A business dispute can become very costly and distracting thing to go through. When you are unable to quickly and fairly resolve a dispute on your own, it’s time to look to a business attorney for guidance.
Although laypersons like to think cases are won on the unparalleled skills of their lawyer, without good facts and supporting evidence, even the best lawyers come up short.
Evidence gathering is a crucial step in the preparation of a business litigation case – whether you are seeking to resolve it through negotiation, mediation or trial. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Save everything: Gather all relevant paperwork, contracts, emails, letters, and other paper or electronic documents – anything that applies to your case. Make a backup copy of these documents. Delete nothing.
Create a timeline: Creating a timeline of important dates and events helps you solidify your memory of those facts. It will also help you save time (and money) getting your business attorney up to speed on the details of your case. Creating a timeline will also help you pinpoint specific dates in which unfair business practices and breaches of contract occurred.
Work with a business litigation attorney: With so much on the line, it is critical to hire an experienced business attorney as soon as possible. An attorney can help you:
Identify what additional evidence is necessary to gather.
Preserve or recover important evidence from your opponent.
Talk to key witnesses early and cement their helpful testimony in the form of written statements.
Assist you in writing letters or emails to the opposing party to further draw out or clarify the opposing party’s position. These communications can become evidence themselves in the case that follows.
Prepare your case and protect your rights as you move through the legal process.
Most importantly, don’t wait to take action. Delay can allow your opponent to get a strategic head start on the case by filing a preemptive suit or otherwise . The longer you wait, the more problematic and costly the issue may become.
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