Strategic Resolution in a Minority Shareholder Dispute
Practus attorneys Mark Belongia and William Firth helped a minority shareholder in a closely held oil-and-gas-related business recover a substantial dollar amount through a strategic, cost-conscious resolution of a complex shareholder dispute. Rather than pursuing costly, prolonged litigation, the team combined Delaware corporate law insight with national litigation experience to identify key pressure points, pursue targeted books-and-records remedies and guide the matter to mediation.
The approach helped the client achieve a meaningful recovery while keeping legal strategy aligned with his business objectives and desire to avoid unnecessary legal spend.
“We understood the client’s objectives,” said Belongia. “He didn’t want to spend a fortune in legal fees, so we positioned his case so well they agreed to mediation.”
Firth said the case required a big-picture approach. “You don’t litigate just because you can. Our North Star was, ‘What are our client’s objectives? How do we strategize to get to that objective?’”
“It’s what makes us different,” added Belongia. “A lot of other lawyers would have just gone through the motions of litigation. They wouldn’t even have thought or wanted to go the route we did. But we knew what our client wanted. It took ingenuity, but we got him there.”
Practical Advocacy Focused on Client Objectives
The result reflects Practus’ focus on practical, business-minded advocacy: helping clients pursue meaningful outcomes through experienced judgment, creative problem-solving and disciplined cost management.
Mark D. Belongia represents closely held and privately held companies in a wide range of corporate matters, including day-to-day business issues, acquisitions, divestitures, employment matters, business transactions and succession planning. With more than 25 years of experience, he focuses much of his practice on private equity, family offices, financial institutions and complex regulatory, litigation and transactional matters.
William R. Firth, III is a partner in Practus’ Commercial Litigation and Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights practice groups. With more than 20 years of experience litigating in Delaware, he helps individuals, officers, directors, investors and companies develop effective strategies for state and federal matters, including disputes involving contracts, corporate governance documents, financial wrongdoing, bankruptcy proceedings and commercial loan workouts.
