Litigation increasingly occurs in various venues, from state and federal courts to private arbitrations and administrative hearings. Understanding the motivations and outlook of each of the litigation participants is important for determining weak points to exploit and strong points that will persuade the audience in question. General commercial litigation involves virtually every type of dispute that can arise in the business context, including breach of contract cases, partnership/joint venture disputes, class actions, business torts, breach of fiduciary duty allegations, and shareholder issues. Successful commercial litigators need to be able to assess the merits of a dispute and scale either a prosecution or defense that fits the legal and business needs of the client. Efficiency, creativity, and sound judgment are critical for intelligently positioning these disputes.