Los Angeles Business Litigation Attorneys
Legal Focus Areas
When a business deal, partnership, or ownership stake goes sideways, the fallout can threaten everything you've built. Our Los Angeles business litigation attorneys represent companies, owners, partners, and investors in high-stakes commercial disputes across LA County — from contract fights and fiduciary breaches to trade secret theft and business divorce — with a cost-conscious strategy tuned to what's actually at stake.
The Types of Commercial/Business Litigation We Handle:
As Los Angeles Business Litigation Attorneys in Los Angeles, we provide results to our clients in all cases related to business disputes. This means our business litigation attorneys advocate for our clients on business disputes that relate to:
Contract Disputes: Oral or written agreements that may be enforced in a court of law.
Breach of Contract: When a party to a contract fails to fulfill or meet its obligation/s as outlined in the contract.
Purchase or Sales Agreement: Agreements that arise from a purchase and sale transaction.
Partnership Disputes: Partnership disagreements, monetary disputes, or unauthorized disclosure.
Promissory Fraud: when a party enters into an agreement with the intent of not fulfilling its obligations.
Non-Compete Agreements: An employment agreement where an employee agrees not to enter into or start a similar business or trade competing against their employer.
Intellectual Property Infringement: Protected Intellectual property (IP) used by competing businesses. This type of property include intellectual and creative products such as inventions, literary, artistic designs, and ideas.
Bad Faith: Bad faith handling claims by insurance companies. These usually include the refusal to defend a lawsuit, threats against those who are insured, reasonable settlement offer, unreasonable interpretations of an insurance policy.
Negligence Torts: Negligence is a “Tort” which is another name for a private wrong. This is different from a public wrong which is considered a criminal act. Negligence can occur when someone injures you. In the business context, it is when someone slanders your reputation or damages your property. A tort is defined as a private wrong, as opposed to criminal acts which are considered public wrongs.
We at The Darvish Firm, APC, will evaluate your needs and the circumstances of your case and identify the best legal solution for your case during our consultation with a business litigation attorney. Located in Los Angeles, California, please call us or schedule a consultation to review your business dispute with our team of attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC.
For More information on the following topics, please read below.
What is Commercial Litigation
What Damages may Business Attorneys Recover
How long does Litigation Take
What is Alternative Dispute Resolution
What is Business or Commercial Litigation?
Litigation is the process by which a case is resolved by a trial in a court or arbitration. More specifically, Business litigation is also known as commercial litigation, which is a practice focused on prosecuting or defending a case in the line of business. Commercial litigation is often more complex business litigation and overlaps in some areas.
Commercial law relies on the UCC, specifically the 1958 Uniform Commercial Code which was adopted by all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. This allows uniformity among all 50 states and directs all sales and commercial business in these areas. The purpose is to protect consumers from unlawful business practices. It is when negotiating and litigating business contracts; employment agreements and intellectual property where Commercial law and business law merge.
The Los Angeles Business Litigation Attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC can help you navigate these issues and identify the best legal solution for your case during our consultation with a business litigation attorney. Located in Los Angeles, California, please call us or schedule a consultation to review your business dispute with our team of attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC.
Find An Experienced Business Litigation Attorney In Los Angeles:
- As experienced business litigation attorneys, the Attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC advocate for mediation in most of our Cases. Alternative Dispute Resolution includes both mediation or arbitration. Mediation and Arbitration are explained below by clicking on their respective links.
- Avoiding litigation is the first and most fundamental step for a business litigation attorney. However, when litigation is unavoidable and a business or commercial dispute requires litigation, our attorneys are ready to defend your interests in court. As a result, many cases settle and some require them to go to trial. We pride ourselves at The Darvish Firm, APC for being aggressive negotiators and carefully structuring settlements in our client’s favor.
- Our goal objective is to create long-lasting business relationships with our clients. This means paying attention to detail, assisting clients by minimizing risk as businesses develop, and identifying issues if our client faces business litigation. It’s a goal at The Darvish Firm, APC to use our legal expertise and tailor our advice to each individual client.
What Does A Business Litigation Attorney Do?
The Business litigation attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC handle a variety of legal issues for entities of all sizes. The majority may revolve around various types of claims which include,
- Breach of contract claims
- Partnership disputes
- California unfair business practice cases
- Nondisclosure and trade secret violations
- Commercial real estate disputes
- Business torts
- Construction disputes
- Loan disputes and lender liability claims
Understanding the complexity of issues that businesses face is just the starting point. Clients trust the business litigation attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC with their critical litigation skills because they have a passion for working with clients as true business partners which has given us the ability to consistently provide and deliver results. Our focus to provide results is a byproduct of our ability to draw on our resources to solve legal issues and minimize risk.
What Does A Business Litigation Attorney Do?
Damages are key to every litigation matter. With the help of the Los Angeles Litigation Attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC, there are a variety of damages you may claim. The law is designed to provide a legal avenue for making the plaintiff whole.
In a breach of contract case, a Plaintiff is entitled to the following types of damages.
1) Compensatory damages –are damages that are designed to make a plaintiff “whole” by placing them in the same financial situation if the contract was not in breach by the Defendant.
2) Liquidated damages –are monetary damages that are identified in a contract that contemplates if the contract was breached because damages are too difficult to ascertain.
3) Reliance damages – Reliance Damages are damages that result from the damages the business could have achieved without a defendant’s misrepresentations.
These types of damages are more difficult to prove.
Damages that business litigation attorneys may recover included restitution damages and/or punitive damages. Restitution may be awarded to the Plaintiff for the amount the Defendant was able to achieve monetarily. Alternatively, Punitive Damages are awarded against the Defendant in order to dissuade the defendant from engaging in similar practices in the future.
Clients trust the business litigation attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC with their critical litigation skills regarding Damages as we have a breadth of knowledge in business. Our clients have worked with us as true business partners which has given us the ability to consistently provide and deliver results. Our focus to provide results is a byproduct of our ability to draw on our resources to solve legal issues and minimize risk.
How long does litigation take?
Prior to covid, trials would normally be set in one year. Unfortunately, because of Covid, the courts are now setting trials in 2023. However, most cases do not go to trial as they settle out of court.
The Los Angeles Business Litigation Attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC can help you identify the best legal solution and the estimated time to go to trial for your case during our consultation. Located in Los Angeles, California, please call us or schedule a consultation to review your business dispute with our team of attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC.
What is ADR or Alternative Dispute Resolution?
In almost every case, before the trial date, the Judge will ask whether the Parties will mediate their case. Mediation is one form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Mediation is not a trial but a method to negotiate a settlement. The parties will meet where they are placed in separate rooms, either in an office or via zoom, and an effort is made through a third-party neutral (mediator) to have the parties settle instead of going to trial. If the mediator provides a mediator’s proposal, the mediator’s decision is not binding by the parties and the only way the matter will resolve is either by the litigants agreeing to resolve the matter or by the trier of fact, the judge in case of a court trial or a jury.
Arbitration on the other hand is a non-court trial. Arbitration could be binding or non-binding. They are either conducted by a retired judge or an experienced attorney as the arbiter. In a binding arbitration, the final decision by the arbiter is binding. There are pros and cons to binding arbitration.
When hiring a Litigation Business Attorney In Los Angeles
It is paramount that the attorney you retain is well versed in business and business litigation. The Litigation Attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC will provide a strategy to meet your business goals and communicate with their clients to effectively minimize cost.
Prior to any consultation, please have the following questions prepared prior to your meeting.:
- Always interview several attorneys, at least over the phone.
- Prepare a list of questions for the consultation.
- Review and research the credentials of the attorney that has experience in the type of business your company conducts. How long has he/she been practicing?
- Investigate the attorney’s background.
- Read any retainer agreement, review it and ask about how other costs will be determined. Understand what is covered and more importantly, what is not covered.
All businesses should be prepared with legal representation as unfortunately, addressing litigation is most often a cost of doing business. Business litigation and commercial litigation are very difficult situations and they sometimes become emotional. Looking at a case from purely the legal perspective is not always the best angle because sometimes businesses need to make business decisions to handle litigation.
At The Darvish Firm, APC our skilled business litigation attorneys have won many cases related to business disputes. Our skill and knowledge give our firm the edge in helping you achieve results.
Avoiding Business Litigation Altogether:
Drafting an agreement is one of the most important aspects of a successful business and the most effective way of avoiding litigation. Having the Los Angeles Business Attorneys at The Darvish Firm, APC may save you time, money, stress and more importunately may eliminate future litigation by minimizing the risk sooner rather than later.
We pride ourselves on having current information on legal issues which is important to preventing litigation. Hiring a skilled business attorney may eliminate unnecessary lawsuits, fines caused by compliance negligence, and more importantly, contractual disagreements.
When drafting an agreement, make sure that you
- are specific with what everyone’s duties are under the agreement.
- understand what was agreed to before you sign the agreement.
- Have your entity name correctly spelled on the agreement.
- Read any personal guaranty and that you understand that you will be personally liable if you sign the personal guaranty.
Los Angeles Business Litigation Attorneys
Breach of Contract
Most business disputes start with a broken promise. We litigate breaches of commercial agreements — supply and vendor contracts, service agreements, purchase orders, joint ventures, and settlement agreements — pursuing damages, specific performance, or rescission depending on what the deal and California law allow. Recoverable damages typically include the benefit of the bargain plus consequential losses that were reasonably foreseeable, and prevailing-party attorney's fees where the contract provides for them (Civil Code §1717). We also defend clients accused of breach, raising defenses like failure of a condition, prior material breach, waiver, or the statute of limitations. For a plain-English walkthrough, see our breach of contract FAQ or our breach of contract page.
Partnership, Shareholder & LLC Member Disputes
Internal ownership fights are among the most damaging disputes a business faces. We represent partners, shareholders, and LLC members in deadlock, freeze-out, and self-dealing disputes — including improper distributions, denial of access to books and records, dilution, and being squeezed out of management. Remedies range from accounting and buyout to judicial dissolution under the Corporations Code, plus derivative claims brought on the company's behalf. If a co-owner has changed the locks or cut off your access, read what to do when a partner locks you out, and see our partnership disputes page for how we approach these matters.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Partners, managing members, corporate officers, directors, and majority shareholders owe fiduciary duties of loyalty and care to the entity and, in close companies, to one another. We pursue and defend claims for self-dealing, usurping business opportunities, commingling or misusing company funds, and favoring one owner's interests over the company's. Proven breaches can support damages, disgorgement of profits, removal, and sometimes punitive damages for particularly egregious conduct. Because these claims turn on documents and money flows, disciplined discovery — subpoenas, depositions, and forensic accounting — is often what makes or breaks the case.
Business Fraud & Fraudulent Transfer
We litigate fraud in the business context — intentional and negligent misrepresentation, concealment, and fraud in the inducement of contracts, investments, and business sales. Where a debtor or defendant has shuffled assets to dodge a judgment or creditor, we bring voidable (fraudulent) transfer claims under California's Uniform Voidable Transactions Act to unwind the transfer and reach the assets. To lock up assets before judgment, we may seek a prejudgment writ of attachment on qualifying commercial claims. Fraud claims can also support piercing the corporate veil to reach the individuals behind a shell entity.
Trade Secret Misappropriation (CUTSA)
When a departing employee, partner, or competitor takes customer lists, pricing, formulas, source code, or other confidential information, the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (CUTSA, Civil Code §3426) provides powerful remedies — injunctive relief, actual and unjust-enrichment damages, and exemplary damages plus attorney's fees for willful and malicious misappropriation. Speed matters: a prompt temporary restraining order can stop dissemination before the secret loses value. We handle both plaintiff and defense trade secret matters and coordinate them with unfair competition and breach-of-fiduciary-duty theories. Learn more on our trade secret law page.
Unfair Competition (B&P §17200)
California's Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code §17200, reaches business practices that are unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent — a broad tool for challenging a competitor's or counterparty's improper conduct. Available relief is primarily equitable: injunctions to stop the practice and restitution of money or property wrongfully obtained. §17200 claims often ride alongside trade secret, interference, and false-advertising theories, and can extend liability to conduct that borrows from other statutes. We prosecute and defend UCL claims for LA-area businesses; see our unfair business practices page for details.
Business Torts & Interference with Contract
Not every business injury comes from a contract you signed. We litigate intentional interference with contractual relations and interference with prospective economic advantage — where a third party induces a breach or improperly disrupts your business relationships — along with trade libel, inducing breach, and conspiracy claims. Interference-with-prospective-advantage claims require proving an independently wrongful act, so we build them on a concrete underlying violation. These torts frequently arise when a former partner, employee, or competitor poaches accounts or spreads falsehoods, and they pair naturally with unfair competition and trade secret claims.
Injunctions, TROs & Provisional Remedies
Some disputes can't wait for trial. We move quickly for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions to freeze the status quo — stopping asset transfers, misuse of trade secrets, ongoing breaches, or a co-owner's unilateral control of company accounts. California courts weigh the likelihood of success against the interim harm to each side, so a well-supported application with clean evidence is critical. We also pursue provisional remedies like prejudgment writs of attachment, receiverships, and expedited discovery, and appear on emergency ex parte matters at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse and other LA County courts.
Business Dissolution & Business Divorce
When owners can no longer work together, an orderly separation beats a scorched-earth fight. We handle voluntary and involuntary (judicial) dissolution and winding up of corporations, partnerships, and LLCs under the Corporations Code, as well as buyout proceedings — including the statutory buyout that can head off a court-ordered dissolution. Valuation disputes, deadlock, and allegations of misconduct or oppression are the usual flashpoints, and closely-held ownership can raise veil-piercing exposure (how veil-piercing works in California). See our business dissolution page for how we structure a business divorce.
Who We Represent
We represent every side of a commercial dispute — the enterprise and the individuals with a stake in it.
- check_circleCompanies & Corporations — From startups to established LA businesses, we protect the enterprise itself in contract, fraud, trade secret, and competition disputes — as plaintiff or defendant.
- check_circleBusiness Owners & Partners — We advocate for founders, partners, and managing members in high-stakes internal disputes, fiduciary claims, and business divorces where control and value are on the line.
- check_circleShareholders & LLC Members — We represent minority and majority owners in freeze-out, self-dealing, dilution, and books-and-records disputes, including derivative claims brought on the company's behalf.
- check_circleStartups & Entrepreneurs — Early-stage founders face co-founder splits, IP and trade secret theft, and investor conflicts — we resolve them efficiently so the venture can keep moving.
- check_circleInvestors — We pursue and defend claims involving misrepresentation, breach of investment agreements, fraudulent transfers, and mismanagement that erodes an investor's stake.
Serving Los Angeles & Southern California
From our office on Wilshire Boulevard, The Darvish Firm represents clients throughout Los Angeles County — including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Century City, Westwood, Culver City, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, and Long Beach — and across Orange, Ventura, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. We appear in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse and Los Angeles Superior Court locations countywide.
Request a consultation or call (310) 677-3512.
Los Angeles Business Litigation Attorneys — Frequently Asked Questions
What is business litigation?
Business litigation covers legal disputes arising from commercial relationships — broken contracts, partnership disagreements, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair business practices. It includes everything from pre-suit negotiation and mediation through trial and appeal.
How do you keep litigation costs under control?
We scope strategy at the outset, staff cases leanly, and pursue early resolution — demand letters, mediation, and targeted motions — when that serves the client's goals. Many disputes resolve without trial; when trial is the right path, we prepare for it from day one.
Can I recover my attorney's fees if I win?
In California, fees are generally recoverable only when a contract provides for them or a statute authorizes them. If your agreement has a fee clause, it can significantly change the leverage in the case — see our article on recovering attorney's fees in litigation.
My business partner breached their duties — what are my options?
Partners and controlling owners owe each other fiduciary duties. Remedies can include damages, an accounting, removal, buyout, or dissolution of the company. Learn more on our partnership disputes and business dissolution pages.
How long does a business lawsuit take in California?
It varies widely. A straightforward breach-of-contract case in LA County Superior Court often resolves in 12 to 24 months from filing to trial, though many settle earlier through mediation. Complex disputes — trade secrets, fiduciary breach, or multi-party ownership fights — can run longer because of expanded discovery and motion practice. Provisional remedies like a TRO or writ of attachment can produce meaningful leverage within weeks. We build a realistic timeline and a cost-conscious strategy at the outset so you can make informed decisions about whether to litigate hard, settle, or pursue an early resolution.
What is breach of fiduciary duty in a business?
A fiduciary duty is a legal obligation of loyalty and care that certain people owe to a business or its owners — typically partners, managing LLC members, corporate officers and directors, and controlling shareholders in closely-held companies. A breach occurs when that person puts their own interests ahead of the company's or the other owners' — for example by self-dealing, diverting a business opportunity, misusing company funds, or freezing out a co-owner. Remedies can include damages, disgorgement of improper profits, removal, and in egregious cases punitive damages. These claims are document-intensive and often paired with an accounting.
Should I sue or try to settle a business dispute?
Usually both paths run in parallel. Most California business disputes settle, and an early, well-framed demand — backed by a credible willingness to litigate — often produces the best result at the lowest cost. But filing suit (or seeking a TRO or writ of attachment) can be exactly what brings the other side to the table, preserves evidence, and stops ongoing harm. The right call depends on the strength of your claims, the counterparty's assets and behavior, the relationship, and cost. We evaluate all of this and recommend the approach — negotiation, mediation, or aggressive litigation — that best protects your interests.
Can I get an injunction to stop a former partner or employee?
Often, yes. If a former partner or employee is misusing trade secrets, breaching a valid restrictive covenant, misappropriating company funds or assets, or improperly seizing control of company accounts, a California court can issue a temporary restraining order and then a preliminary injunction to stop the conduct while the case proceeds. You'll need to show a likelihood of success and that the interim harm to you outweighs the harm to them, supported by clean, specific evidence. Because trade secrets can lose value the moment they're disclosed, moving fast is critical — we can seek emergency ex parte relief when the situation demands it.
Have a question about your situation? Call (310) 677-3512 or request a consultation.