Sometimes, “business as usual” can become an unusual experience when a conflict arises between parties of a business transaction or contractual agreement, making it important to seek legal intervention to come to a favorable resolution. Mr. Northern has extensive experience as a business attorney, representing businesses and individuals in both state and federal courts with contract, construction, and business lawsuits for and against insurance companies, banks, school districts, hospitals, and international corporations (including Fortune 500 companies) in jury and bench trials, as both plaintiff and defense counsel.

Individuals and companies retain Van to deal with all kinds of litigation issues that frequently arise during the course of business. Whether you find yourself or your business needing to bring or defend a contract, accident, or business lawsuit to enforce a contract, receive compensation for injury or other harm, or obtain fairness and justice in business dealings, Van is prepared to offer aggressive representation.

As a contract dispute attorney, Van has litigated a wide variety of business matters, including enforcement of and breach of contract, fraud and deceptive trade practices, theft, misrepresentation, injunctions, negligence, defamation, defense of government & administrative actions, employment issues, bankruptcy, and partnership cases, among others.

Most (but not all) business litigation involves a dispute regarding the interpretation and enforcement of a contract. Van is actively engaged by businesses to defend and prosecute these actions whether in state or federal court. His job is to thoroughly research and investigate the law and the facts before and during litigation and give his clients practical advice as to the claims or defenses at their disposal. He is also responsible for providing an estimate as to the probability of success and of the cost to get there. His years of experience as a contract dispute and business litigation attorney also gives Van an edge in helping prevent litigation in the first place, with contracts designed to address common pitfalls and areas of disagreement before they develop into a claim or a lawsuit.

However, that’s only part of what a business attorney can do for you. Employment law is incredibly complex, and dealing with employment litigation can be very costly and time-consuming. By hiring a business litigation attorney, they can ensure that your contracts, policies, and procedures all abide by employment law to avoid lawsuits.

As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, a handshake is about as good as the paper it’s written on. Business has become a lot more complicated than it was back when two people could simply agree on a price and transfer goods. Now, business operations involve much more than simple buy/sell agreements and affect more people than just the parties to the contract itself. Business operations’ effects on purchasers, consumers, and community residents can instigate disputes between people who didn’t sign the contract but have a keen interest in that contract’s effects.

Putting the specifics of an agreement in writing is supposed to make expectations clear to all parties to the agreement. But it’s not uncommon for parties to a contract to hold very different interpretations of what the contract requires of them. Unfortunately, it’s also not uncommon for a party to withhold or obscure material information that would have made a difference in the other party’s decision to sign the contract in the first place. When one party to a contract engages in deceptive trade practices by withholding or fudging vital information or creating harm to the other party, to consumers, or to communities, an experienced business attorney can ferret out the deception and seek compensation for the harm it caused.

Business attorneys are also an incredibly vital resource if you’re looking to start your own company. Having a solid legal foundation to build your business on protects you in the long run. In addition, these attorneys can help you identify required licenses, choose the best corporate structure suited for your business, and protect your intellectual property.

Ideally, you’ll involve your business attorney long before signing any type of business contract, from something as seemingly simple as hiring remodelers for your office space to complex partnership agreements or mergers. Avoiding litigation in the first place can be far less costly than pursuing a lawsuit if unexpected disagreements arise.

When an agreement goes south or the parties differ about how the contract applies to a specific situation, hire Mr. Northern as your breach-of-contract lawyer to help you work out an agreeable solution or, if you can’t reach agreement, to involve the courts to enforce the contract.