Navigating Federal Discovery Obligations: What Small Businesses Often Get Wrong
Small businesses involved in federal litigation frequently misunderstand their discovery obligations, leading to unnecessary disputes, sanctions, and strategic setbacks. This article explains what small businesses often get wrong about federal discovery, including evidence preservation, electronically stored information (ESI), internal coordination, and proportionality. It provides practical guidance on how businesses can comply with federal discovery rules in good faith while protecting their legal and operational interests.
Avoiding Spoliation: How Not to Lose Your Case Through Evidence Destruction
Spoliation of evidence can lead to severe sanctions, adverse jury instructions, or dismissal of claims. This article explains what spoliation is, when the duty to preserve evidence arises, common mistakes businesses make, and practical steps to avoid losing a case through evidence destruction.
Litigation Hold Letters: What Businesses Must Do to Preserve Evidence
Litigation hold letters require businesses to preserve documents and electronic data once litigation is reasonably anticipated. This article explains when litigation holds are required, what evidence must be preserved, who must comply, and the risks of failing to meet preservation obligations.
Piercing the Corporate Veil in New York: When Can Owners Be Personally Liable?
This article explains when New York courts will pierce the corporate veil and hold business owners personally liable for corporate obligations. It outlines the two-part legal test applied by New York courts, common factual scenarios where veil-piercing claims arise, and practical steps business owners can take to reduce exposure.
How to Enforce a Judgment in New York and New Jersey
Winning a lawsuit does not guarantee payment. New York and New Jersey provide powerful tools to enforce judgments, including bank restraints, wage garnishment, asset discovery, and property execution. This guide explains how judgment enforcement works in both states and what steps judgment creditors can take to turn a court victory into real recovery.
FINRA Arbitration: What Investors and Financial Professionals Need to Know
FINRA arbitration is a specialized dispute resolution process that governs most investor and broker-dealer disputes. This article explains how FINRA arbitration works, the rules that apply, how it differs from court litigation, and what investors and financial professionals should know before bringing or defending a claim.
Understanding a New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) Claim: Strengths, Limits, and Common Misconceptions
The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) offers powerful remedies, including treble damages and potential attorney’s fees, but those remedies are not automatic. This article explains how CFA claims actually work in practice, what must be proven in litigation, and why contingency-fee representation is not always appropriate despite the statute’s strength.
Minority Shareholder Oppression in NYC: When Majority Owners Cross the Line
Minority shareholder oppression occurs when majority owners in closely held New York businesses abuse control to exclude minority shareholders from the economic benefits of ownership. Common issues include freeze‑outs, withheld distributions, lack of transparency, and self‑dealing. New York courts offer remedies ranging from damages to buy‑outs and dissolution, making early legal guidance critical.
Commercial Litigation in NYC: Strategies for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses
Commercial litigation in NYC affects small and mid‑sized businesses across industries. Common disputes include contract breaches, internal ownership conflicts, and commercial lease issues. Early case assessment, evidence preservation, and strategic decision‑making are essential to managing risk and controlling costs in New York’s demanding litigation environment.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty in NYC: What Business Owners Need to Know
Breach of fiduciary duty claims in New York City commonly arise in closely held businesses, LLCs, partnerships, and nonprofits. Directors, officers, managers, and controlling owners owe duties of care and loyalty, and violations can result in serious legal and financial consequences. Understanding common risk areas—such as self-dealing, conflicts of interest, and misuse of assets—can help business owners avoid disputes and protect their organizations.
Demand Letters and Pre-Litigation Strategy in NYC
A well-written demand letter can settle a dispute before a lawsuit even starts. Learn how NYC businesses can use pre-litigation strategy to protect their rights and reduce legal costs.
Partnership and Shareholder Disputes in NYC: How to Protect Your Business and Your Rights
Disagreements between partners or shareholders can quickly disrupt even the strongest business. Learn how New York law handles internal business disputes — and how to resolve them strategically.
Breach of Contract Litigation in NYC: What Small Businesses Should Know
When a business deal breaks down, breach of contract litigation can decide whether your company survives the dispute. Here’s what NYC businesses should know before heading to court.
Using Declaratory Judgment Actions to Take Control of a Dispute
When business disputes loom, the party that files first often controls the narrative and venue.
Through a declaratory judgment action, a company can ask a court to resolve a legal question before being sued — clarifying rights, limiting exposure, or pre-empting an opponent’s tactics.
This article explains when declaratory actions make strategic sense and how they can reshape litigation outcomes.
Strategic Use of Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) and Preliminary Injunctions in Business Disputes
When a competitor misuses trade secrets, a partner breaches a non-compete, or a transaction threatens to destroy value, waiting for a full trial can be fatal.
In such cases, U.S. courts allow Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) and Preliminary Injunctions — emergency remedies that preserve the status quo until the dispute is resolved.
This article explains how these tools work, the strategic factors courts consider, and how business owners can use them effectively and ethically.
Letters Rogatory and Depositions in Korea: Navigating International Evidence Requests
When a U.S. party needs evidence or witness testimony from South Korea, traditional discovery methods like subpoenas don’t apply.
Because South Korea restricts foreign lawyers from taking depositions locally, U.S. litigants must rely on Letters Rogatory and the Hague Evidence Convention.
This article explains how to properly obtain testimony, documents, or statements from Korean witnesses while complying with international law.
How to Serve a Korean Defendant Under the Hague Convention
When a U.S. plaintiff needs to serve a defendant in South Korea, ordinary mail or private process service will not suffice.
Because both the U.S. and Korea are parties to the Hague Service Convention, service must follow its prescribed procedures through Korea’s designated Central Authority.
This article explains the steps, timelines, translation requirements, and strategic considerations to ensure that service abroad is valid and enforceable.
How to Respond When Served With a Subpoena: A Step-by-Step Guide for Businesses and Third Parties
Receiving a subpoena can be disruptive—especially when your company isn’t part of the lawsuit.
This guide explains how to respond quickly and strategically: identifying the type of subpoena, preserving data, negotiating scope, protecting confidentiality, and avoiding costly mistakes.
Good Pine P.C. helps businesses manage subpoenas with efficiency, professionalism, and minimal operational impact.
Litigation Strategy for Business Owners: Knowing When to Settle and When to Fight
Every business faces legal disputes sooner or later.
The challenge is not simply “winning” but knowing when to fight and when to settle.
This article explains how business owners can make clear-eyed decisions by weighing cost, risk, timing, reputation, and long-term objectives — and how strategic litigation management protects the enterprise beyond any single case.
Understanding Discovery and eDiscovery in U.S. Litigation
Discovery is the longest and most expensive phase of U.S. litigation. For Korean companies, it can also be the most unfamiliar. This guide explains how the American discovery system works — from depositions and interrogatories to electronic data collection — and offers practical steps to manage risk, cost, and compliance before disputes arise.