Business & Commercial Litigation

Business & Commercial Litigation

New York Business & Commercial Litigation Attorneys

Our firm’s civil litigation group recognizes that corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietors face diverse and unique challenges to profitability, including access to market share, supply, and labor. The examples are many: key employees leave, taking confidential information, only to begin competing against their former employer; partners decide to go their own way; or customers refuse payment based on quality or warranty issues. We believe that for today’s business owners, predictability and the ability to plan ahead are more important than ever before. Legal disputes can quickly threaten the success of any enterprise, and owners deserve focused, results-driven legal help to swiftly resolve disputes in their favor.

We can help you and your business navigate through a difficult time. We routinely provide advice to businesses on how to avoid expensive problems before they emerge. We have handled countless business disputes, including antitrust litigation, the loss of proprietary information, unfair business practices, partnership dissolutions, and contract disputes.

If you have a problem that has or may evolve into a business dispute, please contact us at (607) 821-2202, toll free 800-646-3420, or send an email for a consultation.

Collection/Bankruptcy Litigation

Often, securing a money judgment against a debtor is only the first step in “getting paid.” Many times, creditors will face special challenges in the collection of a money judgment based upon a debtor’s filing of bankruptcy or a debtor’s actions to defraud his or her creditors by hiding or giving away assets.

Our firm’s civil litigation group represents individuals, businesses, and lenders in all phases of judgment enforcement, including bankruptcy, judicial sales, and foreclosure. The U.S. Government and several banks use our firm to foreclose on mortgages that are in default. Based upon our experience and knowledge of bankruptcy practice and procedure, we are also one of the few law firms that routinely represent lenders and other creditors before U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

If you have a collection or judgment enforcement problem, please contact us at (607) 821-2202, toll free 800-646-3420, or send an email for a consultation.

Internal Disputes: Advising Businesses in Response

Legal disputes can be especially devastating when they come from within an organization. We bring clarity to our clients when they confront partnership disputes, shareholder disputes, employer-employee issues, and other matters that affect the operations of a business.

Business-to-Business Conflicts: Our Strategic Counsel

Our attorneys’ commercial litigation experience comes equally in handy when businesses find themselves in dispute with other businesses over the terms of sales contracts, accusations of unfair competition, and other conflicts that arise between businesses. Our firm represents organizations involved in a wide range of conflicts, including:

  • Breach of contract claims
  • Unfair competition claims
  • Contractor and subcontractor disputes

Our litigation attorneys possess many decades of collective experience, as well as a record of success in court. They aim to resolve disputes with minimal conflict whenever possible, but when protracted litigation is likely, our clients have an entire firm’s worth of resources available to ensure that their case has a positive outcome.

Coughlin & Gerhart has offices across New York’s Southern Tier and Northern Pennsylvania to meet the needs of business clients throughout the region.

Contact Coughlin & Gerhart

Our business litigation attorneys are ready to begin assessing your legal needs during a confidential consultation. Schedule yours by sending an email, or call our Binghamton headquarters at (607) 821-2202, toll free 800-646-3420, to speak with a lawyer.

Our Practice Areas

Our Litigation & Trial Experience

  • Have argued and won a number of important cases and appeals for clients before New York state and federal courts, including but not limited to the New York Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
  • Two recent appellate wins include two decisions from the New York Court of Appeals which created new law in the area of Labor and Employment Law and are now widely cited by other attorneys and courts.
  • Obtained $435,000 arbitration award in an Intellectual Property matter for a company whose trade secrets were stolen by a would-be business partner.
  • Secured $325,000 verdict in a Professional Negligence matter against accounting firm that failed to detect the theft of a bookkeeper, which led to a company’s bankruptcy.
  • Regularly represent lenders in Bankruptcy on successful motions for relief from automatic stays, on reaffirmation agreements, and other bankruptcy motions to enforce their rights and recover collateral and past due funds.
  • Defended and negotiated favorable results for numerous lenders/creditors accused of violating bankruptcy stays after inadvertent communication with debtors.
  • Successfully represented primary lender in an $87 million Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing by its customer, including preservation of lender’s First Secured Position with borrower and successor entities.
  • Regularly represent individuals, businesses, and lenders in all phases of collection and judgment enforcement, including bankruptcy, judicial sales, and foreclosure.
  • Regularly obtain favorable resolutions for organizations involved in a wide range of conflicts, including disputes with other businesses over the terms of sales contracts, accusations of unfair competition, breach of contract claims, contractor and subcontractor disputes, and other conflicts that arise between businesses.
  • We also regularly advise businesses in response to internal disputes, including partnership disputes, shareholder disputes, employer-employee issues, and other matters that affect the operations of a business.
  • Represent and defend businesses and individuals receiving subpoenas for documents and information to minimize their costs and protect their rights.
  • Regularly obtain favorable settlements and resolutions in Estate & Wills Dispute Litigation matters, with attorneys who regularly appear before the Surrogate’s Court.
  • Have represented numerous clients to favorable resolutions in copyright and patent infringement litigation, trademark litigation, computer software piracy, and other litigation involving Intellectual Property.
  • Regularly represent and obtain favorable resolutions for individuals, lake and property owner associations, lenders, and title insurance companies, in all kinds of complicated and serious Real Estate disputes, including sales contract disputes, easement and boundary line claims, unresolved lien issues, and other title problems
  • Also see our “Accidents & Personal Injury” section and other sections on this page for other types of “Litigation & Trial” successes not listed here.