Commercial Litigation Attorney in Los Angeles

Last updated: November 2026

A commercial litigation attorney in Los Angeles represents companies in disputes with other companies: supply and distribution contracts, services agreements, licensing deals, commercial loans and guaranties, and conflicts among shareholders or members. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. is a California business litigation firm that handles these cases in Los Angeles Superior Court at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse and in the Central District of California at the First Street Courthouse. The firm is based in Irvine, and one attorney handles each matter personally.

Call (909) 235-6116 or contact us online to discuss a commercial dispute in Los Angeles.

The commercial disputes we handle in Los Angeles

Los Angeles commercial cases follow the city's industries. Apparel and consumer goods companies fight with factories, brand licensors, and the retailers that cancel orders. Entertainment vendors fight over services agreements and unpaid production invoices. Logistics companies serving the ports fight over freight charges, lost cargo, and terminated carrier agreements. Restaurant groups and medical practices fight with their lenders and their co-owners.

We handle the following for Los Angeles companies, on either side of the caption:

Supply, purchase, and distribution agreements, including rejected goods, chargebacks, and territory disputes.

Services and vendor agreements for marketing, technology, logistics, and production.

Brand, software, and content licensing disputes, including royalty audits and post-termination use.

Commercial lending, lines of credit, factoring agreements, and personal guaranties.

Shareholder, LLC member, and partnership disputes over control, distributions, and buyouts.

Business torts that travel with these contracts: fraud, interference with contract, and breach of fiduciary duty. Our page on tortious interference explains the interference claim.

Two Los Angeles examples

A Vernon-based apparel company licenses a well-known brand for a line of outerwear. The licensor audits, claims underreported royalties, and terminates. The licensee says the audit counted returns as sales and that the termination violated the cure provision. Both sides have claims. The licensee also has inventory it can no longer sell, which raises the question of a sell-off period and an injunction if the licensor refuses one.

A trucking company in Carson signs a two-year carrier agreement with a freight broker. After eight months the broker stops tendering loads, withholds payment on completed hauls citing damage claims that were never documented, and begins using the carrier's drivers through a competing entity. That is a contract claim, an interference claim, and possibly a fraud claim, and the first step is to pin down what the broker actually paid and when.

Where Los Angeles commercial cases are heard

Commercial cases above the limited civil threshold are filed in Los Angeles Superior Court at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, downtown. The court's civil calendar is the busiest in California, and that affects how quickly a motion can be heard. Cases designated complex, which includes many multi-party commercial matters, are assigned to the court's complex civil program at the Spring Street Courthouse, where one judge manages the case through trial.

Federal commercial cases go to the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division, at the First Street Courthouse, 350 West First Street. A case lands there when the parties are from different states and the amount in controversy exceeds the federal threshold. It also lands there when a Lanham Act or Defend Trade Secrets Act claim is joined with the commercial claims.

Our office is in Irvine, and I appear in both Los Angeles courthouses regularly.

Out-of-state and foreign counterparties

A large share of Los Angeles commercial disputes involve a counterparty in another state or country. That raises two early questions. Whether a California court has jurisdiction over the defendant at all, which depends on the defendant's contacts with California and is tested by a motion to quash. And how to serve the defendant, which for foreign companies may require the Hague Service Convention. Our pages on motions to quash and international business disputes cover both.

On the defense side, a company with no real connection to California may be able to end the case before it begins.

Deadlines in commercial cases

Most commercial claims carry a two-, three-, or four-year limitations period depending on the theory: four years on a written contract, two on an oral one, and three for fraud, with the fraud period running from discovery. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 337, subd. (a), 339, subd. 1, 338, subd. (d).) Contracts for the sale of goods have their own four-year period. (Com. Code, § 2725, subd. (1).) Commercial agreements sometimes shorten these periods by contract. We check the agreement and the calendar before anything else.

The Los Angeles companies we represent

Closely held companies and their owners, most with revenues between a few million and a few hundred million dollars. Apparel, consumer products, and import businesses. Production and entertainment services vendors. Logistics and transportation companies. Software and digital agencies. Restaurant and hospitality groups. Private lenders and real estate investors.

How the firm works on a Los Angeles commercial case

One attorney handles the case. I read the agreements and the correspondence myself, write the pleadings, take and defend the depositions, and argue the motions. For document-heavy matters we add contract reviewers and, where damages require it, a forensic accountant, under my supervision and with your approval of the budget.

We give a written assessment at the start: the claims and defenses, the realistic range of outcomes, and a budget by stage. Discovery in a commercial case can consume the budget if left unmanaged, so we target it.

Chambers and Partners ranks the firm in its USA Spotlight 2026 guide for general commercial litigation in Orange County. The firm is a BBB Accredited Business with an A rating.

What to bring to the first meeting

Every agreement in the relationship, with amendments and schedules. The accounting: invoices, payments, chargebacks, royalty reports, or loan statements, depending on the dispute. The emails and messages around the breakdown. Any audit report, termination notice, or demand letter. The organizational documents and ownership records if the dispute is internal. And the exact legal names and home states of the entities on the other side, because that determines where and how they can be sued.

Frequently asked questions

What does a commercial litigation lawyer do?

A commercial litigator represents companies in disputes with other companies, from the demand letter through trial and appeal. The work includes assessing the claims, pleading the case, taking discovery, arguing motions, negotiating settlement, and trying the case when settlement fails. Most of the value is in judgment: knowing which fights are worth having.

How long does commercial litigation take in Los Angeles?

A commercial case that settles after initial discovery and mediation usually takes a year or so. A case designated complex, or one that goes to trial, often takes two to three years in Los Angeles Superior Court. Federal cases tend to move faster because the court sets a firm schedule early.

Can my Los Angeles company sue a supplier in another state?

Often, yes, if the supplier has enough contacts with California: it sold into the state, performed here, or agreed to a California forum in the contract. If not, the case may have to be filed where the supplier is located. A forum selection clause in the agreement usually settles the question.

Is commercial litigation confidential?

Court filings are public, though trade secrets and sensitive financial information can be filed under seal with court approval. Arbitration is private. Settlements are usually confidential by agreement. If confidentiality is a priority, it shapes the strategy from the first filing.

Do you handle commercial litigation in Orange County too?

Yes. The firm is based in Irvine and appears in both counties. See our Orange County commercial litigation page and our Los Angeles business litigation page.

Talk to a Los Angeles commercial litigation attorney

Call (909) 235-6116 or contact us online. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. is located at 327 Magnet, Irvine, CA 92618, and represents companies in Los Angeles County and throughout California.

This page provides general information about California law and is not legal advice. Outcomes depend on the agreements, the records, and the court.