TRIAL WORK / LITIGATION
We try business cases. Our litigation practice covers ownership and shareholder disputes, contract and construction claims, and actions against and by municipalities, in Michigan courts and in other states.
What This Work Actually Involves
How We Try Business Cases
Most business disputes settle, and they settle on terms set by how credible the threat of trial is. That credibility comes from preparation: from knowing the documents better than the other side, from taking the depositions that matter, and from being willing to try the case if the number is wrong.
We act for plaintiffs and defendants. A significant part of the practice involves disputes among people who own something together, which are rarely only about money and have to be handled with that in mind.
Shareholder and ownership disputes
Oppression claims, exclusion from information and distributions, contested valuations, and the redemption or buyout of an interest.
Contract disputes
Claims and defenses turning on interpretation, performance and damages, including disputes against counterparties with materially greater bargaining power.
Construction and supply claims
Actions between owners, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, including claims pursued to judgment.
Disputes among family owners
Litigation between family members who are also co-owners, where the business has to keep operating throughout.
Municipal and constitutional claims
Litigation against municipalities, including zoning and constitutional questions.
Judgment enforcement
Pursuing collection after judgment through asset discovery, garnishment and creditor examinations.
Representative Experience
Matters We Have Handled
Shareholder oppression claim by a minority owner
Represented a minority owner of a family-owned distribution business in Oakland County Circuit Court. The majority owner had excluded the client from company information and from distributions for three years, and valuation was contested between two opposing experts. The matter settled on the client's terms and the ownership interest was redeemed.
Reese Serra · 2022
Defense of a trade business in a family dispute
Defended a trade business in Macomb County Circuit Court against claims arising from alleged corporate theft, in a dispute among family members who were also owners of the business. The corporation was successfully defended.
Reese Serra · 2026
Judgment against subcontractors for an institutional supplier
Represented a supplier to public institutions in Texas litigation against its subcontractors arising from a contractual dispute. A multi-million dollar judgment was entered for the client.
Reese Serra · 2024
Contract dispute in the renewable energy sector
Defended a renewable energy company in a New York contract dispute turning on competing interpretations of the agreement, against a counterparty with materially greater bargaining power. The client's damages exposure was mitigated.
Reese Serra
The matters described above are examples of work performed by The Private Firm. Client identities and identifying details have been omitted or generalized. Every matter turns on its own facts and its own law. Prior results do not guarantee, predict or imply a similar outcome in any future matter. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
Who Handles This Work
Trial Counsel at The Private Firm
Litigation at the firm is staffed by attorneys who began their careers trying cases, and who work with the attorney who handled the underlying transaction where there was one.