As a company in the construction industry, there's no denying the fact that you work with many other companies and/or individuals on a regular basis. While this is all part of the business, you must take steps to protect your legal rights.

Should you find yourself face to face with a construction dispute, it's critical that you take the right approach. Here are some things you should do:

• Review the contract: You have a contract in place for a reason. It outlines the scope of the work, including what's expected of both parties. If you neglect to review the contract that's in place, you're making a bad situation worse.
• Talk it out: Don't assume that the problem is too big for you to work through. Even if you're not seeing eye to eye, there are steps you can take to get back on track. Negotiation can lead to compromise. And compromise can lead to finishing the job in a timely manner. 
• Collect evidence: Any and all evidence can come in handy, so collect as much as you can. Even if it doesn't seem important right now, it could be in the future.

These are just a few of the many steps to take when dealing with a construction dispute. When you have a plan in place, you're in a better position to work through the dispute with the idea of keeping the impact to a minimum.

You hope to avoid disputes, but you never know what could happen. Should this come to light, do whatever you can to alleviate tension and get back on track.