Business relationships are built on trust. When that trust breaks down, the legal dispute is often only one part of a much larger problem. Founders disagree about the future of a company. Family members reach an impasse over succession. Business partners lose confidence in one another. Investors and managers develop fundamentally different objectives. The challenge is not simply winning a lawsuit. It is protecting the value of the business while navigating the legal, financial, governance, and personal issues that accompany the breakdown of an ownership relationship.
We represent partners, founders, shareholders, members, investors, and closely held companies in business divorce matters at every stage of a dispute. Our experience includes matters involving fiduciary duties, control and governance disputes, shareholder and operating agreements, dissolution, buyouts and valuation disputes, corporate opportunities, restrictive covenants, derivative claims, and negotiated separations. We also counsel clients before litigation becomes necessary, helping them structure ownership transitions, negotiate exits, and resolve disagreements before they escalate.
Business divorces rarely exist in isolation. They often intersect with executive departures, employment disputes, tax considerations, intellectual property, regulatory issues, investigations, commercial litigation, and reputational concerns. We develop strategies that address the dispute in the context of the business as a whole, whether the objective is preserving a business relationship, negotiating an orderly separation, protecting the value of an enterprise, or litigating through trial and appeal.
