Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson has extensive experience representing clients in a wide range of high-stakes business litigation.
When advising a client facing a business dispute, for a Georgia business litigation lawyer the objective is simple: to deliver the best result possible.
We want to help you get back to running your business as efficiently as possible while protecting what you have built. To accomplish this, we first understand what your business is about, identify your goals, and chart a path to get the outcome you deserve.
Call (404) 891-9150 for our Atlanta office, (912) 867-9140 for Savannah, or schedule an online consultation.\
What makes a business dispute complex?
Even the seemingly simplest businesses and structures still encounter a variety of disputes that range in complexity.
Complex business disputes involve an extensive review of business records, including highly technical accounting, financing, lending, tax issues, or insurance coverage concerns. Such issues generally arise when the business has encountered illegal activity of some sort, such as when illegal activities were entered into for financial gain on behalf of the company or an individual.
Outside of illegal activity, business disputes become complex when they involve multiple parties, which means three or more people or businesses are involved in the dispute, or multiple venues, meaning multiple courts have jurisdiction over the case.
We’ll discuss these distinctions below.
Multiple Parties
A case involving multiple parties will involve contractors and subcontractors, employees and employers, or even officers, board members, and shareholders. Disputes require a greater knowledge of applicable law and court procedure when they become more complex, and with each additional party that joins a case, the more complicated it becomes.
A Georgia business litigation lawyer can protect your best interests against a number of parties.
Multiple Venues
Some cases involve simultaneous (concurrent) litigation in both state and federal courts. In other cases, motions might have been filed within a number of jurisdictions.
Some business disputes take place in a variety of locations but with the same underlying problem, which can lead to a complex and entangled legal process to achieve your desired outcome.
The Difference Between Civil Litigation & Business Litigation
It is important to remember that there are significant differences between civil litigation and business or corporate litigation. Both types of cases are heard in the same courthouses, but the way they are conducted and the parties involved differ greatly.
In civil litigation, the parties will be individuals who will generally be represented by attorneys, although the small claims and justice courts usually allow for claimants to represent themselves.
In business and commercial litigation, the parties are businesses, corporations, partnerships, and other structures, and the procedures are considerably more complex.
When it comes to disputes between businesses, the business structure of the parties involved will influence how the proceedings move forward.
If dealing with a corporation, the proceedings may require the participation of the CEO or others in managerial control. If the CEO is the individual charged with theft, it may be the shareholders of the corporation who are bringing the lawsuit to recover their damages.
When it comes to business partnerships, the ownership percentage of the partners or their agreement will determine which partner or partners are responsible for the lawsuit, and how compensation for damages might be organized.
Working with a Georgia complex business litigation lawyer helps ensure that your business’ interests are protected and are being advocated for at every step of the proceeding.
Advantages of Contacting Our Skilled Business Litigation Attorneys
We are well aware that running your business is a full-time job and that you need a buffer between you and the complicated legal entanglements that distract you. We are committed to bringing you the positive results that will best protect you and your company.
During the initial consultation, we’ll learn about the type of business you own and take over the task of fighting for your rights. The goal of a Georgia business litigation lawyer is to overcome the legal hurdle that is doubtless interfering with your business’s efficiency and profit margin.
We also have empathy for your plight and genuinely want to protect the business you have worked so hard to build. We have litigated civil cases with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake and are fully prepared to represent businesses of all sizes and industries.
As we’ll explore, we represent business clients ranging from the sole proprietorship to major global corporations and everything in between.
We will take into account the size and scope of your business and your long-term goals. From there, we custom-tailor the legal solutions we provide to the unique facts and circumstances of the case and the specific needs and goals of your business.
Whom We Serve
Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson works with business clients in three major categories: major corporations, mid-size businesses, and small businesses.
The size and scope of your business determines the resources available for legal action and the importance of efficiency and timeliness in terms of resolving the issue. No two clients are the same, and our firm takes the time to get to know your business before determining the best possible path toward an ideal outcome.
Major Corporations
The needs of major corporations are unique as they are owned by shareholders, governed by a board of directors, and run by the many employees in the corporate hierarchy.
On the managerial level, there is the CEO, the Chief Executive Officer, the CFO, or Chief Financial Officer, and the COO, or the Chief Operating Officers.
Often, each of these individuals will head up a department that has a number of layers of managers heading up potentially hundreds of employees.
When you have a case against a major corporation or are a member of a major corporation in need of representation you need an experienced attorney by your side. Georgia complex business litigation attorneys from Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson have decades of experience working on cases with major corporations and know how to handle the complexities associated with working with large companies.
Midsize Businesses
Midsize businesses are oftentimes partnerships or corporations and have anywhere from fifty to a hundred employees. For the midsize business, a lawsuit is not something that will be largely paid for by the shareholders, but by the actual owners of the company.
If you have a mid-size company and are facing the prospect of a lawsuit, losing could mean the difference between closing or maintaining operations and staying employed. We know how to best advocate for the needs of the midsize business while keeping the proceedings efficient to support the ongoing operations of your business.
Small Businesses
Small businesses have very unique needs given their closer interaction with clients and greater dependence upon revenues to maintain ongoing operations. If you own your own business you might be self-employed or have a few dozen employees. Generally, the direction of your business will be known to them and impact their future.
The success of your small business may have a direct impact on the success of your family. If you face the prospect of costly litigation, it is essential that you have informed and effective legal representation.
Common Examples of Complex Commercial Litigation
Lawsuits may threaten to derail your business, but fortunately, the attorneys at Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson have well-crafted defense strategies necessary to defend you from any of the following claims:
Fraud
Fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Examples of business fraud include making untrue statements to customers, business partners, or the employer; misuse of company assets, and employee misconduct.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Breach of fiduciary duty occurs when an individual or company betrays a client, co-owner, shareholder, or the company. This betrayal happens when the individual responsible for acting in the best interests of another instead chooses to profit for their own interests.
Breach of Contract
Breach of contract is self-explanatory. All sorts of contracts may be breached, including those that:
- Fail to provide goods or services as agreed
- Violate a non-compete agreement
- Fail to share profits
Theft of Trade Secrets (Economic Espionage)
Theft of trade secrets is a serious threat to a business’s stability. Trade secrets include any original methodology or formulas on which production and profitability are based, including patterns, plans, programs, designs, prototypes, techniques, processes, procedures, or codes that have intentionally been kept confidential.
Trade secrets may be tangible or intangible, and may be compilations or stored graphic, photographic, written, or electronic information.
Business Torts
Business torts include, among other misconduct: injurious falsehood, unfair competition, negligent misrepresentation, and conspiracy — any of which are designed to damage a business in terms of reputation, loss of clientele, and loss of profit.
Internal Investigations
Internal investigations may be the result of a whistleblower, sometimes motivated by a desire to protect themselves from prosecution by being a cooperating witness, and sometimes enticed by the notion of a whistleblower lawsuit in which the whistleblower stands to win a percentage of the recovered funds.
Partnership Disputes
Partnership disputes may occur when one partner wants to sell the business and the other does not, or when one partner simply wants to dissolve the partnership.
Though such disputes may be resolved through negotiation or arbitration, if your partner sues you, our attorneys are fully prepared to defend you in court.
Commercial Disputes
Commercial disputes are the lawsuits arising out of transactions among merchants, bankers, and traders during the course of mercantile transactions.
Though commercial disputes may be complicated, you can depend on our complex business litigation attorneys to provide the best possible defense for your particular case.
Officer and Director Misconduct
Officers and directors owe a duty of care to company shareholders, customers, and employees.
It’s common that officer and director conduct can be questioned as improper. If you believe there’s been wrongdoing or have been accused of failing to act appropriately as an officer or director, we’re ready to defend you from the reputational and financial harm of a conviction.
Involved in a Complex Business Issue? A Georgia Business Litigation lawyer Can Help
It’s never easy to be involved in a business dispute. These issues are particularly challenging since the case involves the stability of your business, personal finances and reputation.
That’s why it’s essential to have a legal advocate who is familiar with aggressive methods to hold wrongdoers accountable as well as defense strategies to mitigate those attacks.
Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson offers flexible fee structures because we want to align our success with your success. We’re comfortable sharing in the risks and the rewards because we are confident in our ability to deliver.
Call (404) 891-9150 for our Atlanta office or (912) 867-9140 for Savannah. You may also schedule an online consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.