Practice
Business & Financial Disputes.
Built on judgment. Proven in trial.
Overview
Protecting Business Interests
Businesses, ownership interests, investments, and commercial relationships can be placed at risk when agreements are broken, transactions fail, business relationships deteriorate, or financial misconduct occurs.
With attorneys based in Denver and Grand Junction, Reynolds Gillette represents businesses, owners, entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders in business and financial disputes throughout Colorado, including matters involving closely held businesses, professional practices, agricultural operations, ranching enterprises, and businesses within the financial services industry.
The firm's focus is on protecting the client's assets, business interests, and financial position while advancing the client's objectives and pursuing meaningful results.
Disputes
When Business Relationships Break Down
Many successful businesses begin with shared goals and productive working relationships. Over time, owners, partners, and family members may develop different priorities or different visions for the future. Disagreements arise over ownership, compensation, succession, control, management, or whether the business should be sold.
Some of those issues can be resolved through planning, negotiation, or business transactions. Others require litigation, arbitration, or trial.
Business attorneys, transactional lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, and other trusted professionals recommend Reynolds Gillette when a dispute reaches that point. Those advisors trust Reynolds Gillette to protect their client's interests while remaining focused on the client's broader business objectives.
These matters include ownership disputes, partnership disputes, shareholder disputes, member disputes, business divorces, business breakups, buyout disputes, governance disputes, and other conflicts involving closely held and privately held businesses.
Contracts
When Promises Are Broken
Many business disputes arise because agreements are not honored, obligations are not fulfilled, or parties fundamentally disagree about what was promised.
Sometimes the issue is straightforward: money was earned but not paid, goods or services were not delivered, or a business agreement was not honored. Other disputes involve failed acquisitions, disputed earn-outs, contested compensation arrangements, broken commercial relationships, or transactions that did not unfold as promised.
These matters include breach of contract claims, failed business transactions, business sales, compensation disputes, customer and vendor disputes, and other matters involving substantial financial interests.
Some disputes are resolved in court. Others are governed by arbitration agreements requiring resolution before forums such as AAA, JAMS, or FINRA.
Commercial arbitrations often involve ownership disputes, business sales, compensation arrangements, partnership disputes, earn-out disagreements, recruiting disputes, transitions of financial advisory practices, restrictive covenant disputes, and other conflicts arising from contracts or business relationships.
Misconduct
Commercial Theft, Fraud, and Misconduct
Some business disputes arise because a person entrusted with money, information, authority, or responsibility chooses to place personal interests ahead of legal obligations or the interests of others.
Funds are diverted. Information is concealed. Assets are misappropriated. Business opportunities are taken. Positions of trust are abused.
These matters may involve fraud, concealment, self-dealing, diversion of funds, diversion of business opportunities, misuse of confidential information, unfair competition, or other forms of financial misconduct.
The consequences often extend beyond financial loss, affecting ownership, control, business value, and professional reputation.
Philosophy
Judgment Before Activity
Most businesses and professionals do not want to be involved in litigation. Disputes divert time, attention, energy, and resources away from serving customers, managing employees, pursuing opportunities, and operating a successful business.
Reynolds Gillette believes disputes require thoughtful analysis, practical judgment, and a strategy built around the client's objectives.
Some disputes should be resolved efficiently. Others require extensive discovery, motion practice, arbitration, agency proceedings, or trial. The appropriate strategy depends on what is necessary to achieve the client's goals.
The goal is not activity for its own sake. The goal is to advance the client's interests.
Many Reynolds Gillette clients are successful business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, and decision-makers. They are accustomed to evaluating risk, making important decisions, and accepting responsibility for outcomes. Those clients often prefer working directly with experienced litigation and trial counsel rather than layers of associates and multiple levels of billing.
Clients work directly with the attorney responsible for strategy, decision-making, negotiation, and advocacy throughout the life of the matter.
Recovery
Recovery Matters
A favorable verdict, arbitration award, or judgment is only part of the solution.
Clients care about outcomes. They want to recover what they are owed, protect their interests, and resolve disputes in a way that advances their objectives. Strategy should reflect not only the legal issues involved, but also practical realities such as collectability, insurance, recoverable assets, and business objectives.
The objective is not simply to obtain a verdict, award, or judgment. The objective is to achieve a meaningful recovery whenever possible.
Selected Representative Matters
FINRA Arbitration Defense Award
Obtained a complete defense award following a three-week FINRA arbitration arising from the sale of a financial services business. The opposing parties alleged fraud, collusion, and related misconduct and sought a seven-figure damages award.
Real Estate Broker Jury Verdict
Obtained a jury verdict involving compensation that had been earned but not paid, ownership-related issues, and allegations of fraud. Defeated fraud counterclaims, recovered attorney fees, costs, and interest, and ultimately collected the judgment through enforcement proceedings on offshore brokerage accounts.
Life Insurance Recovery
Recovered more than $6 million in life insurance proceeds, plus substantial interest, through the resolution of contested life insurance claims involving beneficiary and financial issues.
Discuss a business dispute.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss business and financial disputes involving substantial financial interests throughout Colorado.