Commercial Law

We help business clients achieve success in virtually all types of commercial endeavors, and feel that your success is our success. Our commercial law team is comprised of a diverse group of lawyers from multiple practice areas, providing a wide variety of skill sets to our clients.

On a regular basis, our lawyers are drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts and other commercial documents for a wide range of business transactions, including:

• Standard terms and conditions of sale
• Joint development and marketing agreements
• Sales and distribution arrangements, both in the United States and around the world
• Inventory consignment agreements
• Contract manufacturing agreements
• Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
• Arbitration and dispute resolution agreements
• Equipment purchase and sale contracts
• Co-manufacturing agreements
• Equipment leasing programs and agreements
• Cross-border transactions involving direct sales, agency and distribution arrangements
• Technical licensing arrangements
• Consulting services
• Service and repair contracts

In each situation, our lawyers work to ensure our clients’ commercial agreements serve their business goals, mitigate risk and meet all parties’ expectations. At the forefront of our approach is a practical understanding of your business needs.

Here is a small sample of business matters we have handled for clients:

• Preparing, negotiating and drafting construction, general contractor, and sub-contractor agreements used in connection with building a significant food processing plant
• Negotiating contracts with some of the largest municipal authorities for the supply of equipment used in waste water treatment plants
• Negotiating and documenting secured project financing arrangements for the construction of a substantial manufacturing facility in Michigan
• Negotiating and drafting general contractor and sub-contractor agreements for a significant food processing plant in New York state
• Preparing equipment supply agreements for a large municipal wastewater authorities in California, Texas, Illinois and other states
• Negotiating contract for the sale and installation of processing equipment to a leading jam and condiment manufacturer in Ohio
• Negotiating complex consignment agreement with major lender for aircraft parts supply company in North Carolina

Local presence, global perspective

With the firm's regional resources and international contacts, a significant part of our practice involves advising multi-national corporations on various U.S. business law issues. Adapting foreign commercial agreements to U.S. law and advising clients based outside the U.S. on these issues is a regular part of our work. Typically the applicable body of law is the Uniform Commercial Code or the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.  

Some notable international transactions we have handled include:

• Preparing master supply and framework agreements governing the purchase and sale of parts and equipment, both in the United States and globally
• Negotiating terms and documentation for the supply of major pieces of equipment to a large refining facility in the Middle East
• Reviewing and negotiating an equipment supply agreement for large liquid natural gas facilities in the United States and Australia

Helping clients handle contract matters internally

Our attorneys’ knowledge and experience is also frequently put to use in developing and implementing business processes and training programs for handling contract law issues internally.

To help our clients achieve the most cost effective results, we have been asked to develop and implement onsite training programs for business executives enabling them to properly review, negotiate and document commercial contracts without the assistance of external legal counsel. 

Identifying the proper personnel to conduct various levels of review and then training those people is a regular part of our work in this area. Implementing the proper procedures for handling and concluding commercial agreements has resulted in considerable savings for our clients.

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