Legal and family matters · 10 guides
Litigation: problems and fixes, explained by Tina
Tina Wysk is the only litigation member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What a business lawsuit really costs in Texas, and the choices that move the bill Nobody can quote a lawsuit like a product, but the cost is not a mystery either. It follows how far the case goes, how much evidence there is and how the other side behaves. The short answer: it depends on how far the case goesThe stages where money is actually spentSix things that make one case cost more than anotherHow litigators charge: hourly, contingency and hybrids
- The case is settling: what to check in the agreement before you sign it Agreeing on a number feels like the finish line. The agreement that follows decides whether the dispute is really over, and it deserves the same care as everything that came before it. What to check firstWhy the paper matters as much as the numberThe release: who and what you are giving upPayment terms, and what happens if they are not met
- Justice, county, district, federal or Business Court: where a Dallas dispute lands The court that hears your case shapes the rules, the pace, the decision-maker and the appeal. Here is how Dallas business disputes are sorted, including the newer Texas Business Court. The quick map of Dallas courts for business disputesWhy the forum matters more than people expectJustice court: small claims, handled simplyCounty courts at law and district courts: where most cases are filed
- How long a Texas business lawsuit takes, from petition to verdict or settlement A lawsuit is measured in months and often years, not weeks. Knowing the stages, and which clocks the Texas rules actually set, makes the wait easier to plan around. How long it takes, in plain termsStage one: the petition, service and the answerStage two: disclosures and the discovery planStage three: discovery, where most of the time goes
- Does the loser pay? Five beliefs about Texas lawsuits that cost people money Many people walk into a dispute believing the other side will pay their lawyers if they win. Usually that is not how Texas works, and it is only one of several beliefs that lead to expensive decisions. The short answer on attorney's feesMyth one: the loser always paysWhy the fee question shapes strategy on both sidesReading the fee clause in your own contract
- Can you handle your business's lawsuit yourself in Texas, and where the line is Individuals can represent themselves in any Texas court. Companies are different. Here is where the line sits, what an owner can safely do alone, and the moments when going it alone gets expensive. The rule in one paragraphWhy a company is treated differently from youJustice court: where an owner can stand up aloneWork an owner can safely do without a lawyer
- Before you hire a litigator: the questions that separate a fighter from a strategist Every litigator says they will fight for you. The questions in this guide show you how they will fight, who will do the work, what it will cost and whether they are listening to what you want. The questions that matter mostAsk about cases like yours, on both sidesAsk how they would approach your goalAsk who does the work and how you will hear about it
- Arbitration or court for a business dispute: what you gain and give up with each Arbitration is not automatically faster, cheaper or friendlier than court. It is different, and the differences cut for or against you depending on your side of the dispute and what your contract says. Neither is better in general, and your contract may already have decidedStart by reading the clause you signedWhere arbitration tends to work in your favorWhere a courtroom tends to work in your favor
- A former employee left and the customers followed: signs of trade secret theft When a key employee leaves and customers start following, the question is whether it is fair competition or your confidential information walking out the door. Here is how to tell, and what to do before the evidence disappears. The pattern that should make you look closerWhat Texas law treats as a trade secretWarning signs before and after the departureWhat to do in the first 72 hours
- A demand letter or a lawsuit just landed on your desk: what to do in the first ten days The letter is designed to make you react. The lawsuit comes with a clock. Here is how to read both, what to preserve, and how a dispute is actually worked toward a resolution. The envelope you did not want to openWhat the paper means, and what it does notWhat to do, and not do, in the first 48 hoursWhen you can handle it yourself, and when you need a litigator