Jupiter Business Attorney

If you own a company, an investment property, or a stake in either around Jupiter, and the person on the other side of the table has stopped acting like a partner, the decisions you make in the next few weeks matter more than most. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team is a business litigation and real estate law firm that represents owners, investors, and families in Jupiter, throughout Palm Beach County, and across South Florida. We take on the disputes that threaten a company’s survival: broken partnerships, contract fights, missing money, and co-owned property that nobody can agree on.

Finding a Jupiter business attorney usually happens at a moment of friction. A co-member stops sharing financials. A distribution that was supposed to arrive does not. A buyer walks away from a closing, or a tenant stops paying, or a sibling who inherited half a building wants out and you want in. Jupiter sits in the northern part of Palm Beach County, a market built on marine businesses, medical practices, restaurants, construction, and a large base of second-home and investment real estate. Many of those businesses are closely held, which means a falling out between two or three people can stop everything.

The first thing worth knowing is that Florida sets firm clocks on these claims, and the right move depends on what kind of dispute you actually have. Sorting that out early, before positions harden, is what a good business lawyer does first.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for Jupiter Business Disputes

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents business owners, investors, and families in some of South Florida’s most difficult business and real estate disputes, including clients in Jupiter and throughout Palm Beach County and Broward County. Firm founder Andrew M. Schwartz has spent 37 years in litigation and has practiced in Florida since being admitted to The Florida Bar in 1989. His career has centered on complex contract disputes, business divorces, and conflicts among partners, LLC members, and shareholders. He earned his undergraduate degree at Emory University in 1986 and his law degree at the University of Miami in 1989.

Andrew is joined by Senior Counsel Sundeep Nath, a Northwestern-trained litigator with years of experience handling business and real estate cases in state and federal courts. The firm practices as a true legal team, so everyone working on your matter knows the file, and a client who calls gets someone who can answer. The firm keeps a strict 24 hour return call policy when attorneys are in court or otherwise unavailable, and staff will schedule conference calls at times that work for everyone involved.

Proof matters more than promises. After a five-day bench trial, a Broward County Circuit Court judge issued a 32-page final judgment awarding one of our clients specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. That is the kind of result that comes from preparing a contract case down to the exact wording of the agreement and the history of how the parties actually dealt with each other. The firm is equally comfortable in mediation and arbitration, and we look for the resolution that fits your goals and budget rather than stretching a case out for its own sake. As Andrew puts it, clients often think they want a hyper-aggressive lawyer, but what they usually need is someone who acts as the situation requires and uses finesse when finesse will do.

Business Problems That Bring Jupiter Owners to a Litigator

• Business Divorce: Co-owners who can no longer work together face deadlocked management, buyout and valuation fights, and breaches of operating or shareholder agreements. Outcomes include a negotiated buyout, a sale, a structured wind-down, or court-ordered dissolution.
• Judicial Dissolution of an LLC or Corporation: Florida’s LLC statute lets a member or manager ask a circuit court to dissolve a company when owners are deadlocked and irreparable injury is threatened, when assets are being misappropriated or wasted, or when it is no longer reasonably practicable to operate under the operating agreement. Corporations have their own dissolution framework, and a shareholder buyout election can sometimes head off dissolution.
• Family Business Disputes: Siblings who inherited a company, parents and children with different visions, and in-laws holding shares all face questions of control and compensation, with relationships at stake alongside the money. These cases call for discretion without giving up financial protection.
• Complex Contract Litigation: Purchase agreements, operating agreements, commercial leases, loan documents, and construction contracts frequently turn on precise language and the parties’ course of dealing.
• Missing Funds and Partner Misconduct: Unpaid distributions, diverted company money, commingled accounts, and managers who cannot account for funds can support claims for an accounting, breach of fiduciary duty, and recovery of the money.
• Partition and Title Disputes: Co-owners of Jupiter-area real estate, including former business partners, heirs, unmarried couples, and investors, may need a court to divide or sell a property, or to clear a title cloud through a quiet title action.
• Commercial Real Estate and Landlord-Tenant Conflicts: Failed closings, purchase and sale contract disputes, and tenant defaults are common in a market with heavy commercial and investment property activity.
• Emergency Injunctions: When assets are about to be moved, spent, or a business interest is about to be harmed, temporary and permanent injunctions can freeze the situation while the case proceeds.

What to Do in the First Days of a Business Dispute

Start by collecting paper before tempers rise. Pull the operating agreement, shareholder agreement, or partnership agreement, along with any amendments, buy-sell terms, and the company’s formation documents. Gather bank statements, tax returns, capital contribution records, and the emails and texts where promises were made. If you can lawfully access company accounting software or financials, preserve copies now. Do not delete anything, and do not start moving money or locking people out of accounts on your own, since either step can hand the other side a claim against you.

Read your agreement for a few specific features before you do anything else: a buy-sell or deadlock provision, a requirement to mediate or arbitrate, an attorney’s fee clause, and any rules about how an owner can be removed. In LLC disputes, a deadlock sale provision that is properly started before a court finds grounds for dissolution can take the place of a dissolution order, so the contract language can change your entire strategy.

Deadlines drive everything. In Florida, a claim founded on a written contract generally must be filed within five years, while a claim on an oral or implied contract has four. Fraud claims run four years from discovery, with an outer cap of 12 years. A suit for specific performance of a contract has a much shorter one-year window, which is why a failed closing needs attention fast. Negligence claims, including professional malpractice claims, have a two-year period. If you suspect missing funds or fraud, waiting to “see how it plays out” can quietly burn time you will want back.

Where a case is filed depends largely on the amount at stake. Disputes above the county court ceiling belong in circuit court, and for Jupiter and the rest of Palm Beach County that is the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, whose main civil courthouse is in West Palm Beach, with a North County courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens. Cases involving a Broward County business or property are heard by the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which operates a complex business division for matters like business entity dissolutions and large commercial disputes. Federal claims, or cases where the parties qualify, can land in the Southern District of Florida, which holds court in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Choosing the right forum is part of the early strategy, not an afterthought.

If money is leaving the company or property is about to be sold, say so immediately when you speak with counsel. Emergency injunctive relief exists for exactly this, and a court deciding on a receiver or custodian must first hold a hearing with notice to the affected parties, so the sooner the request is prepared, the better. The most common mistakes we see are signing a quick “settlement” without understanding valuation, continuing to fund a company without a written agreement about what you are owed, and sending angry messages that later become exhibits.

How Florida Handles Partnership, LLC, and Shareholder Break-Ups

Florida law gives owners several off-ramps, and most disputes end in one of them rather than a full trial. In an LLC, a court that finds grounds for dissolution can appoint a receiver or custodian, or order the purchase of a petitioning member’s interest, rather than simply shutting the business down. In a corporation, once a shareholder petitions for dissolution on certain grounds, the company can elect, or if it does not, another shareholder can elect, to buy the petitioner’s shares at fair value. If the parties agree on value and terms within 60 days after the first election, the court enters an order on those terms. The corporation must also notify other shareholders within 30 days of the filing that they may avoid dissolution by buying out the petitioner, and an election to purchase is generally irrevocable unless a court finds it equitable to modify it.

Throughout a dissolution case, a court can issue injunctions, appoint a receiver or custodian, and take steps to preserve company assets while carrying on the business until a full hearing. That protective power is often what keeps a payroll running and a lease intact while the owners fight about the end game. Valuation is usually the heart of the matter: what the company is worth, whether a minority discount applies, and what the contract says about the formula. Having counsel who has handled buyouts and valuation disputes before the numbers are exchanged makes a real difference.

Co-Owned Property in Jupiter: Partition and Quiet Title

Real estate ties many business disputes together, and Jupiter’s mix of waterfront homes, commercial buildings, and investment parcels means shared ownership is common. All partition actions in Florida are heard in the court’s equity jurisdiction. The complaint must describe the land, identify the owners and where they live, and state each owner’s share. If the court orders partition, it appoints three commissioners, picked by the court unless the parties agree. If they report that the land cannot be divided without prejudice to the owners, the court may order a sale at public auction with proceeds split in proportion to ownership. A court may allow a sale on credit for good cause, but at least one-third of the price must be paid down unless everyone consents otherwise.

Family-inherited property gets special treatment. Florida’s Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act applies to partition cases filed on or after July 1, 2020. If the property qualifies as heirs property, the court must follow that Act unless all cotenants agree otherwise in writing. A property can qualify when it is held as tenants in common with no binding agreement on partition, a cotenant got title from a relative, and further conditions apply, such as 20 percent or more of the interests being held by relatives. Under that Act, a partition in kind is not entered unless commissioners considered the statutory factors and found that dividing the land would prejudice the cotenants as a group.

Quiet title actions solve a different problem: competing claims or a cloud on title. A plaintiff can ask the court to determine who owns land and to cancel a conveyance or other evidence of title held by someone who is not the rightful owner. These cases can be filed in any county where part of the land lies, and the plaintiff must generally trace title back at least seven years unless the court orders otherwise. Possession-based claims have their own time limits, including a seven-year possession period for adverse possession.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring a Jupiter Business Lawyer

When should I hire a business attorney instead of trying to work it out myself?

Call before you sign anything, move money, or send a heated email. Early advice on your agreement and your deadlines is far cheaper than repairing a bad first move. If a co-owner has stopped sharing financial information or is acting in his or her own interest, that is the time.

What is a business divorce?

It is the separation of co-owners of a company, whether partners, LLC members, or shareholders. It can end in a negotiated buyout, a sale, a structured wind-down, or court-ordered dissolution when the owners cannot agree.

Can I force a partner out of my LLC?

It depends on your operating agreement and the conduct involved. Many agreements include buyout, expulsion, or dissociation terms, and Florida law offers remedies for serious misconduct or when the company can no longer function. A lawyer should read the agreement before you act.

What can I do if my partner is taking company money?

Potential claims include breach of fiduciary duty, an accounting, conversion, and recovery of the funds. If assets are at risk of being moved or spent, a court can issue emergency injunctive relief while the case is pending.

How long do I have to sue over a broken contract in Florida?

Five years for a claim founded on a written contract and four years for an oral or implied contract. Specific performance has a one-year period, and fraud claims run four years from discovery with a 12-year outer limit.

Does every business dispute end up in court?

No. Many resolve through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration, and many agreements require one of those steps first. We pursue whichever path is most likely to meet your goals efficiently, and we are prepared to litigate when it is not.

Does my operating agreement matter if the other side ignores it?

Yes, a great deal. Buyout formulas, deadlock sale provisions, fee-shifting clauses, and arbitration requirements can all control how the dispute proceeds and what it costs. Courts look closely at the exact wording and the parties’ history.

Will a court always dissolve a company when owners are deadlocked?

No. For an LLC, deadlock supports dissolution only when the owners cannot break it and irreparable injury to the company is threatened or occurring. Courts can also appoint a receiver or custodian or order a buyout instead, and a deadlock sale provision in your agreement may take priority if it is properly started in time.

My business partner and I co-own a building. Can I make him sell?

A co-owner can ask a court for partition, either dividing the property or ordering a sale and splitting the proceeds. The right approach depends on how title is held and what any agreement between you says.

Which court would hear my case if the dispute involves Jupiter?

Cases above the county court limit generally go to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, which sits in and for Palm Beach County. If the dispute involves property or parties in Broward County, the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit may be the proper venue, and some cases belong in federal court in the Southern District of Florida.

I live in New York or New Jersey but own a stake in a Jupiter business. Can you help?

Yes. We regularly represent clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with business or real estate interests in South Florida. We handle the local court appearances and keep you informed, so you do not have to travel for every hearing.

Do you work with other lawyers on referrals?

Yes. A significant part of our practice comes from other attorneys, including out of state counsel whose clients have Florida disputes. We keep referring counsel informed and respect their relationship with the client.

Serving Business Clients From Jupiter Through Palm Beach and Broward County

Our work for Jupiter business owners begins in northern Palm Beach County and reaches across the region. From Jupiter and Tequesta, we also represent clients in Jupiter Farms, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Lake Park, and Riviera Beach. Further south in Palm Beach County, we serve West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton.

We also take on disputes in neighboring Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Plantation, and Hollywood, where the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit’s complex business division handles many entity and commercial cases. Clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who own businesses or property here can count on us to manage the Florida proceedings on their behalf. Whether the issue is a broken partnership, a contract fight, or a jointly owned property, we serve owners and investors across South Florida.

Talk With a Jupiter Business Litigation Attorney Today

When a partner, tenant, buyer, or co-owner puts your company or property at risk, you need a Jupiter business litigation attorney who has handled these fights before and will give you a straight read on your options. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team has represented clients in business and real estate litigation across South Florida for decades, and we will tell you plainly whether your best route is negotiation, mediation, or court. Call us to discuss your situation and the deadlines that apply to it.