Suing a major company in court is not like taking a car accident case to trial. This is not to say that personal injury litigation is minor, but suing large corporations is entirely different. A major corporation will make any litigation a hard-fought affair until the end.
Often, there is a lot of money at stake. Corporations also fear having negative legal precedents on the books that can harm them in future cases. While not every lawsuit is bet-the-company litigation, a large company will spend what it needs to get the legal result that works best for it, whether it is defeating your case entirely or settling your case for less than you otherwise might have won in a trial.
You Can and Should Take Legal Action Against a Large Company When Necessary
Just because suing a major company is hard does not mean you must let a wrong go unaddressed. You just need to prepare yourself for a long battle with uncertain chances of success.
The one thing you can do to put yourself in a better position is to hire a corporate litigation attorney with a track record of getting results when taking on the biggest corporations, and that is what we have. Your lawyer must be unafraid and able to deal with anything the large company throws at them.
Before you can even sue a large company, you will need to know whether you can file a lawsuit in the first place. You may need to fight for the right just to file a lawsuit.
Many large companies try to force others into arbitration or, at minimum, do everything they can to sneak in contractual language to keep a case from federal court. Most of the biggest companies now try to use arbitration language in customer agreements.
Big Companies Have Armies of High-Priced Lawyers on Retainer
Massive companies have enormous legal budgets at their disposal. Setting aside money to pay for lawyers is a regular expense for these companies. If they incur more costs than they thought, the company will take a charge against their quarterly earnings.
The point is that a large company has the money to go to the final round with you, and they will often do it when the stakes are high. These companies have deep pockets and will not hesitate to spend this money to protect what else is in their pockets. They do not care about justice, but they do care about profits.
The seemingly unlimited legal budget allows big companies to hire the best lawyers for their defense. They do not hesitate to pay top law firm partners over $1,000 per hour to defend against your case. These law firms have massive teams of lawyers with top educational pedigrees, ready to defeat you. Taking on a big company with a top lawyer is never easy.
You Can Fight and Win When the Facts and Law Are on Your Side
However, you should never think a massive company is an unbeatable force. No matter how many fancy white-shoe lawyers a firm hires, the law is the law. Large companies are not invincible, no matter how much they try to act like it.
Legal rights are an equalizing force that there is no way around in court. If the facts and law are on your side, you will win your case if you can present them effectively in court. Although a big company can make the most effective presentation possible, it cannot change the fact that the case is not in its favor.
Your Lawyer Must Know How to Fight Against Powerful Forces
Nonetheless, you cannot beat one of these large companies in a legal dispute if you do not have a lawyer who knows how to take them on effectively. You certainly cannot win on your own because big companies will run right over you.
A corporate litigation lawyer must have the necessary experience to win against big companies. You can expect lengthy litigation with endless motions, especially considering the big company's budget. They have the money to keep filing everything they can, so long as their lawyers stay within their professional obligations.
One thing that can help your case is the court of public relations. Large companies fear bad public relations because it can hurt their sales. The last thing that they want is to anger consumers and potentially spark a crippling boycott.
You Can Win Even Without Your Case Going to Trial
Taking on big companies is not just about winning in court. Of course, your case may go to trial if you cannot reach a resolution beforehand.
Still, many lawsuits involving big companies will settle before they reach a trial. Massive companies often need to please shareholders. They do not want large-scale litigation that can threaten their existence or even their profits and reputation. Companies often have to make difficult decisions to settle large lawsuits to save the company from bankruptcy legal liability.
Therefore, your lawyer can do what is necessary to put you in a strong position for settlement negotiations. If a large company cannot get your case dismissed in the early stages, you will go through the discovery process.
Here, you can obtain evidence from the other party that you can use to build and present your case at trial. If you do well in the discovery process, obtaining strong evidence for your case, the company may begin to reassess its litigation risks. They may be more willing to settle your case at that point on terms that are more favorable to you.
You Must Negotiate for a Favorable Settlement Agreement
Large companies operate like any other defendant in a civil case. If they try to settle your case, they will offer pennies on the dollar first.
Your attorney will need to negotiate an adequate settlement over time. Settlement negotiations can take months and go down to the wire before trial. Settlements are not just about money. There may be other terms that you need to negotiate as part of the settlement.
You only have leverage in settlement negotiations when you have a credible legal option to go to trial. Without it, a big company will brush you off or not make any serious efforts to settle the case. You only get a credible legal option when you have a lawyer on your side who knows how to take on the most prominent companies, and that is what we know how to do.
Plaintiffs Often Win Cases Against Large Companies in the Discovery Process
To take on a massive company, you will need to cast a wide net to get your hands on evidence that you will need to prove your case. When lawsuits involve big companies, you may need to call many different people as witnesses. More people means possible evidence.
It also means more documents you must request and comb through. An attorney will need the ability to manage large-scale litigation and work with vendors to have the most effective document and case management solution. In general, litigation has become more complex and challenging to manage. It is even more true when you have a sprawling company as the defendant.
Depositions Can Lead to Evidence that Embarrasses a Company and its Executives
Then, you can expect a lengthy discovery process with many depositions of potential witnesses. Your lawyer will have mapped out who is who at the company through interrogatories and other discovery requests. The company must inform you of possible witnesses, leading to deposition requests. You may have months of depositions that question what can be dozens of witnesses.
In regular litigation, you may have a handful of witnesses. In a lawsuit with a large company, you will have many more.
At the same time, the company will want to protect some witnesses. It will not look suitable for the company if a senior executive has a rough deposition. If you have a hard-hitting lawyer, you can use that to your advantage.
If a deposition transcript gets out to the general public, it can give the company a black eye, which will make for bad public relations. The closer you get to the top, the more the company may try to protect the witness. Thus, your attorney should be aggressive in discovery to show the company that you mean business. We pull out all the stops on behalf of our clients at all stages of the trial process.
Be Wary of Counterclaims That Drag You Further Into Litigation
The corporation may also have the money to come after you. Often, a corporation may try to file a counterclaim against you because they can and because it will make your life more difficult. Their high-priced lawyers may try a scorched earth litigation strategy of their own, for which you need to prepare.
It may take far longer to see money if you can slay the giant and get money for your case. Major corporations will use the massive legal budgets we mentioned to appeal the case to as many courts as possible. Appeals can add months or years to the legal process. It is common for a large corporation to appeal your case to the United States Supreme Court. Your lawyer will not only need to be skilled in the trial court. They should also know how to handle an appeal in a higher court.
Hire an Attorney at the Outset of Your Dispute with the Large Company
All this means you must hire a lawyer at the beginning of your dispute with the company. We help you plot your legal strategy early in the case, so you can be ready to act when necessary.
Major corporations have their high-priced lawyers either on retainer or immediately at their disposal. They can swing into motion at a moment's notice because their lawyers value the client's business and will do whatever it takes to satisfy the company.
How a Corporate Litigation Attorney Can Help Your Case
An experienced corporate litigation attorney will get right to work on your case by:
- Learning the facts of your case and asking the necessary questions to get up to speed quickly
- Analyze your case to come up with the strongest arguments that you can use
- Communicate with the company's lawyers to try to find a way to resolve the dispute without the need for litigation
- Draft your complaint to file in court to begin the litigation (the document must be thorough and well-researched to survive the inevitable motion to dismiss the case
- Pursue relevant evidence in the discovery process that can help you build your case (filing motions to compel when necessary if the company is not producing what you have reasonably requested)
- Negotiate a potential settlement agreement before the case goes to trial
- Try your case in front of the judge or jury, persuasively presenting evidence to prove your case
You can successfully take on a major corporation and prevail to protect your interests. Your choice of lawyer will determine the success of your case. Two lawyers can get different results depending on their strategy and experience level. We commit to fighting on your behalf when you fight against a large company.
Never Avoid Seeking What You Deserve - Get Help from a Corporate Litigator Today
Going up against a major corporation in court is never easy, but it is possible with the right legal team of your own. The most important step in the process is the first one - finding the right corporate litigator with the experience and resources to take a giant company to court.
When you schedule a consultation, the firm should advise whether you have a case and what you might expect. Then, the matter is in their hands, and your attorney will do everything necessary to stand up to the corporation for you.
Do not wait to learn about your legal options.