What happens when business partners stop getting along, contracts weren't written properly, or nobody planned for what happens when things go wrong?

On Episode 71 of Legally Exhausted, Abe Ovadia sits down with commercial litigation attorney Arianna Mendez for a conversation about the legal side of owning, growing, and protecting a business.

Arianna shares her family's story, from her Cuban roots and parents' journey to the United States to how those experiences shaped her respect for entrepreneurship, property rights, hard work, and the law. She explains how that background eventually led her to a career focused on helping business owners protect what they've worked to build.

Abe and Arianna break down some of the problems she regularly encounters in commercial litigation — including partnership disputes, breach of contract, poorly drafted operating agreements, commercial leases, business succession, professional licensing matters, and the costly consequences of waiting until there's a problem to call an attorney.

They also discuss why starting a business with friends can become complicated when nobody establishes who controls the money, how profits are distributed, who makes major decisions, what happens when someone wants out, and how disagreements will be resolved.

Arianna shares real-world examples from her practice, including a restaurant partnership that nearly collapsed because the owners never properly established their roles and authority, a professional defamation case involving allegations designed to damage someone's reputation, and a long-term commercial tenant relationship that deteriorated during a lease renewal.

The conversation also covers piercing the corporate veil, keeping personal and business finances separate, commercial leases, succession planning, protecting professional practices, operating agreements, business valuations, and why entrepreneurs should prepare for difficult situations while everyone is still getting along.

It's an episode about much more than lawsuits. It's about protecting what you've built before you ever have to step into a courtroom.

Connect with Arianna Mendez

Instagram: @mendezlaw
Phone: 786-687-5300

If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, physician, professional, or you're thinking about going into business with someone else, this is an episode worth watching before problems arise.

Legally Exhausted – Episode 71
Hosted by Abe Ovadia

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