How Business Litigator Experience Impacts Disputes
When it comes to winning high-stakes business disputes there is no substitute for experience. Although no specific number of years makes someone a top business litigator, most clients will want an attorney with a well-established work history related to dispute strategy, negotiation, and litigation. A trial team of more than one attorney is an added advantage, especially if it’s likely the matter will require court-system intervention.
As important as years of experience is, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Equally important are the number and complexity of business disputes an attorney has actually handled. Put another way, a lawyer who has spent decades regularly litigating complex commercial matters brings more to a major dispute than an attorney who handles business litigation only occasionally. That experience affects everything from the initial case assessment and litigation strategy to discovery, negotiations, trial preparation, and decisions about whether and when to settle.
The Schklar & Heim, LLC trial team of Edwin Schklar and Maggie Heim brings more than 60 years of combined business litigation experience to every client’s case. Together, they have handled more than 200 high-stakes commercial disputes in courts throughout Georgia, and they have a proven track record of producing positive results for individuals and companies of all sizes.
Importance of Subject Matter and Industry Experience in Business Disputes
Although commercial disputes almost always arise from an express or implied contract, the industries, businesses, relationships, products, and services behind those contracts vary widely.
The best business litigators often handle disputes involving:
- Business owners, partners, members, and shareholders
- Breach of contract and complex commercial agreements
- Joint ventures, private equity, and hedge funds
- Securities and investment disputes, including claims involving financial advisors and stockbrokers
- Employment-related claims, including executive compensation and restrictive covenants
- Intellectual property, including trade secrets, patents, trademarks, and licensing agreements
- Real estate, including construction projects, commercial leases, and land acquisition, sale, or development
- Ownership, control, acquisition, or sale of businesses and business assets
The strongest business litigators will either have the knowledge required or can quickly learn about their clients’ businesses, industries, transactions, and financial arrangements. When specialized knowledge is required, they also know when and how to bring in qualified experts.
Edwin Schklar and Maggie Heim have represented clients across a broad range of industries and subject matters, including complex breach of contract and fraud claims involving specialized products and services. Their work spans securities and financial services, manufacturing, partnership disputes, commercial leases, and trade secrets.
Experience with Multistate and International Commercial Disputes
Modern business disputes frequently extend beyond a single state’s borders. Parties often operate across the United States or in other countries, contracts may contain choice-of-law or forum-selection provisions, assets may be located elsewhere, and witnesses and evidence may cross jurisdictional lines.
As a result, experience with multistate litigation is often an important qualification. For certain matters, experience with international businesses, laws, and even business-practice customs can be particularly valuable.
Edwin Schklar and Maggie Heim have successfully litigated business disputes that spanned several states and involved international parties and assets. For example, the S & H trial team represented a Chinese business partner based in Atlanta who was defrauded in a joint venture with two other Chinese partners. The case presented unique challenges: many of the documents and much of the key correspondence were in Chinese, and deposition and arbitration testimony had to be taken in Chinese and translated by a certified translator. Through hard work and an unwavering commitment to the client’s case, the team secured a complete victory that allowed the client to keep his business and recover attorneys’ fees and punitive damages from his former partners.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future matter.
Talk With an Experienced Atlanta Business Litigation Team
When your business is facing a serious legal dispute, experience matters. Attorneys Edwin Schklar and Maggie Heim bring more than 60 years of combined legal experience and a track record of handling more than 200 business disputes, including matters resolved at trial, on appeal, and through arbitration. Put that depth of experience to work for your business. Contact Schklar & Heim, LLC today at 404-888-0100 to discuss your case.