LLC Survival Strategies: Bulletproof Capital Calls, Partner Disputes, and Exit Provisions for Volatile Markets

Michael J. Gorby, Founder | Gorby Peters & Associates

Michael J. Gorby is a nationally recognized trial attorney and founding partner of Gorby Peters & Associates, LLC. With more than three decades of legal experience, Mike has tried hundreds of cases and handled thousands of matters for corporations and individuals across the United States. His practice centers on complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and premises liability for property owners and managers — including hotel chains, restaurants, shopping centers, apartment complexes, office buildings, and other public venues. Mike also advises startup clients on business formation, entity selection, and government contracting, bringing a practical, business-minded approach to every engagement.

• Education & Credentials
  • Mike earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law. Prior to his legal career, he served as an Artillery Officer with the United States Army. He is a certified mediator registered in the State of Georgia.
• Recognition & Leadership
  • Mike is rated AV-Preeminent® by the Lexis-Nexis Peer Review Ratings™ system — the highest designation for professional excellence — and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer® through the Thomson Reuters® peer review system. He is the author of Premises Liability in Georgia, a widely respected legal treatise originally published by Thomson Reuters® in 1998 and now in its third edition. He has also been honored as Outstanding Faculty by the National Business Institute.
• Professional Involvement
  • A dedicated educator and thought leader, Mike has chaired the Premises Liability Seminar for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education of Georgia (now a Division of the Georgia State Bar) for over twenty years. He is a frequent speaker for state and national legal education programs, including ICLE, the National Business Institute, and the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), where he instructs businesses on identifying, competing for, and winning government contracts. Mike and the attorneys at Gorby Peters are deeply committed to community service, collectively volunteering thousands of hours each year to organizations including the American Red Cross, Girls Inc., Angels Among Us, and the Women Presidents’ Organization.
• Experience
  • Throughout his career, Mike has established himself as a go-to advocate in high-stakes corporate disputes and property liability matters. His extensive trial experience spans the full spectrum of commercial litigation, from insurance coverage controversies to complex premises liability claims on behalf of national property owners and managers. In addition to his litigation practice, Mike counsels emerging businesses on entity structuring and strategic planning, and guides clients through the government contracting process — offering a rare combination of courtroom skill and transactional insight that distinguishes his practice on a national level.

Ladd Hirsch, Partner | Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Ladd Hirsch is a solution-oriented trial attorney and partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP with more than 40 years of experience representing companies and high-net-worth business clients in complex litigation and arbitration matters. Known for his tenacious yet pragmatic approach, Ladd is equally effective in the courtroom and the boardroom, consistently driving results aligned with his clients’ short- and long-term business objectives. His practice spans a wide range of industries and concentrates on complex commercial disputes, business divorce litigation, and fiduciary claims.

• Education & Credentials
  • Ladd earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from Cornell University Law School in 1983, where he was a Finalist for the Sutherland Cup Moot Court competition and served on the Board of Barristers. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri (1980). Ladd is licensed in Texas and admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as well as the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas.
• Recognition & Leadership
  • Ladd’s peers and the legal industry have consistently recognized him among the profession’s elite. He has been inducted into the D Magazine Hall of Fame (2025) and named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation every year from 2019 through 2026. He has been listed in Texas Super Lawyers from 2003 to 2020 — including recognition among the Top 100 attorneys in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2010 and 2014 — and in the Business Litigation category from 2022 to 2025. He has also been selected for the D Magazine “Best Lawyers in Dallas” list (2011–2020, 2024–2025) and named to the Lawdragon 500 as both a Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyer and a Leading Litigator in America for Commercial Litigation. Ladd is also sought after by fellow attorneys as an expert witness on the subject of recoverable legal fees.
• Professional Involvement
  • Ladd is actively engaged in the legal profession and his community. Within the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation, he serves as Programs Subcommittee Chair of the Business Torts Committee and is a member of the Trial Practice Committee. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Business Litigation Section of the Dallas Bar Association and a Former Executive Board Member of the Cornell Law School Alumni association. Beyond the legal profession, Ladd has served as Past President and Board Member of the American Jewish Committee – Dallas Region and as Executive Committee Vice President of the Temple Emanu-El Board of Trustees.
• Experience
  • Over the course of his four-decade career, Ladd has built a distinguished record prosecuting and defending complex business litigation matters, including disputes involving breach of contract, business fraud, fiduciary duty violations, non-compete breaches, trade secret theft, and business defamation. His trial and arbitration experience spans a remarkable breadth of industries — from real estate, oil and gas, healthcare, and commercial lending to technology, construction, insurance, food service, and video games. A significant focus of his practice is business divorce litigation, where he represents majority owners and minority investors in substantial private Texas companies, handling claims against officers, directors, managers, general partners, and trustees. Ladd regularly collaborates with family law attorneys to address complex business and property issues arising in family law proceedings. He has tried cases to judgment in both state and federal courts — including federal courts in New York and Chicago — and has argued appeals at the state and federal levels in Texas.

SESSION 1 – Strengthening LLC Operating Agreements in an Era of Economic Volatility | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This session examines how LLC operating agreements must evolve amid economic volatility, supply chain disruptions, and AI-driven workforce changes, covering capital calls, member removal, breach remedies, and alignment with state LLC statutes to protect business interests.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 – Pre-Planning the Business Partner Divorce: Avoiding Legal Pitfalls | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

This session explores the legal complexities of business partner divorces in private companies, covering buy-sell agreements, valuation processes, minority partner claims, and dispute resolution provisions to help co-owners pre-plan for potential separations and avoid costly legal pitfalls.