What To Look For When Hiring Counsel For A Contract Dispute

A contract dispute can devastate a business if not handled properly.

The key to resolving contract disputes so that business owners can resume their focus on their company’s operations and management is having experienced counsel.

When the stakes are high, it’s crucial to have a strong legal team on your side. These are four qualities business owners should look for when hiring counsel for contract litigation.

1. Contract litigation experience in your field
It’s important to find a litigation attorney who has experience handling your type of contract dispute. There is an enormous amount of different types of contract dispute cases in various fields, industries, and even locations. It’s critical that you find counsel that specializes in your field, especially if your field can be very niche such as some sports, music, manufacturing, food industry, pharmaceuticals, or real estate.
2. Intricate knowledge of contract law
Contract disputes often occur because different parties interpreted a clause very differently. When a dispute over a contract arises, however, a contract is first interpreted by the courts with a plain reading. Next, if that still does not clear things up, the law uses a series of sometimes obscure and technical rules to interpret the text. Therefore, it’s extremely important that the counsel chosen is knowledgeable about these intricate rules that can often decide a business’s fate.
3. Skilled evidence gathering
A skilled contract litigator will most likely only be able to develop a strong strategy for fighting for their case if they have strong skills in evidence gathering to back up their argument. Each case is unique and it’s important that the chosen attorney create a preliminary case evaluation by reviewing contracts, conducting interviews, gathering facts, and reviewing relevant laws. Skillful evidence gathering can mean that a case is resolved more quickly and more cost-effectively, allowing business owners to get back to what they do best—running their business.
4. Offering alternative dispute resolutions (ADR)
It’s important that the counsel chosen has the owner’s business’s future in mind. If a businesses contract dispute is with an important vendor, it may not be wise to take the case to trial. Instead alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation or arbitration may be the best solution for maintaining a professional relationship with key business partners. If the case does however, require litigation, it’s important to find an attorney will fight for you all the way through trial and beyond.

For more information about finding the right counsel for your contract dispute, send us a message.