We represent clients in many different industries in prosecuting and defending claims in a wide variety of complex business disputes and litigation, which often involve claims made for breach of contract, as well as business tort and intellectual property claims, such as fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and improper, unauthorized use of confidential information, trademarks and trade secrets. The broad scope of our firm’s litigation practice includes representation of both public and private companies, as well as individual shareholders, business owners, and investors. The companies that we have represented include established manufacturers, high tech software and telecom firms, restaurant chains, financial service companies, oil and gas producers, retailers, real estate developers and operators, and professional service companies. Some of the specific practice areas in which we are frequently active are listed below.

Breach of Contract and Licensing Disputes
The firm handles a large volume of business litigation disputes that include claims for breach of contract and contract provisions, including manufacturing and production agreements, executive employment agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, corporate and partnership agreements, investment contracts and brokerage agreements, licensing contracts, insurance agreements, sales contracts, and oil and gas production agreements and retail sales contracts. The firm’s extensive experience in analyzing a wide array of contracts from the perspective of both plaintiffs and defendants provides our clients with a significant benefit.

Business Tort Claims
Increasingly, we represent clients in cases that include tort claims alleging theft of trade secrets, violation of fiduciary duties, fraud, misappropriation of corporate opportunities, business defamation, deceptive trade practices, copyright and trademark infringement actions and civil conspiracy. These claims generally involve intense factual disputes, and require considerable skill in collecting and also in presenting documentary evidence and testimony at trial.

Shareholder and Partnership Litigation
A significant focus of the firm’s practice involves claims by shareholders and partners in complex, high stakes litigation that arises internally within privately held businesses. In this area, as in most others, the firm represents both plaintiffs and defendants. The firm’s plaintiff clients include minority shareholders (both individuals and groups) and limited partners who assert claims that are based on minority shareholder oppression and breach of fiduciary duty against majority owners in control of corporate entities and partnerships. The firm also represents and protects the rights of majority and controlling shareholders, corporate officers, directors and managers, and general partners against claims by those holding minority interests and in the context of “business divorces.”

Arbitration of Claims
The increasing number of business agreements that now include arbitration provisions has resulted in a significant rise during the past 10 years in the number of arbitration proceedings in which our lawyers have represented claimants or respondents in these proceedings.