Valdez Washington represents a wide variety of clients, ranging from large corporations to small businesses and former executives and partners. Our cases range from simple contract disputes to complex, multi-party intellectual property litigation. The Firm has extensive experience litigating disputes involving a broad range of issues including, among other things, breach of contract, tortious interference with contracts, theft of trade secrets, financial fraud, infringement of intellectual property, misappropriation of corporate opportunities, business defamation, partnership and fiduciary litigation, civil conspiracy, deceptive trade practices, insurance subrogation and re-insurance disputes, and bad faith insurance disputes and other business related problems. These claims generally involve intense factual disputes, and require considerable skill in collecting and also in presenting documentary evidence and testimony at trial.
As employee mobility has increased, so has the need for protection against the loss of valuable trade secrets and goodwill. Although some of the business’s assets can be protected through patents and copyrights, a business’s trade secrets and goodwill must often be protected through the use and enforcement of restrictive covenants such as non-compete and confidentiality agreements. The attorneys at Valdez Washington have substantial experience both prosecuting and defending claims involving such agreements on behalf of a wide range of clients.
Valdez Washington’s practice includes claims by shareholders and partners in complex, high-stakes litigation that arises internally within privately held businesses. On the plaintiff’s side, the Firm’s clients have included minority shareholders (both individuals and groups) and limited partners who assert claims against majority owners for minority oppression and breach of fiduciary duty. On the defense side, the Firm also represents and protects the rights of majority and controlling shareholders, corporate officers, directors and managers, and general partners against claims by those holding minority interests and in the context of “business divorces.”
Like marital partners, business partners often have disagreements which, if not resolved, may have severe consequences on the partners’ business. Business co-owners often become distrustful of each other for real or imagined reasons, and sometimes they seek to terminate their business relationship. This is what we call a “business divorce.” Business divorces generally happen in one of two ways—by agreement or through litigation. Sometimes there are written contracts in place that govern the terms of the business divorce, like shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, partnership agreements, or limited liability company operating agreements. The attorneys at Valdez Washington have extensive experience negotiating and litigating business divorces. In these types of situations, it is extremely important that the client retains an attorney who understands the dynamics that exist in business dissolutions, which often involve disagreements between former friends, partners, and even family members. Our attorneys understand the importance of resolving these disputes quickly and efficiently so that our clients can return to what matters most—their business. Valdez Washington is well equipped to assist clients from the inception of disagreement through dissolution, if necessary. If negotiation is unsuccessful, we will aggressively litigate on our client’s behalf until the business divorce is complete.
Valdez Washington has extensive experience assisting small to mid-sized business in a wide variety of business and corporate-related matters, including the formation of corporations, limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships, joint ventures, and other types of business entities. We also advise and assist clients in matters concerning the purchase and sale of businesses, employee relations, and all types of business agreements and transactions. The attorneys at Valdez Washington possess a unique combination of legal expertise and practical business experience that enables us to achieve our clients’ business objectives effectively and efficiently.
The attorneys at Valdez Washington thoroughly enjoy helping start-up, small, and mid-sized companies navigate the countless legal minefields that often serve as an impediment to their early success and ultimate survival. To that end, the Firm’s business litigation practice involves the representation of both plaintiffs and defendants. We understand that small businesses and other individuals are often “injured” by breaches of contract or other business “wrongs,” but are unable to afford quality legal expertise on an hourly basis. At Valdez Washington, we ensure that our clients have access to the legal system by taking certain cases on a contingent-fee basis. This means there are no fees or litigation expenses unless we obtain a recovery on our business clients’ behalf. We firmly believe that a business or an individual with a business dispute should have the same contingent-fee options available as a person who has suffered a personal injury. We understand that exceptional, “Big-Firm” legal experience and expertise has traditionally been too expensive, and therefore, unavailable for small businesses and individuals. That is one of the key aspects that sets Valdez Washington apart—we take pride in making exceptional, “Big-Firm” legal experience and expertise accessible to small businesses and the individuals that run them.
One of our main goals at Valdez Washington is to help our clients solve their legal problems as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. To that end, we are often required to go beyond the bounds of traditional litigation. As a result, we have developed extensive experience in mediating and arbitrating disputes. In addition, we are equally well-versed in other extra-judicial means of alternative dispute resolution, including mock trials and structured settlement conferences. Moreover, we have forged strategic alliances with a number of other preeminent law firms that assist in creating cutting-edge alternative dispute resolution tools—all of which are aimed at achieving unusually cost-effective and successful results.
One of our goals at Valdez Washington is to free our clients from the standard billable hour when the circumstances make that impossible. While some cases are best suited to an hourly approach (and we offer it to clients who prefer it), many of our clients prefer a more flexible approach that blends reduced hourly fees with contingent compensation components. We are extremely flexible in our approach to legal fees, and we have fee arrangements that are as varied as the cases we handle. We handle matters using flat fees, hourly fees, mixed fees, contingent fees, and everything in between.