Built for business disputes, and nothing else
Northgate Disputes is a boutique firm focused entirely on conflicts between businesses and the people who own them.
Why we started Northgate
Northgate Disputes was founded by Marcus Drom after fifteen years in the commercial litigation group of a national firm. He had seen the same pattern too many times: business owners arriving with a partnership that had collapsed or a transaction that had turned out to be fraudulent, getting excellent lawyering, and still ending up with a result that cost more than it recovered.
The problem was not the lawyers. It was the model. Large firms are built to litigate, and litigation is the most expensive way to solve most business problems. Negotiation only firms, on the other hand, have no leverage when the other side refuses to engage.
Northgate was built to do both under one roof, with a structured settlement process backed by trial lawyers, and with forensic accounting inside the firm rather than hired late from outside. The firm opened in Chicago and today represents business owners in all fifty states.
"Every client gets two things on the first call: an honest answer about whether they have a case, and a plan for the fastest way to end it."Founding principle
Four commitments to every client
Candor first
You will hear our honest assessment of your case, including when we think you should not pursue it. A client who trusts our bad news trusts our good news.
Speed where it counts
The first days of a dispute decide what evidence survives and where the money goes. We move immediately on preservation and emergency relief.
Numbers, not narratives
Our forensic accounting group is in house. Every demand we send and every settlement we recommend is built on verified figures.
Resolution over process
We measure ourselves by how quickly and completely a client's problem is solved, not by how many hours it took.
Business owners, founders, and their companies
Our clients are typically privately held companies with between $1 million and $250 million in annual revenue, and the individuals who own them.
E-commerce and wholesale
Online sellers, distributors, and wholesalers dealing with fraudulent orders, chargeback abuse, non paying buyers, and platform disputes.
Founders and partners
Co founders, LLC members, and shareholders in disputes over control, distributions, diverted business, and exits.
Service and professional firms
Agencies, consultancies, contractors, and professional practices in contract, payment, and partnership disputes.
Manufacturers and suppliers
Companies in supply, distribution, and manufacturing relationships that have broken down or been breached.
Buyers of businesses
Acquirers who discover after closing that the business they bought was not what was represented.
Fraud victims
Businesses that have lost money to invoice fraud, business email compromise, fake suppliers, or misdirected payments.