Handling Business Litigation with Catanese & Wells, ALC
Business disputes can put revenue, business relationships, ownership interests and future plans at risk. Catanese & Wells, ALC represents businesses throughout Los Angeles and Southern California in commercial disputes ranging from contract disagreements and partnership conflicts to trade secret matters and complex civil litigation.
Our Business Law Group brings more than 75 years of collective legal experience to matters involving both business transactions and litigation. That combination matters. A dispute rarely exists in isolation from the agreement, transaction or business relationship that created it. Understanding the underlying business arrangement can be just as important as understanding the litigation that follows.
Catanese & Wells represents companies of varying sizes in California state and federal matters and serves clients throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties, including businesses in Los Angeles and Westlake Village.
Please contact us today to learn more about our staff and services!
Business Litigation Focused on the Business Outcome
Winning a legal argument is important, but business owners usually have a larger question: What resolution makes the most sense for the company?
Litigation can consume management time, interrupt operations, strain valuable relationships and create significant legal expense. For that reason, an effective business litigation strategy should consider both the strength of the legal position and the practical consequences of pursuing it.
Depending on the dispute, the right course may involve negotiation, mediation, arbitration or litigation through trial. Catanese & Wells evaluates the facts, the governing agreements, the parties involved and the client’s business objectives before recommending a strategy.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to a commercial dispute. A closely held company fighting over ownership requires a different strategy from a company pursuing a former business associate for misuse of confidential information. Likewise, a contract dispute that can be resolved efficiently through negotiation should not automatically be approached the same way as a matter requiring immediate and aggressive litigation.
This field of work requires first-hand experience and a deep understanding of business transactions in order to deliver superior results. We embrace an atmosphere where the entire team can come together to help our clients obtain a positive legal outcome. Let our team of Los Angeles-based business attorneys assist your business enterprise to grow and succeed in any environment.
Why Transactional Business Experience Matters in Litigation
Many commercial lawsuits begin with a transaction.
A dispute might originate in a contract, ownership agreement, acquisition, employment arrangement, confidentiality agreement or business formation decision made years earlier. Understanding how those transactions work can provide important context when determining what the parties intended and what obligations they assumed.
Catanese & Wells combines business litigation with a broader business law practice that includes contract negotiation and preparation, strategic business formation, buy/sell agreements, employment contracts, confidentiality agreements, capital formation, and merger and acquisition matters.
That breadth allows our attorneys to examine a dispute not simply as a lawsuit, but as a business problem with legal, financial and operational consequences.
Business Disputes We Handle
Businesses can encounter disputes at virtually every stage of their development. Catanese & Wells advises and represents clients in matters involving:
Contract Disputes
Contracts define many of the most important relationships a company has, including relationships with customers, vendors, employees, owners and other businesses.
Disputes can arise over performance obligations, payment, interpretation of contract language, termination rights, confidentiality provisions and other contractual responsibilities. Our attorneys analyze both the agreement itself and the surrounding business circumstances to determine the client’s rights, potential exposure and available remedies.
Because our Business Law Group also handles contract negotiation and preparation, we approach contract litigation with an understanding of how business agreements are structured and how contractual provisions operate in practice.
Partnership and Shareholder Disputes
Disagreements among business owners can become particularly disruptive because the people involved may still need to operate the company while the dispute is unfolding.
Partnership and shareholder conflicts may involve management authority, financial decisions, ownership rights, buyouts, contractual obligations or the future direction of the business. These cases often require counsel to consider not only the immediate dispute but also what the business and ownership structure will look like after the matter is resolved.
Catanese & Wells represents businesses and business owners in partnership and shareholder disputes and can evaluate related agreements, including buy/sell agreements, when determining available options.
Trade Secrets and Confidential Business Information
A company’s confidential information can be one of its most valuable assets. When a former employee, business associate or other party improperly uses or discloses protected information, the resulting damage may extend well beyond a single transaction.
Catanese & Wells handles matters involving trade secrets, confidentiality agreements and related business disputes. We also assist businesses with the preparation of confidentiality and trade secret agreements designed to establish clear obligations before a dispute develops.
Buy/Sell and Ownership Agreement Disputes
Buy/sell agreements can determine what happens when an owner leaves a business, sells an interest or encounters another triggering event identified in the agreement. When the parties disagree about valuation, obligations, interpretation or enforcement, the dispute can affect both ownership and ongoing operations.
Our Business Law Group advises clients regarding buy/sell agreements and represents clients when disputes involving those agreements arise.
Business and Civil Litigation
Commercial litigation can involve numerous factual and legal issues that do not fit neatly into a single category. Catanese & Wells handles both routine and complex business-based disputes and develops a strategy based on the particular facts, legal issues and objectives involved.
The Business Group at Catanese & Wells, ALC is available to assist you in the following areas:
- Business Analysis
- Strategic Business Formation: Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships
- Contract Negotiation and Preparation
- Identifying and Securing Merger and Acquisition Candidates for Private and Public Companies
- Capital Formation: Federal and State Securities; Regulation D Private Placements
- Buy/Sell Agreements
- Employment Contracts
- Confidentiality and Trade Secret Agreements
- Business Disputes/Civil Litigation
- Internet Law
- Copyrights and Trademarks
Other Services which Compliment the Business Law Group
The Trust and Estate Group at Catanese & Wells, ALC provides support to the Business Law Group when needed. The lawyers interface with the business litigation lawyers to provide a comprehensive plan for the client, which takes into account not only the immediate business goals of the client, but also puts an eye on tax matters and estate planning when appropriate. This is one more example of the breadth of services Catanese & Wells, ALC provides. Our in-house teams are able to confer with each other, discuss best practices and decide on an approach that is best suited for the client.
When Should You Contact a Business Litigation Attorney?
It is often useful to speak with counsel before a business disagreement reaches the courtroom.
Consider consulting a business attorney when:
- Another party has threatened litigation or made a significant legal demand.
- A customer, vendor, partner or shareholder is accused of violating an agreement.
- Business owners disagree about control, ownership rights or contractual obligations.
- Confidential information or trade secrets may have been misused.
- A significant contract is being terminated or disputed.
- A business relationship is deteriorating and you want to understand your options before taking action.
- A lawsuit, arbitration proceeding or other formal claim has already been filed.
Early legal review can help a business understand its position before decisions are made that may be difficult to reverse later.
Los Angeles and Westlake Village Business Litigation Counsel
Catanese & Wells, ALC represents businesses in Los Angeles, Westlake Village and throughout Southern California. Our attorneys handle business litigation as well as the transactional matters that often underlie commercial disputes.
Whether the issue involves a contract, shareholder or partnership dispute, trade secret matter, buy/sell agreement or broader business litigation, our goal is to pursue an effective resolution while remaining attentive to unnecessary legal fees and costs.Contact Catanese & Wells to discuss your business dispute and learn how our Business Law Group can assist.