Commercial & Contract Disputes

The firm represents business owners, investors, fiduciaries, and creditors in the full range of commercial disputes that arise outside the bankruptcy context. The common thread is financial complexity: matters where the outcome turns not only on contested facts, but on the ability to trace money, structure, and conduct with precision.

Commercial Contract Litigation

General breach-of-contract litigation is the backbone of any commercial practice. The firm handles disputes arising from supply agreements, distribution contracts, services agreements, commercial leases, franchise disputes, and financing arrangements, in both state court and the Business Court divisions of the Michigan Circuit Courts.

Choosing the Forum

Michigan circuit courts with three or more judges maintain a specialized business docket under MCL 600.8031 et seq. for disputes among businesses and their owners. Cases that meet the requirements for federal jurisdiction may be filed in, or removed to, the United States District Court. The forum affects the judge, the pace of the case, and the procedural rules, and it is one of the first decisions in a new matter.

Case Evaluation and Mediation

Many Michigan civil cases pass through case evaluation under MCR 2.403 or facilitative mediation under MCR 2.411 before trial. The firm prepares for those steps as it prepares for trial, because the strength of the trial position is what a settlement discussion is measured against.

Trial and Appellate Practice

The firm has obtained multiple successful jury verdicts in business litigation. When the matter requires it, Patrick tries the case. This is not a firm that files complaints and waits for settlement. Appellate work is handled in coordination with trial work, with briefs filed before the Michigan Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.