Hasl-Kelchner's Top 10 No-Nonsense Reasons for Staying Out of Court

Reason #10: Mediation is cheaper than trial.

Reason #9: Lawsuits chew up more management time and resources than you can ever imagine.

Reason #8: If you have trouble locating files now, wait to see how much fun you’ll have digging through years of poorly organized documents in response to discovery requests -- and then being sanctioned for not coughing up what you’re supposed to.

Reason #7: Being questioned on the witness stand or in a deposition is like have a root canal without Novocain.

Reason #6: Playing the “my expert is smarter than your expert” game is expensive and risky.

Reason #5: Judges and juries can be unpredictable.

Reason #4: Your business can be tried in the court of public opinion faster than you can say Twitter. Lots of luck finding an impartial jury then.

Reason #3: Unwanted media attention distracts customers and employees and can damage your business reputation.

Reason #2: You have better things to spend your business time and money on than a lawsuit.

Reason #1: The wheels of justice grind slowly and can seem to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r.  The Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction that occurred during the Super Bowl XXXVIII (38) half-time show is still winding its way through the court system while we’re getting ready to watch Super Bowl XLIV (44).

Pass the chicken wings, please.