In New York, 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 a business dispute should happen in Williamsville, New York, you should review any documents that are relevant to the disagreement, especially contracts. These documents might have clauses that must be followed when considering how to resolve the 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. New York courts may use legal principles to determine the outcome when the parties have not agreed beforehand about how to handle a dispute. In so doing, they look carefully to a specific case to discover the best resolution for all involved. Disputes over contracts and other agreements are handled differently depending on the laws of each state. Lawyers in Williamsville know the laws of New York, and can offer individualized advice for those involved in business disputes. An attorney's knowledge of the law may also lead to a more streamlined discussion with the other business about how to resolve the dispute. Negotiations might even enable you to resolve the dispute without going to court.

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. If ADR is to be used in resolving your dispute, an attorney in Williamsville familiar with ADR procedures can help you develop your case.