You are:
A business owner:
Who has noticed a deteriorating relationship and is worried that you soon might be embroiled in a dispute with a partner, vendor, affiliate, employee, or customer;
Who is faced with actual lawsuit, litigation, or an arbitration —either as plaintiff or defendant.
Who is concerned that a one of your contracts is about to be broken;
Who has a sneaking suspicion that an important employee — one who has access to your company’s confidential information — is considering whether to go into competition with you, despite having signed a non-compete agreement;
Who needs guidance and assistance in negotiating a business deal or contract;
Who wants a review of company documents such as non-disclosure agreements, employee manuals, purchase order forms, invoices, fee agreements, and other business service agreements;
Who needs advice about how to avoid going to court (using alternatives such as arbitration and mediation) —and about when you should go to court;
Who is considering new office space and is not sure about all the implications of the commercial lease;
Who is experiencing a too many legal issues and problems in your business; or
Who is just not “on the same page” with your present business counsel.
Perhaps you are an individual (entrepreneur, professional, or key employee) facing:
Questions about starting a new business as a franchisee, requiring review of a UFOC, assistance, negotiating with the franchisor, and advice to help move your new business forward;
The need for a set of basic business documents.
The need for a new business entity (sole proprietorship, corporation, or LLC);
The need for a reliable, trusted professional to serve in a fiduciary capacity such as trustee of a trust; or
Perhaps you are an owner of a start-up partnership, LLC, or corporation considering:
The need for a buy/sell agreement, succession plan, or other partnership agreement;
An appropriate mechanism for handling internal issues, disputes, and conflicts, and wish to explore the possibility of designating in advance (for example, in your partnership, LLC, or shareholders agreement) a private mediator for on-call problem-solving and/or more formal mediation of internal disputes among partners in lieu of or before court litigation.
In any of these or similar instances, please call or write to me so we can discuss the possibilities.
What distinguishes my service from that of other lawyers:
Extremely responsive, patient, and timely personal attention to client questions and matters
Encourage open, frequent communication between attorney and client
Appropriately aggressive in litigated matters, yet able to settle matters out of court when advantageous to my client
Personally involved in every client matter, and do not delegate cases to inexperienced junior colleagues unfamiliar with the case or the law
Access to an unusually broad and deep cultivated personal network of top-notch professionals, ranging from specialty practice lawyers (through helping to run a lawyers’ networking group) to accountants to most other service providers;
Refrain from accepting matters outside my areas of practice (not a “jack-of-all-trades”); instead, energetically participate in the process of recommending other professionals appropriate to the particular task or matter, for the mutual benefit of the client and my network of professionals
Zealous about fairness to clients in billing practices
Ph.D. in Economics and, having run a small business for more than 10 years, a good understanding of the practical issues involved in owning and operating a business.
Make presentations at public speaking engagements as well as write and publish pieces in various online and print media – recognized expertise
Several examples of matters handled:
Litigation — Sample categories of litigation:
Defense of numerous companies and individuals against breach of contract claims (non-payment and other non-performance) by vendors/suppliers, joint venturers, affiliates, and other parties;
Prosecution on behalf of numerous companies and individuals asserting claims of various breaches of contract and other violations of applicable law;
Commercial Real Estate breach of leasing agreements;
Corporate dissolution and dispute
Personal injury cases
Virginia Sunshine Act and US Freedom of Information Act
Enforcement of Real Estate buy/sell Agreements
Land use and Zoning issues
Enforcement of contract rights between bands and promoters in music industry
Transactional & Advice
Preparation of non-disclosure agreements for business entities (both internally and with outside third-parties)
Review and negotiation of employment contracts for employees in diverse areas including financial services, marketing, executive management, medical equipment sales, accounting, not-for-profit, entertainment, university, physicians, and independent contractor arrangements
Negotiation of commercial leases (can be done at different levels of involvement, and therefore at different degrees of cost)
Negotiation of business services agreements, purchase order forms, invoice forms, and other contractual documents specifically tailored to your business
Business consulting/legal advice
Legal Preventative Medicine: investing in an ounce of prevention advice now may help to avoid having to suffer for a pound of litigation cure later
Clients Rights And Responsibilities
CLIENTS’ RIGHTS:
You are entitled to be treated with courtesy and consideration at all times by your lawyer and the other lawyers and personnel in your lawyer’s office.
You are entitled to an attorney capable of handling your legal matter competently and diligently, in accordance with the highest standards of the profession. If you are not satisfied with how your matter is being handled, you have the right to withdraw from the attorney-client relationship at any time (court approval may be required in some matters and your attorney may have a claim against you for the value of services rendered to you up to the point of discharge).
You are entitled to your lawyer’s independent professional judgment and undivided loyalty uncompromised by conflicts of interest.
You are entitled to be charged a reasonable fee and to have your lawyer explain at the outset how the fee will be computed and the manner and frequency of billing. You are entitled to request and receive a written itemized bill from your attorney at reasonable intervals. You may refuse to enter into any fee arrangement that you find unsatisfactory. In the event of a fee dispute, you may have the right to seek arbitration; your attorney will provide you with the necessary information regarding arbitration in the event of a fee dispute, or upon your request.
You are entitled to have your questions and concerns addressed in a prompt manner and to have your telephone calls returned promptly.
You are entitled to be kept informed as to the status of your matter and to request and receive copies of papers. You are entitled to sufficient information to allow you to participate meaningfully in the development of your matter.
You are entitled to have your legitimate objectives respected by your attorney, including whether or not to settle your matter (court approval of a settlement is required in some matters).
You have the right to privacy in your dealings with your lawyer and to have your secrets and confidences preserved to the extent permitted by law.
You are entitled to have your attorney conduct himself or herself ethically in accordance with the Code of Professional Responsibility.
You may not be refused representation on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.
CLIENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES:
Reciprocal trust, courtesy and respect are the hallmarks of the attorney-client relationship. Within that relationship, the client looks to the attorney for expertise, education, sound judgment, protection, advocacy and representation. These expectations can be achieved only if the client fulfills the following responsibilities:
The client is expected to treat the lawyer and the lawyer’s staff with courtesy and consideration.
The client’s relationship with the lawyer must be one of complete candor and the lawyer must be apprised of all facts or circumstances of the matter being handled by the lawyer even if the client believes that those facts may be detrimental to the client’s cause or unflattering to the client.
The client must honor the fee arrangement as agreed to with the lawyer, in accordance with law.
All bills for services rendered which are tendered to the client pursuant to the agreed upon fee arrangement should be paid promptly.
The client may withdraw from the attorney-client relationship, subject to financial commitments under the agreed to fee arrangement, and, in certain circumstances, subject to court approval.
Although the client should expect that his or her correspondence, telephone calls and other communications will be answered within a reasonable time frame, the client should recognize that the lawyer has other clients equally demanding of the lawyer’s time and attention.
The client should maintain contact with the lawyer, promptly notify the lawyer of any change in telephone number or address and respond promptly to a request by the lawyer for information and cooperation.
The client must realize that the lawyer need respect only legitimate objectives of the client and that the lawyer will not advocate or propose positions which are unprofessional or contrary to law or the Lawyer’s Code of Professional Responsibility.
The lawyer may be unable to accept a case if the lawyer has previous professional commitments which will result in inadequate time being available for the proper representation of a new client.
A lawyer is under no obligation to accept a client if the lawyer determines that the cause of the client is without merit, a conflict of interest would exist or that a suitable working relationship with the client is not likely.
