they’re not complying with the agreement or vice versa. So I we will need a bit more from you before we can analyze the damages, analyze what it’s going to cost to fight. And also look at the future business. Whether we can salvage this relationship, all of those important things should come into play, We give good advice, based on more than 40 years of experience in these matters. 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 techniques. That’s often enough to resolve the matter.” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner
Mediation and Arbitration
There are some matters that require a few additional steps to resolve. When negotiations do not bring an end to the dispute, one of the parties usually files a lawsuit. The next step is a settlement conference with the Court or business mediation. Mediation is a private confidential venue that keeps your legal, business and financial information out of the public record while we work to find a resolution. The parties agree upon a mediator who works to help each party understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the applicable laws for their unique dispute. Your Watkins Firm attorney has a lot of influence during mediation and our goal is a settlement agreement that brings the dispute to a close while protecting our client’s interests.
Arbitration is another option, specified in many San Diego and California business contracts as an alternative to trial. Arbitration is like a trial, but without all of the superfluous motions and legal wrangling. You will absolutely want a skilled, proven attorney for arbitration. You only have one shot at this. The ruling of the arbitrator is final. The arbitrator has full authority to establish the process (usually over the course of only a few weeks), marshal evidence and testimony and ultimately render a decision.
If you are involved in a corporate dispute, breach of contract, a dispute between owners or members in an LLC or a shareholder’s dispute or partnership dispute, 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.
Learn how our cost-effective approach to litigation resolves disputes quickly, and about the difference our firm can make to your success.
