How Does Complex Business Litigation Work?

When you own or run a business, conflicts will inevitably occur. From pleasing the shareholders to protecting your intellectual property, there are a lot of ways things can go awry. Generally, business litigation in Austin, TX involves corporate or white-collar crime issues. Cases are deemed “complex” the more parties, locations or technical issues they involve.

If your company is involved in complex business litigation, it’s crucial that you retain an experienced, skilled firm. This type of litigation often involves millions, if not billions of dollars at stake. Here’s what a complex business litigation case could involve.

What makes complex business litigation different?

Multiple parties. Cases can be deemed complex simply because they involve a large number of parties. For example, contractors, subcontractors, shareholders, multiple employees and management could all be parties to a case. With multiple parties come multiple competing interests, making the case more involved.
Multiple venues. “Venue” is the legal term for where a case may be heard. This could be a matter of state versus federal courts, or cases where multiple parties have a claim in disparate jurisdictions.

Highly technical documents. When you deal with highly technical documents—for example, patents and intellectual property—it takes more time and manpower to wade through the discovery. The same goes for when your case involves a massive amount of business and accounting records. Having an abnormally large amount of discovery to review can make a case complex in and of itself.

A need for experts. Finally, while a need to call expert witnesses doesn’t make a case complex in and of itself, they’re often needed when a case involves technical issues.

Common types of complex business litigation

Intellectual property. Who owns an idea, concept or product, and who can make money from selling it? Intellectual property disputes often arise when someone is accused of stealing ideas (for example, major retail companies copying the work of lesser-known artists) or products.
Employer/employee disputes. Problems like fair wages, work hours, sharing trade secrets and more fall under this category. Both state and federal laws govern employment.

White collar crime. “White collar crime” is a term referring to non-violent, financially-motivated crime committed by someone within a business organization. This can encompass a number of different kinds of cases, like embezzlement, fraud, money laundering and more.

How to choose a complex business litigation firm

Finding a complex business litigation firm in Austin, TX is largely a matter of research. When you’re looking for a litigation firm that can handle your case, there are three main things to consider: experience, expertise and communication. You need a firm that’s not only experienced with complex commercial litigation, but one that’s also familiar with your particular kind of case. Above all, you need a firm that’s willing to work with you every step of the way—look for one that will keep you apprised of new developments, strategies and more.

To learn more about the Burk Law Firm and schedule a consultation, reach out to us today.