In Missouri, business disputes commonly occur over a variety of different matters. Most often, businesses can disagree on the clauses of contracts and prior arrangements. Property matters and billing issues also frequently form the basis of disputes between businesses.

What to Do in a Business Dispute?

If you are involved in a business dispute in Lebanon, Missouri you should first review all relevant documents, including past and current contracts. These documents might contain clauses that dictate how and where you should handle a dispute. Not all contracts have dispute resolution clauses, of course, and occasionally neither business has any documents relevant to the dispute at all. If that is the case, a court might be needed to resolve the dispute. In trying to discover the best resolution for two parties who have not agreed beforehand on a resolution, Missouri courts will use specific legal principles designed for the situation. Each state has different business laws about dispute resolution and contract law. An Lawyer practicing in Lebanon can help you handle your dispute in accordance with the applicable Missouri laws. Resolution of the dispute might even be reached outside of court once an attorney's knowledge of the law smoothens negotiations between the two parties.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Sometimes contracts themselves require that disputes under them be resolved outside of court. Methods of conflict resolution of this form are called Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR. ADR includes Mediation, Arbitration and sometimes a combination of the two. ADR is designed to reach the same conclusion as a court, but without the cost and inconvenience of actually appearing before a judge. Nevertheless, each form of ADR carries its own set of protocol, often involving a neutral third party that resolves the conflict according to the law. An attorney experienced in Alternative Dispute Resolution can help you with your business dispute in Lebanon if it is to be resolved out of court.