Lessons from the Trenches: Litigation Avoidance or How Do I Stay Out Of Court?

The rise of the internet has produced a wealth of information that leads many of us to believe that we can now function with little or no assistance from professionals. This self-help phenomena often leads to serious problems. Many of the clients who have been forced to hire me to handle their business litigation disputes decided to draft their own agreements using forms that they found on the internet. The problem is that the forms that you take from the internet may not be well written. They may also not reflect the law in your home state or recent changes in the law. Finally, attending law school for three years and practicing law develops critical skills among lawyers that most people simply do not possess. You have long heard the idiom that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nowhere is this expression more applicable than in the world of business contracts. Using an experienced business attorney to draft and review your important contracts may save you tens of thousands of dollars or more in litigation expenses later. Develop a relationship with an attorney, allow him or her to know and understand your business, and rely upon them for legal advice and the skills that they have been taught and developed.

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