Corporate Counsel

Our corporate practice is focused on providing ongoing general business counseling to companies and funds. We prefer to get involved early and often in our corporate clients' legal matters, rather than focus on a transactional model. We learn more about our clients that way, and closer relationships lead to better decisions.

Corporate counsel is fundamentally about managing principal-agent problems where multiple stakeholders have overlapping interests. Governance, incentive structures, moral hazard, and regulatory risk are all part of the equation. Once we understand our clients' positions, we help them chart a course through this thicket, avoiding risks and seizing opportunities along the way.

Contractual and other arrangements with employees, stockholders, customers and suppliers, business development partners, lenders, landlords, technology contractors, licensees and licensors are all routine facets of our corporate practice. We also run small and medium enterprise mergers and acquisitions processes efficiently to close deals quickly without sacrificing risk control.

Securities & Capital Growth

Intelligent Growth

Each business has its own trajectory and capital needs. We study clients' objectives, explain the risks and advantages of available capital strategies, and work closely with our clients' personnel to implement them.

Emerging Enterprise Finance and Private Placements

We are at the forefront of innovative debt and equity financing techniques available to start-ups and emerging businesses. Investors and issuers are in a never-ending search for new funding techniques in response to changing start-up economics as well as regulatory requirements. Convertible debt with deferred pricing, crowd-sourced and P2P lending networks, standardized convertible preferred stock terms, and contractual profit-sharing rights have all grown out of the needs of new technology businesses and investors. We strive to keep abreast of these innovations and use them where appropriate, or craft alternative solutions.

Equity Compensation

Equity incentive plans give emerging and established businesses alike an edge against competitors in attracting skilled employees. We educate clients on the features of contemporary equity incentive and deferred compensation arrangements and help them design programs that are economically efficient while complying with applicable laws.

Public Company Compliance

We have years of experience counseling public companies on compliance with securities law disclosure and reporting obligations, including annual, quarterly and current reports, beneficial ownership reporting (Sections 13 & 16), proxy statements and deregistration.

Intellectual Property

With the knowledge economy quickly becoming the only economy, IP law is increasingly critical. Adler Vermillion & Skocilich litigates IP disputes, secures patents, and provides trademark, copyright, and technology licensing counsel.

Defending Research & Development

With experience in patenting software, mechanical technologies and business methods, we provide cost-effective tools to develop powerful patent portfolios. We identify and patent core competitive advantages without wasting resources on peripheral technologies. A carefully structured portfolio may create lucrative licensing opportunities, venture capital strategies, and powerful tools for disposing with baseless lawsuits.

Brand Protection

From identity development, to trademark registration and enforcement, our attorneys work side-by-side with clients to maximize brand value. Not all brands are created equal. We direct clients toward unique and easily defensible identities. We do not waste resources with groundless enforcement efforts, and strive to quickly dispose of meritless claims against our clients.

Defending Creative Works

Copyright law is vital tool for creative professionals, designers and software developers. We help clients protect the fruits of their creative labors, and provide guidance on the fair use of other works.