When the Business Stakes Are High, Litigate With a Business Strategy.
The Skeen Firm represents Pittsburgh-area businesses, entrepreneurs, partners, LLC members and shareholders in serious commercial disputes. When significant money, ownership rights, a transaction or the future of the business is on the line, we focus on leverage, economics and the outcome—not litigation for litigation's sake.
Your Lawyer Should Understand the Lawsuit. Your Strategy Should Understand the Business.
A serious commercial dispute can put hundreds of thousands—or millions—of dollars, ownership rights, contracts and long-term business relationships at risk. The legal analysis matters. But for a business owner, it is not enough.
The Skeen Firm approaches Pittsburgh and Allegheny County business litigation by asking two sets of questions at the same time. First: What does the law allow us to do? Second: What actually makes sense for the business?
That means evaluating damages, evidence and legal claims alongside collectability, litigation costs, management distraction, business interruption, settlement leverage and the strategic value of the relationship at issue.
A technically successful lawsuit that destroys more value than it creates is not necessarily a business success. Our objective is to identify the result that matters and build the litigation strategy around getting there.
Do not wait for the other side to define the dispute. Understand your position, preserve your evidence and determine your leverage.
Commercial Litigation for Businesses, Owners and Entrepreneurs
We evaluate significant disputes arising from contracts, ownership, transactions, financial obligations and alleged business misconduct.
Breach of Contract
Commercial claims involving nonpayment, failed performance, termination, purchase agreements, service agreements, warranties, guarantees and other contractual obligations.
Partnership & LLC Disputes
Disputes involving business control, management rights, distributions, voting, access to financial information and deteriorating relationships between owners.
Shareholder Litigation
Claims involving closely held companies, minority shareholder rights, corporate control, distributions, records and alleged wrongdoing by other owners.
Fiduciary Duty Claims
Claims involving self-dealing, conflicts of interest, diversion of opportunities, misuse of business assets and other alleged breaches of fiduciary obligations.
Business Fraud
Commercial claims involving material misrepresentations, concealed liabilities, deceptive transactions or financial misconduct causing measurable losses.
Business Acquisition Litigation
Post-closing disputes involving seller representations, hidden liabilities, earn-outs, purchase-price adjustments, restrictive covenants and acquisition agreements.
Unpaid Commercial Obligations
Significant unpaid invoices, receivables, purchase obligations and other contract balances where ordinary collection efforts have stopped working.
Unfair Competition
Disputes involving competitive misconduct, interference with business relationships and misuse of confidential commercial information.
Complex Commercial Litigation
High-value, multi-party or fact-intensive disputes involving overlapping contractual, ownership, financial and business claims.
The Bigger the Claim, the More the Economics Matter
A business should not decide whether to pursue litigation based solely on anger, principle or the theoretical size of a claim. Serious commercial litigation requires a hard look at what can actually be accomplished.
What Can You Prove?
A strong story is not enough. Contracts, records, communications, accounting evidence, witnesses and damages evidence must support the position.
What Can You Recover?
A large damages number means less if the defendant cannot pay it. Collectability belongs in the litigation analysis from the beginning.
What Will It Cost to Get There?
Legal fees are only one cost. Litigation can consume management attention, employee time, data, customer relationships and business opportunities.
Where Is the Leverage?
Contractual rights, documents, timing, financial pressure and the other side's business realities may all create negotiating leverage.
Is Early Resolution Better?
A negotiated recovery today can sometimes create more value than spending years pursuing a larger theoretical judgment.
What Does Winning Actually Mean?
Recovery is one objective. Others include control, information, performance, injunctive relief, a buyout, an exit or ending harmful conduct.
Stop Treating Legal Fees Like an Unlimited Meter
Traditional hourly litigation can make the legal bill itself a major source of business risk. For qualifying plaintiff-side commercial disputes, The Skeen Firm offers a hybrid success-fee model designed to make early-stage costs more predictable and tie a substantial portion of the overall fee to recovery.
How the Success-Fee Structure Works
- Initial flat fee generally between $5,000 and $15,000.
- Fixed $10,000 discovery fee if the matter reaches formal discovery.
- No separate standalone trial fee under the qualifying success-fee model.
- 25% on the first $250,000 recovered.
- 20% on the portion from $250,000 through $1 million.
- 15% on amounts recovered above $1 million.
- Qualifying flat fees paid are credited against the calculated success fee.
Success-fee arrangements are available only for qualifying matters and are governed by the applicable written engagement agreement. Case expenses and advanced costs may be separate. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Control the Dispute Before the Dispute Controls the Business
Many costly litigation mistakes happen before anyone files suit. Businesses often preserve too little, say too much, wait too long or begin negotiating without understanding their leverage.
Lock Down the Evidence
Preserve contracts, amendments, emails, texts, financial records, invoices, corporate records, photographs and other potentially relevant information before it disappears.
Build the Real Timeline
Separate memory from documentation. Identify what was agreed, what changed, who communicated it and what happened next.
Read the Agreement Again
Notice provisions, cure rights, venue clauses, indemnification, limitation provisions and dispute procedures may materially affect the next move.
Stop Creating Bad Evidence
Angry emails, threats, unnecessary admissions and emotional text messages have a way of becoming exhibits. Communicate deliberately.
Put a Real Number on the Claim
Separate provable damages from frustration, theoretical losses and numbers that cannot reasonably be supported.
Define the Business Objective
Know whether you want money, performance, control, information, leverage, an exit or a negotiated resolution before choosing the litigation strategy.
Counsel for Businesses and Owners Across Allegheny County
We evaluate commercial disputes involving businesses and owners throughout Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, including disputes that cross county lines or involve counterparties elsewhere in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
Disputes can become especially difficult when ownership, employment, control and personal relationships overlap.
Founder disputes, ownership disagreements and failed commercial relationships can threaten both the company and the value created.
Significant contract and payment disputes can materially affect cash flow, operations and future growth.
Acquisition disputes may involve representations, liabilities, earn-outs, restrictive covenants and post-closing obligations.
Ownership disputes may involve access to records, distributions, fiduciary duties, decision-making and control.
Pittsburgh-area commercial relationships frequently extend across western Pennsylvania and into neighboring states.
Aggressive When It Advances the Objective. Practical When It Doesn't.
Aggression is not a strategy. Filing every possible motion, taking every possible deposition and fighting every issue can generate activity without generating value.
Sometimes a hard filing is exactly what the case requires. Sometimes a targeted demand creates more leverage. Sometimes preserving a business relationship matters. Sometimes the relationship is already over and the priority is protecting money, ownership or assets.
The right question is not, “How aggressive can we be?” It is, “What action gives the client the best chance of accomplishing the business objective?”
When force creates leverage, use it. When negotiation creates value, use that. When litigation is necessary, litigate with a reason.
Pittsburgh Is Part of a Broader Pennsylvania Commercial Litigation Practice
Many Allegheny County disputes involve contracts, assets, counterparties or transactions outside Pittsburgh. The Skeen Firm represents businesses in qualifying commercial disputes throughout Pennsylvania and across its broader Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio practice.
Know the Warning Signs Before the Lawsuit Arrives
Business disputes usually provide warning signs before a complaint is filed. Recognizing those signs early can help a company preserve evidence, protect leverage and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
A Business Dispute Is Getting Serious. What Should You Do Next?
A practical framework for preserving evidence, reviewing contracts, understanding the economics and deciding when to involve counsel.
Read the Article →The Warning Signs Most Businesses Ignore Before a Lawsuit
Learn how repeated problems, documentation failures and changes in communication can signal that a routine business problem is becoming a litigation risk.
Read the Article →Common Disputes After Buying a Small Business
Learn how representations, hidden liabilities, earn-outs and other post-closing issues can turn an acquisition into commercial litigation.
Read the Article →Preventing Business Acquisition Litigation
Practical steps buyers can take before and after closing to reduce the likelihood of expensive post-acquisition disputes.
Read the Article →When Business Fraud Becomes a Civil RICO Claim
Some repeated or coordinated fraud allegations can create legal issues beyond an ordinary commercial fraud claim.
Read the Article →Explore the Business Litigation Library
Read additional articles covering commercial disputes, litigation prevention, acquisition claims and business risk.
View All Articles →Pittsburgh & Allegheny County Business Litigation FAQs
What does a Pittsburgh business litigation lawyer handle?
Business litigation attorneys represent companies and owners in disputes involving contracts, payments, LLCs, partnerships, shareholders, fiduciary obligations, acquisitions, fraud and other commercial relationships.
What types of commercial disputes does The Skeen Firm handle in Allegheny County?
Matters we evaluate include breach of contract claims, partnership and LLC disputes, shareholder litigation, fiduciary duty claims, business fraud, acquisition litigation, unpaid commercial obligations, unfair competition and other significant business disputes.
Can a Pittsburgh business litigation case be handled on contingency?
Qualifying plaintiff-side commercial disputes may be eligible for The Skeen Firm's hybrid success-fee structure. The model combines defined upfront flat fees with a decreasing tiered fee tied to the amount recovered. Not every matter qualifies.
How much does business litigation cost in Pittsburgh?
Commercial litigation costs vary significantly depending on the size and complexity of the dispute, number of parties, discovery, experts, motion practice, settlement opportunities and whether trial becomes necessary. Qualifying plaintiff matters may use The Skeen Firm's success-fee structure instead of purely open-ended hourly billing.
When should I contact a business litigation attorney?
Consider involving counsel when substantial money is at risk, an important agreement has been breached, ownership or control is disputed, litigation has been threatened, serious misconduct is alleged or important evidence needs to be preserved.
Should I send a demand letter before filing a business lawsuit?
Sometimes. A demand can create leverage or open the door to resolution, but it can also reveal strategy or trigger a response from the other side. Whether to send one depends on the agreement, facts, objectives and litigation strategy.
Does every business dispute need to go to court?
No. Depending on the circumstances, negotiation, mediation, a structured buyout, demand, contract enforcement strategy or other resolution may make more business sense. Litigation is one tool, not automatically the first one.
Can you represent a shareholder or LLC member against the other owners?
Potentially. Ownership disputes are highly fact-specific and conflict issues must be evaluated first. Depending on the circumstances, representation may involve shareholder rights, LLC member rights, fiduciary duties, access to records, distributions, management or ownership separation.
Do Not Spend Six Months Reacting to a Business Dispute You Could Start Strategizing About Today.
If substantial money, ownership, a major contract or the future of a business relationship is at risk, get clear on the facts, the economics, the leverage and the result you actually need.
Everyday Legal Advice®. Practical Counsel for Growing Businesses.