Prepared for every round.
Commercial disputes for companies and their owners, on either side of the "v.": a customer that will not pay, a vendor that did not deliver, a partner relationship that has broken down. We read the whole record early, build the chronology and the key documents, and work toward the resolution that serves the business. If the matter goes to court, we bring in litigation counsel suited to the case and stay on as your lead.
Fee basis: A fee arrangement in writing, after an initial assessment.
If a deadline is near, call.
Limitations periods and response deadlines keep running while you decide what to do. If you have been served, or a deadline is days away, do not wait on the website form. Call the office.
Built for companies in this position.
- Companies owed money under a signed agreement, or accused of owing it.
- Businesses that have received a demand letter, a notice of breach, or a lawsuit.
- Companies in a dispute with a vendor, customer, or distributor that is affecting the business.
- Co-owners and partners whose relationship has broken down.
- Owners who want the dispute assessed honestly before they spend on it.
The matters we handle
Business-side disputes only. Plaintiff or defendant, claimant or respondent, the work is the same: understand the record, then decide how to use it.
- Breach of contract
- Unpaid invoices and collections against businesses
- Vendor, customer, and distributor disputes
- Partner and co-owner disputes
- Non-payment and performance disputes under MSAs and SOWs
The work product, not a time entry.
An early case assessment with a chronology and key documents, then the demand or response, negotiation, and mediation preparation. In court, litigation counsel we bring in and manage, with us as your lead.
- 01
Early case assessment
A written memo on the agreement, the facts, the claims and defenses, the exposure, and the options, with a chronology and the key documents attached.
Memo · chronology · key documents - 02
Demand letter or response
A demand, or a response to one, grounded in the documents and written to move the matter toward resolution.
Letter - 03
Negotiation and mediation preparation
A position paper, a settlement range you have approved, and the exhibits that support it, prepared before the first serious conversation.
Mediation statement · exhibits - 04
Litigation, led by us
When a matter goes to court, we bring in litigation counsel suited to the case and manage the work. We stay your lead point of contact and strategist, and the record we built goes with the case.
One team · managed co-counsel - 05
Settlement agreement
When terms are reached, a settlement agreement that closes the dispute and protects the relationship you want to keep, if any.
Executed agreement
What the technology changes in a dispute.
Disputes turn on documents. The tools let us read all of them early, instead of a sample, and keep every draft tied to what the record actually says.
sampled read in full
- 01The whole record, reviewed
- Contracts, emails, invoices, and messages are reviewed in full, not sampled, so the facts that matter are found before the other side points them out.
- 02Chronology and key documents, early
- A dated chronology and a key-document set are built in the first phase, so strategy starts from the record rather than from memory.
- 03The other side's weak points
- Gaps between what the other side says and what its own documents show are flagged and collected as the review goes.
- 04Drafts tested against the record
- Demand letters and mediation statements are checked against the chronology and documents before they go out, so every factual statement has support.
What you receive at each stage.
Most disputes resolve before the last phase. Each one starts only when you decide it should.
- 01Phase
Assessment and demand
We review the agreement and the record, build the chronology and key-document set, and give you a written view of your position. Then the demand, or the response to one.
You receive- Early case assessment memo
- Chronology and key-document set
- Demand letter or response
FeeFee arrangement agreed in writing before work starts.
- 02Phase
Negotiation and mediation
We negotiate with the other side on your instructions and prepare you for mediation with a position paper and the exhibits that support it.
You receive- Negotiation on your behalf
- Mediation statement and exhibits
- Settlement agreement when terms are reached
FeeConfirmed in writing after the assessment; changes discussed before they happen.
- 03Phase
Litigation, with counsel we manage
When a matter goes to court, we bring in litigation counsel suited to the case and manage the work with them. We stay on the matter as your lead point of contact and strategist, so there is one team and no handoff into the dark.
You receive- Litigation counsel selected for the case and briefed on the record
- Strategy and decisions run through us, with you
- Chronology and key documents carried into the case
FeeAny arrangement with litigation counsel is disclosed and agreed with you in writing.
What the fee covers, and what it does not.
Scope is written down before work starts. Anything in the third column is discussed and agreed with you in writing before we do it.
- Early case assessment, chronology, and key documents
- Demand letters and responses
- Pre-suit strategy and negotiation
- Mediation and arbitration preparation
- Litigation in Texas state and federal courts, with litigation counsel we bring in and manage
- Employment claims (either side)
- Personal injury
- Consumer or plaintiff-side consumer claims
- Contingency-fee representation
- A change in scope, discussed and agreed in writing first
- New claims or new parties
- Litigation counsel's fees, disclosed and agreed in writing
- Related transactional work after settlement
The sequence, step by step.
- 01You do
Tell us what happened
A short call, then the agreement, the key correspondence, and a timeline in your own words. We arrange a secure channel for documents.
- 02We do
Written scope and fee arrangement
We define the first piece of work, usually assessment and demand, and agree the fee arrangement in writing before it starts.
- 03We do
Read the whole record
Our tools organize and review the documents in full; a lawyer builds the chronology, picks the key documents, and assesses the claims and defenses.
- 04Together
Decide the approach
You receive the assessment and a recommendation. You decide whether to demand, respond, negotiate, or prepare for court.
- 05We do
Act on it
Demand or response, negotiation, mediation, or arbitration preparation, each drafted from the record and checked against it.
- 06Together
Resolve or escalate
We document a settlement, or bring in litigation counsel and lead the matter with them.
Timing depends on the matter, the documents, and how quickly decisions come back. We agree on expectations in the written scope.
Disputes we do not take
Applied Legal handles business-side disputes only. When one of these comes up, we help you find appropriate counsel.
- Employment claims (either side)Referred out
- Personal injuryReferred out
- Consumer plaintiff claimsReferred out
- Family, criminal, and immigration mattersReferred out
If one of these is true, it is time to talk.
Send a short description through the intake form, or call. The next step is a short call, then a written scope.
- 01A customer has stopped paying under a signed agreement.
- 02A vendor has not delivered and will not fix it.
- 03You received a demand letter, a notice of breach, or a lawsuit.
- 04A partner or co-owner relationship has broken down.
- 05A distributor or reseller relationship is ending badly.
- 06You want an honest view of a dispute before you spend on it.
How the fee is set.
A fee arrangement in writing, after an initial assessment.
What a dispute costs depends on the facts, the other side, and how complex the matter becomes, so we do not quote it in advance. After an initial assessment, we give you a fee arrangement in writing, and we tell you before the scope changes.
Any arrangement with litigation counsel is disclosed and agreed with you in writing before they start.
What clients ask before they call.
Often paired with Business Disputes
Commercial Contracts
Agreements negotiated, drafted, and reviewed by lawyers who read every line.
Outside General Counsel
Ongoing counsel from a lawyer who has held the General Counsel seat.
Formation & Governance
Entities, founding agreements, and governance built to hold up later.
Tell us what is happening. A lawyer will reply.
Use the intake form to describe the agreement, the dispute, or the question. EJ reviews each submission and replies to set up a short call. If a deadline is days away, call instead.