Commercial Litigation

Commercial Litigation

Commercial Litigation has been one of Gordon & Rees’ primary practice areas for more than three decades. The team’s consistent record of victories in high-stakes cases before state and federal trial and appellate courts is regularly recognized by legal and business publications, including The American Lawyer, Who’s Who Legal, Corporate Counsel and SuperLawyers.

Two of the firm’s defense verdicts were included in the “2006 Top Defense Verdicts” by the San Francisco Daily Journal and the December 2008 issue of GC California ranked Gordon & Rees the #1 Commercial Litigation law firm in California. Our Commercial Litigation trial lawyers also have well-proven expertise in handling complex commercial disputes in the mediation and arbitration setting, both domestic and international, as well as in mini-trials.

Trial-Ready Lawyers

Clients choose Gordon & Rees because our commercial litigation practice is led by lawyers who actually try cases on a frequent basis. Our litigators are regularly in court and have a track record of unprecedented endurance for handling multiple consecutive complex and lengthy trials. The trial reputation of Gordon & Rees lawyers enables our clients to send the strong message that they are unshaken by the possibility of trial, and potential settlement considerations will never be driven by a fear of taking a case to trial.

With a trial-ready outlook, Gordon & Rees lawyers are always prepared for trial and will not be caught off guard when a trial date is set. We are also better positioned to handle sudden and urgent matters, such as preliminary injunctions, which require bold action that must be immediate and decisive.

Strategic Advantages

While we do not believe every case should go to trial, we do believe every case gains a competitive advantage from a trial-ready approach. Our record proves that trial lawyers get better trial results and better settlements. Leveraging the unique perspective of a trial lawyer is the most powerful positioning tool for achieving the best possible solution in arbitration, mediation or other negotiated settlement forum.

The extensive bet-the-company trial expertise of our Commercial Litigation lawyers provides many critical benefits to clients, including our ability to immediately conduct a comprehensive risk analysis to quickly determine the realistic value of a case, provide reliable estimates of time-to-resolution, and deliver accurate litigation budget forecasts. Very early in the evaluation of the case, our trial lawyers have the depth of recent first-hand experience required to identify the primary issues of law and fact, provide reliable jury outcome scenarios, and develop realistic alternative resolution options. We also aggressively pursue pre-trial strategies, including opportunities to win on dispositive motions, which could lead to favorable resolution before trial or limit the issues at trial. Our commercial litigation lawyers are very creative when it comes to eliminating claims at the earliest possible stage.

No Surprises

At all times, we make certain our clients are well-aware of all developments related to their cases and we immediately communicate any necessary adjustments to the strategy or tactics that form the basis of the litigation plan, including scope of discovery, key witnesses and expert testimony. With Gordon & Rees, there are no surprises and our commitment to responsive and effective communication with clients means we are always on the same page in terms of the resolution plan, litigation cost management and underlying business goals. Our clients count on us for advice and guidance that is candid, pragmatic and objective. We help our clients arrive at the decision that is the most beneficial to their reputation, business and bottom-line.

Wide Range of Experience

Gordon & Rees has a national reputation for successfully resolving, managing and trying multi-party and complex claims (including class actions) involving business-to-business disputes, breach of commercial contracts (private and government), real estate, unfair trade practices, false advertising, business dissolutions, securities, intellectual property, unfair competition, fraud, mass torts, trade libel, lender liability, leveraged buyouts, construction, environmental and toxic torts, franchise law, product liability, directors and officers, and other business claims.

Lawyers in Gordon & Rees offices throughout the United States have recently tried to verdict or judgment cases in every substantive area of commercial law, and have tried or arbitrated bet-the-company cases for nearly every type of business. Our broad range of industry experience gives us the expert knowledge to successfully present the most complicated cases to judges and juries.

A Dedicated and Qualified Team

When trial is necessary, the same Gordon & Rees lawyers who have been handling an engagement from day one are the same lawyers who will be trying the case. The reason is simple. The greatest source of unnecessary time and expense for clients is having only one or two seasoned trial lawyers on hand who have to be brought in at the last minute to try every case. Our Commercial Litigation practice does not operate that way.

Many firms have a deep bench of litigators who have some periodic trial experience, but Gordon & Rees has a deep bench of litigators who have extensive first chair trial experience. We also have one of the profession's most aggressive trial training programs for associates and junior partners. We thoroughly train our lawyers on the tactical and strategic aspects of a real-life trial practice, assuring our team has the skills, knowledge and experience required to achieve success in the courtroom and at the negotiating table.