The RegistryPractice Area · Statewide
Business Litigation Attorneys in California
Counsel for commercial disputes — contracts, partnerships, and fiduciary claims. This is the statewide record for business litigation in California — every attorney on the State Bar of California's official roll whose practice reaches this shelf, scored in the open by the published Growth Score.
Californians search this field under many names — business litigation attorney, business lawyer, breach of contract lawyer, breach of contract attorney, commercial litigation attorney — and the registry answers all of them from the same source. Below: the governing deadline with its citation, what to weigh as you read the roster, the questions Californians ask with the code sections that answer them, and the record city by city, from the North Coast to the border.
The clock & the craft
Four years to sue on a written contract; two years on an oral contract (§ 339).
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337
Fraud claims run three years from discovery (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 338(d)); unfair competition claims under Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 run four years (§ 17208). Contractual limitation clauses can shorten these periods.
Reading the roster
For a commercial dispute, weigh whether the attorney has tried or arbitrated cases of your size and subject matter — a two-member LLC falling-out and a shareholder derivative suit are different crafts. Ask about early case assessment, fee structure (hourly, capped, or partial contingency), and their read on venue: county superior court, a complex-litigation department, or contractual arbitration. Bring the contract and the correspondence trail to the first meeting.
Business Litigation · statewide roster
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Official State Bar data · Scored in the open · Updated daily
Business Litigation questions, cited
How long do I have to sue for breach of contract in California?
Four years for a written contract (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337) and two years for an oral one (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 339), generally running from the breach. Fraud claims run three years from discovery of the facts (§ 338(d)). Many commercial contracts shorten these periods or add mandatory arbitration, so the agreement itself is the first thing to read.
What damages are available for breach of contract in California?
The amount that will compensate the injured party for all detriment proximately caused by the breach, per Cal. Civ. Code § 3300 — typically expectation damages, plus consequential damages that were reasonably foreseeable. Punitive damages are generally unavailable for pure breach of contract (Cal. Civ. Code § 3294 requires an independent tort such as fraud).
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in California?
Almost never against employees. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600 voids contracts restraining anyone from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business, and § 16600.5 (effective 2024) makes out-of-state non-competes unenforceable against California workers and creates employee remedies. Narrow statutory exceptions exist for the sale of a business (§ 16601) and partnership dissolutions (§ 16602).
What can I do if my business partner breaches fiduciary duties?
Partners owe each other duties of loyalty and care under Cal. Corp. Code § 16404. Remedies for breach include damages, an accounting, expulsion or dissociation, and judicial dissolution of the partnership (Cal. Corp. Code § 16801) or of an LLC (Corp. Code § 17707.03). Breach of fiduciary duty claims generally carry a four-year limitations period (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 343).
Where are business disputes heard in California?
Most are filed in the superior court of the county tied to the contract or the defendant's residence (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 395); claims of $35,000 or less proceed as limited civil cases. Several large counties, including Los Angeles, operate complex-litigation departments for qualifying cases. Contracts frequently route disputes to arbitration instead, which California courts enforce under Code Civ. Proc. § 1281.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Business Litigation by city
Adjacent shelves of the law
Read the record. Then decide.
Describe your matter once, weigh the published scores, and place the call — the choice is always yours.
Find Your Counsel195,000+ attorneys · 58 counties · Scored in the open