In New Mexico, 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 involved in a business dispute in Lovington, New Mexico, reviewing any relevant documents, especially contracts, should be the first step. These documents might decide how the dispute will be resolved. 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. New Mexico 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. Disputes over contracts and other agreements are handled differently depending on the laws of each state. Lawyers in Lovington know the laws of New Mexico, and can offer individualized advice for those involved in business disputes. 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 Lovington if it is to be resolved out of court.