Small business
In a small business, the person who signs the contracts is the same person who answers the angry customer, chases the unpaid invoice, and opens the envelope from the process server. I help with every one of those, and I see each of them through to the end.
Why me
Most of my career has been spent on the other side of the table, defending companies and answering to their claims professionals and in-house lawyers. I know what lands on their desks, what gets routed to a file and forgotten, and what gets a phone call the same afternoon.
When your dispute is with a larger company, that's worth knowing. A national vendor has a process for handling complaints from small customers. My job is to get your matter out of the process and in front of someone with the authority to fix it.
How I work
A dispute should never cost more to fight than it's worth to win. Before any work begins, we will talk about what you want, what it's likely to take, and whether a phone call, a letter, or a lawsuit is the right tool. Sometimes the honest answer is that the best move is a good business decision rather than a legal one, and I'll say so.
You'll hear from me directly, in plain English, and you'll always know where things stand.
What I do for owners
Vendors
Supply agreements, service contracts, equipment leases, and renewal terms. I review what you're being asked to sign, tell you which provisions matter, and negotiate the ones worth changing before you're bound by them.
Disputes
The shipment that never arrived, the work that was never finished, the invoice that was never paid, the contract the other side has decided means something else. I sort out what the agreement actually says, what the paper trail actually shows, and what a fair resolution looks like, and then I press for it.
Demand letters
I draft the letter, build the record behind it, handle the response, negotiate the resolution, and put the settlement in writing. If the other side won't deal, I can take it to court.
Defense
Defending claims is what I've done for twenty-three years. Whether it arrives as a lawsuit, a demand from a former customer, or a claim by someone hurt on your property, you get the same preparation and the same trial lawyer I bring to every other client.
Before trouble
Send me the agreement before you sign it, and I'll tell you what it commits you to, where it leaves you exposed, and what I'd ask the other side to change.
Getting started
The first conversation is about understanding what happened and what you want to happen next. Bring whatever paper you have. I'll tell you what I see, what I'd do, and what it's likely to involve.
