The Contract Disputes That Never Happen

Most small business owners who believe they’ve been wronged by a vendor, partner or customer never pursue the claim. The reason isn’t that they lack a case. It’s that they can’t afford to find out whether they have one. Hourly rates at big firms price out the very entrepreneurs who need contract enforcement most, and the result is a silent epidemic of uncollected debts, broken agreements and intellectual property theft that never sees a courtroom.

Matthew Fornaro built his Coral Springs practice around that gap. The firm serves small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs across Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties with a model that treats litigation as a last resort, not a billing opportunity. Fornaro holds an AV Preeminent rating and bar admissions in Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., and before the U.S. Supreme Court. But the work itself rarely reaches federal dockets. Most of it ends with a demand letter, a mediation session or a quiet settlement, because the goal is resolution, not precedent.

The distinction matters in Florida, where the volume of business formations has surged in recent years and the infrastructure to support contract disputes hasn’t kept pace. Entrepreneurs launch LLCs with operating agreements downloaded from the internet, then discover too late that the language won’t hold up when a co-founder walks or a client refuses to pay. By the time they seek counsel, the cost of correction often exceeds the value of the dispute.

The disappearing middle market for business law

Large firms still serve large clients. Solo practitioners handle incorporations and basic filings. But the space between those poles has hollowed out. A startup that needs a contract reviewed, a partnership agreement drafted or a trademark dispute resolved often finds itself priced out of comprehensive representation or funnelled toward flat-fee services that don’t accommodate nuance.

Fornaro’s practice occupies that middle ground. The firm handles business formation, contract drafting and review, intellectual property protection, and litigation when it becomes necessary. Clients include companies forming for the first time, established businesses navigating disputes with suppliers or customers, and entrepreneurs who need someone to explain risk in plain terms before they sign.

The intellectual property work is typical of the broader approach. Many small businesses choose a name, print marketing materials and build a website without checking whether the trademark is already in use. Fornaro’s process involves clearing the name and filing for protection before another company forces a rebrand. The cost of that early intervention is a fraction of what it takes to defend an infringement claim or overhaul an identity after launch.

When the courthouse is the wrong room

Litigation remains part of the offering, but the firm treats it as one tool among several. Clients often want the chance to resolve a dispute without burning a business relationship or spending months in discovery. Fornaro provides arbitration and mediation services for parties who prefer a structured conversation to a courtroom. Construction disputes, real estate conflicts and partnership breakdowns often settle faster and cheaper outside the court system, and the firm’s experience on both sides of the table allows it to assess when a case is worth pushing to trial and when it isn’t.

The firm also serves as local counsel for out-of-state attorneys who need someone admitted in Florida to handle procedural filings, court appearances or depositions. It’s a service that reflects the broader philosophy: legal infrastructure should make business easier, not harder.

Fornaro began his career at AmLaw 200 firms, working in civil litigation before shifting focus to transactional work and business disputes. That background informs the current practice. He knows what a well-drafted contract looks like under pressure, and he knows what happens when corners get cut. The firm’s client base reflects that balance, drawing entrepreneurs who want someone to explain what could go wrong before it does, and business owners who need someone ready to fight when talking stops working.

The model won’t scale like software, and it won’t generate the headlines that follow billion-pound settlements. But it addresses a problem that most coverage of the legal industry ignores: the thousands of small claims that disappear not because they lack merit, but because the cost of proving it is prohibitive. For a Florida startup trying to collect on a broken contract or a Coral Springs retailer facing a supplier dispute, the question isn’t whether the law is on their side. It’s whether they can afford to find out. Fornaro’s answer is that they shouldn’t have to choose.