When a business owner is faced with the difficult decision facing litigation, many factors come in to play. Costs, risk involved in success of a case and the mere stress involved with litigation.
We provide you with an evaluation of your case including all options available so that you may make an informed, reasonable decision on your course of action.
Cost of litigation – dollar amount involved, complexity of the case, number of parties involved, location of the litigation.
Many different venues are available. Small Claims courts do not allow attorney representation of litigants and appellate review is not afforded to unsuccessful plaintiffs. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), is another alternative to the courtroom. There are many pros and cons involved with ADR and several different venues.

LITIGATION
California courts have taken aggressive steps to reduce the time involved with litigation over the past decade. Many cases which used to take five years to reach trial are now completed within one year. Yet complex cases still involve years in the courtroom.

• Initial Summons and Complaint
• Defendant’s Responsive Pleading
• Cross Defendants and Plaintiffs’ Pleadings
• Law and Motion (requests that a judge do something like allow specific evidence)
• Discovery – Written Discovery and Depositions
• Court Conferences for scheduling of dates and preparation for trial
• Trial
• Judgment
• Appeals
• Post Judgment Procedures such as attachment

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Alternative dispute resolution is a litigation alternative that includes both arbitration and mediation. Arbitration is a process that is less formal than a trial. It is generally cheaper and has fewer formal procedural rules; however, it also has limitations not present in courtroom litigation. Mediation is a more informal process than arbitration, and is facilitated by a neutral third party, a trained mediator, who hears both sides of a dispute and then attempts to reach a resolution through mutual compromise. Businesses use both of these methods of conflict resolution to reduce costs and time and avoid litigation.