INTRODUCTION

There are two ways to become embroiled in commercial litigation:

• The first is to initiate it
• The second is to respond when someone else initiates it

We have a wealth of experience on both sides of the aisle.

Unlike many firms, we are neither a “plaintiff firm” nor a “defense firm,” but rather a group of seasoned litigators who can handle either. Moreover, we understand that alternatives to lawsuits, such as mediation or binding arbitration, can often reduce direct (and indirect) costs, saving not only money but months or years of vexing litigation as well. We explore these alternatives whenever feasible.

We believe that in most instances litigation is a last resort, needed only when other methods of negotiation and dispute resolution have broken down. But when you need litigation or cannot avoid it, there is no substitute for the kind of expertise we can put at the counsel table beside you.

Our track record before judges and juries speaks for itself. We have prevailed for our clients in a number of high profile commercial cases, including Tazewell Oil Co. v. United Virginia Bank, 243 Va. 94, 413 S.E.2d 611 (1992), a case Professor Kent Sinclair has described as “perhaps one of the most complex cases litigated in the modern era” in Virginia, and Commercial Business Systems v. Halifax Corp., 253 Va. 292, 484 S.SE.2d 892 (1997), a leading case on Virginia’s business conspiracy law. We have won precedent setting cases in age discrimination, attorney fee awards, application of the Uniform Commercial Code to commercial lending relationships and interpretation of the statute of limitations in certain shareholder disputes.

Our Commercial Litigation Practice Group stands ready to work for you.

Wyatt B. Durrette, Jr. is the Chairman of the Commercial Litigation Group.