In Florida, there are various different grounds that can lead to a business dispute. Often, prior agreements and contracts have terms that the businesses disagree upon. Disputes can also occur over property matters, billing issues or other disagreements.
What to Do in a Business Dispute?
If involved in a business dispute in Jacksonville, Florida, reviewing any relevant documents, especially contracts, should be the first step. These documents might decide how the dispute will be resolved. If there are no relevant documents, or the contracts do not have resolution clauses, then the dispute might need to be taken to court. Florida courts will look to your specific case and try to discover the best resolution. In determining the outcome, they will use a specific set of legal principles designed for situations where the parties have not agreed beforehand on how to handle a dispute. The laws designed to settle contract disputes are different in each state. Lawyers practicing in Jacksonville are versed in the contract law of Florida, and can help you to handle the dispute should it go to court. With an attorney's knowledge of the law, the parties of a dispute might be able to avoid going to court entirely, since negotiations often proceed more smoothly with representation.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Most contracts have terms that will decide how a dispute is handled. These are often referred to as Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR clauses. These methods of resolution include Mediation and Arbitration, among others. ADR makes going to court unnecessary, because it is designed to reach the same result that a court would have. Still, some methods of ADR entail their own formal procedures, most enlisting a third party to determine a dispute based on local law just as a judge would do. In Jacksonville, Lawyers experienced in ADR can help if your business dispute is to be resolved out of court.