In New Mexico, business disputes commonly occur over a variety of different matters. Most often, businesses can disagree on the terms 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 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, reviewing any relevant documents, especially contracts, should be the first step. These documents may determine how the dispute will be resolved. Not all contracts have dispute resolution clauses, of course, and sometimes neither business has any documents relevant to the dispute at all. If that is the case, a court may 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. The fields of contract law and dispute resolution are defined by local state law. Rio Rancho Attorneys are accustomed to handling disputes under New Mexico law, and can offer personalized advice for all types of business disputes. Negotiations may also proceed more smoothly when an attorney is consulted, which may even lead to a resolution outside of court.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Sometimes contracts themselves require that disputes under them be resolved outside of court. Methods of conflict resolution of this type 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 type of ADR carries its own set of protocol, often involving a neutral third party that resolves the conflict according to the law. If your business dispute is to be resolved by ADR, an attorney familiar with these methods in Rio Rancho can counsel you throughout the process and develop the case you will present.