The role of a shareholder dispute lawyer in California may not just be to resolve business disputes among shareholders but also to ultimately save your business. When shareholder disputes get out of control and cannot be resolved, it may be essential to liquidate the business. This makes the role of a shareholder dispute lawyer extremely vital to the survival of the business.
The best way to resolve shareholder disputes in California is to prevent them in the first place. Disputes have a much lower likelihood of cropping up, if, at the time of establishing the business, you have been careful to set up watertight partnership agreements, and other documentation that protect your interests. The documentation should provide for the inevitable emergence of conflict at some point in the future, and outline the steps that should be taken in case of conflict. Such documentation can be used to great effect during the time of the dispute to resolve contentious issues that typically cause friction among shareholders.
In case of a shareholder dispute, however, most California shareholder dispute lawyers encourage mediation to resolve the dispute. Mediation can be used to resolve a vast variety of business disputes, including those related to property purchase and sale contracts, partnership dissolution, and other issues. With the help of a skilled mediator, partners can resolve a dispute that helps them avoid the need for long, expensive, and tiring litigation. Besides, when you use a skilled mediator to resolve your dispute, you remain in control of decisions involving your partnership interests. Compare this to a trial, in which a judge or jury will make these crucial business decisions for you.
However, if mediation efforts fail too, it may be necessary to take your business dispute to trial.