Business Litigation
We guide business owners to avoid trouble, but when problems arise, they can depend on our proven experience in business law litigation before the North Carolina Business Court, county Superior Courts, U.S. District Court, and arbitration panels.
We take your business personally.
You need to collect a debt. Someone breached a contract. An employee stole the company’s trade secrets. Partners decide to part ways but disagree about how to split the assets. Avoiding such business disputes whenever possible is sound business strategy, but when prevention fails, you need lawyers who know which course to steer.
North Carolina has established a special court for complex business cases. Lawsuits involving certain types of claims, such as misappropriation of trade secrets, shareholder disputes, and derivative claims, to name a few, may be moved to the North Carolina Business Court. In recent years, the General Assembly has expanded the jurisdiction of this special court and the number of judges assigned to it.
Unlike typical lawsuits in county Superior Courts, a Business Court case is assigned to a single judge who gets to know the issues and players all the way through trial. The Business Court also has special rules, and the individual judges have preferences for conducting court business. Lawyers with experience in Business Court and with its judges may have distinct advantages over those who don’t. The business attorneys at Reiss & Nutt have extensive background in this venue, including jury trials.
Not all business disputes land in Business Court, however. Many cases remain in local Superior courts or find their way to U.S. District Court. Any party may have an opportunity to decide where its case will be heard, making this a first strategic decision before filing an action or answering one.
In every case, it’s important to remember that whether, how, and where to litigate any business dispute are business decisions. We advise our clients about their choices with an emphasis on business judgment, not to promote litigation at all costs. Whatever your goals may be, count on the Wilmington-based business attorneys at Reiss & Nutt to seek the most efficient path to achieve them.