We never signed anything. Is there still a contract?

Often, yes. Emails, texts, invoices, deposits paid and work performed can all prove an agreement. Oral contracts are enforceable in California, with a shorter time limit and a harder proof problem.

The contract says I have to arbitrate. What does that mean?

You present the case to a private arbitrator instead of a judge and jury. It is faster and private, and the decision is very hard to appeal. We handle arbitrations and tell you honestly whether the clause is enforceable.

The amount in dispute isn't huge. Do you still take it?

Yes. Our fixed-fee model exists for exactly that: you know the cost before we start, so a claim of any size can be pursued without the fee eating the recovery. If there's an attorney's-fee clause in the contract, the other side may end up paying it anyway.

Can I stop a partner from taking the business while this plays out?

Possibly. Courts can issue temporary orders freezing accounts or stopping conduct while the case is pending. Those orders need evidence and speed, so call before the money moves.

I've been served. How long do I have?

Generally thirty days from service to respond in court, and missing it can mean a default judgment for everything they asked for. Call the day you are served.

What we handle · Los Angeles

Business Litigation & Contract Dispute Attorney in Los Angeles

Neva let a handshake go unanswered.

If you're bringing the claim

Someone signed, shook hands or promised — and then didn't deliver. An unpaid invoice that keeps getting "next week". A supplier who took the deposit and vanished. A partner who quietly started running the business for themselves. A business litigation attorney in Los Angeles turns that frustration into a claim with numbers attached: what you were promised, what it cost you, and how to get it back.

If you're defending one

Or you're the one holding the demand letter. A customer, vendor or former partner says you owe them, and the number is alarming. Breach of contract cases are won on the document and the record of what each side actually did. We read the contract with you, tell you plainly where you stand, and push back where the claim doesn't hold.

Common situations we handle

“A client stopped paying and stopped answering.”
“My business partner moved money or customers without telling me.”
“A vendor took the deposit and never delivered.”
“I've been sued for breach of a contract they broke first.”
“A deal fell apart and I'm being blamed for it.”
“I signed something and now I'm not sure what it really says.”

What the law says

A contract is a promise the law will enforce — written, oral, or shown by how the parties behaved. To win a breach of contract claim you show that a contract existed, that you did your part (or were excused from it), that the other side didn't, and that it cost you money. Business litigation also covers what happens around the contract: partners and managers owe each other duties of loyalty and honesty, and a partner who diverts money or customers can be liable for breach of fiduciary duty, not just breach of contract.

Many business contracts contain clauses that decide the whole fight before it starts — where you can sue, whether you must arbitrate, and who pays the lawyers. We read those first.

What's at stake

The money you should have received, the losses the breach foreseeably caused, and sometimes interest from the date of breach. If the contract has an attorney's-fee clause, California applies it to both sides: the winner recovers fees, the loser pays them. That cuts both ways, and it changes how every business dispute should be approached.

How long you have

Four years from the breach for a written contract, two years for an oral one. Fraud claims that go with a contract dispute generally have three years from discovery. Partnership and fiduciary claims vary. Demand letters and mechanics' liens have far shorter clocks, so send us the paperwork early.

What happens next

1
Tell us what happened
The quiz, a text, or a call. Fifteen minutes, free.
2
We tell you straight
Whether you have a case, what it would take, and which way of working applies.
3
Clear terms in writing
If we take it, you get clear terms in writing before anything starts.

Three ways we work. Some cases we take on contingency — no fee unless we win; if there's no recovery you don't pay us a fee, though you may still be responsible for case costs, which we explain in writing before anything starts. Some cases we do for a fixed fee you know before we begin. Some are hourly. We tell you which applies in the first call.

Why Cirkveni 2.0

Trial training

Neva trained on the plaintiffs' trial team at a top Los Angeles litigation firm. Every case is prepared as if it will go to trial.

Direct access

You deal with the lawyer. Your calls and texts reach Neva, not a queue.

Straight talk

Plain English, honest about the odds, and a fee you know before we start.

Second generation

The first Cirkveni law office opened in 1992. Same instinct, rebuilt for now.

What a client said

“I would recommend Neva. She is knowledgeable, detailed, patient, and did a great job of explaining the process and answering my questions. I was very pleased with the experience and settlement.”

— Cathy P., Google review

5.0 on Google

Results depend on the facts of each case.

Questions people ask

Find out where you stand.

Text or call +1 (424) 230-3912, or take the five-question quiz.

Do I have a case?Text +1 (424) 230-3912 Call +1 (424) 230-3912