A contract is only as useful as the ability to enforce it. When the other side doesn’t perform — or when you are accused of failing to perform — the legal framework for resolving that dispute is set by the contract itself, by Georgia’s contract statutes, and by what you do in the earliest stages of the disagreement. Boyd Law Firm represents businesses and individuals in contract disputes in Brunswick and throughout Southeast Georgia. Whether you are pursuing a breach claim or defending against one, we provide straightforward analysis of where you stand and what options are available
A valid contract existed offer, acceptance, consideration, and mutual assent to material terms.
The contract was breached the other party failed to perform a material obligation.
The breach caused damages the non-performance produced real, documented financial harm.
Material vs. minor breach Not every contract shortfall rises to actionable breach. A material breach goes to the essence of the contract — it defeats the purpose of the agreement for the non-breaching party. A minor breach may give rise to a damages claim but does not necessarily excuse the non-breaching party from continuing to perform. The distinction matters because misreading it can turn a defensible position into a counter breach.
The most common commercial contract dispute: one party provided goods or services and the other refused to pay, underpaid, or stopped paying. We pursue collections through demand, negotiation, and litigation — and defend against payment claims where performance was deficient or terms were disputed.
A contractor who walked off the job. A vendor who delivered substandard goods. A service provider who failed to meet specifications. We document what was required, what was delivered, and the measurable gap between them
When parties disagree about what a contract means — what “completion” looks like, what the price actually includes, what the delivery timeline required — the dispute is as much about interpretation as performance. Georgia courts apply a plain-meaning standard: contract language is read as written, and extrinsic evidence is generally excluded when the text is unambiguous.
Georgia has specific requirements for restrictive covenants to be enforceable (O.C.G.A. § 13-8-50 et seq., enacted 2011). Time, geography, and scope must be reasonable. Courts may blue-pencil overbroad agreements — narrowing them to enforceable terms rather than voiding them entirely. We handle both enforcement and challenges to these agreements
Technology services, professional services, long-term supply agreements — when these relationships break down, the contract language and the documentation of performance drive the dispute. We build the paper record early and pursue or defend based on what it shows.
Filing deadlines in contract disputes are firm:
Written contracts: 6 years from the date of breach (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24).
Oral contracts: 4 years from the date of breach (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-25).
UCC sale of goods contracts: 4 years from when the breach was or should have been discovered (O.C.G.A. § 11-2-725).
The standard measure: the benefit of the bargain. Lost profits, the cost to complete or correct performance, and the economic value of what was promised minus what was received.
Additional losses flowing from the breach lost business opportunities, downstream customer losses, operational disruption are recoverable when they were within the reasonable contemplation of the parties at the time of contracting.
Georgia requires the non-breaching party to take reasonable steps to mitigate losses. Failure to mitigate reduces recovery. We document mitigation efforts from the outset
Some contracts specify damages for breach in advance. Georgia enforces liquidated damages provisions when the amount is a reasonable pre-estimate of actual damages — not a penalty.
Under O.C.G.A. § 13-6-11, attorney’s fees may be recovered when the defendant has acted in bad faith, been stubbornly litigious, or caused unnecessary trouble and expense. We evaluate this claim at the outset of every dispute.
Yes, within limits. Oral contracts are enforceable in Georgia for most types of commercial agreements (subject to the Statute of Frauds, which requires written form for certain categories — real estate, guarantees, contracts not performable within one year). The challenge is proof: without written terms, the dispute often becomes a credibility contest over what was agreed. We assess the evidence before advising whether to proceed.
