Business & Commercial Law

Ackerman, Levine, Cullen, Brickman & Limmer, LLP

Our business and commercial practice provides a full complement of services to institutional and individual clients, including: mergers and acquisitions, business formation and planning, contracts, computer law, “business divorce,” financing (secured and unsecured), and franchising.

In mergers and acquisitions, we have extensive experience in negotiating and documenting stock and asset acquisitions, reorganizations, recapitalizations, subsidiary spin-offs, mergers, consolidations, and similar transactions. These transactions require sophisticated legal representation and a detailed understanding of relevant legal concepts which our lawyers have developed through years of experience. Our firm has handled dozens of such transactions in sizes ranging from $100,000 to over $100,000,000.

For new business entities, partnerships or other business arrangements, knowledgeable and experienced advice and counsel in structure and formation is essential. We are skilled in advising on whether a new venture should be structured as a corporation, partnership, limited partnership or limited liability company, including the important implications for tax liabilities and exposure to personal liability for company contracts or lawsuits, and how these different structures provide varying degrees of flexibility in terms of management responsibilities and allocation of business profits and losses. We can help decide on the type of business structure most suitable for each specific circumstance.

We routinely assist in reviewing, negotiating and drafting any contract that an individual or corporate client is likely to encounter, including joint venture, shareholder and partnership agreements, purchase order terms and conditions, employment agreements, equipment leases, loan agreements, outsourcing agreements, pledge and security agreements, and general business contracts for almost any industry.

In the computer law area, we are experienced in representing both licensors and licensees in transactions involving IP licensing, software licensing and development agreements, hardware purchase agreements, shrink wrap licenses, and website agreements. The scope of our services ranges from straightforward advice in reviewing a license agreement presented for client signature to assisting in developing a series of agreement forms for use in business operations. Our focus is to understand all of the relevant legal provisions, and negotiate or draft an agreement to suit each particular need.

Our attorneys are experienced in a wide range of financing transactions, including secured and unsecured bank loans, private debt and equity securities offerings, factoring agreements, accounts receivable financing and similar transactions. No one should undertake this type of important financial commitment without the appropriate legal review of all underlying documentation.

In “business divorce” matters, our attorneys work with professional practices in the legal, accounting, architectural and health care fields, as well as with owners of closely held and family corporations, and partnerships. We are sensitive to the extraordinary economic, psychological, emotional, and physical cost involved in any litigation among family members or business partners who have been together for years. While we are always prepared to litigate a business or partnership dispute if necessary, we strongly advocate resolutions that will preserve, to the extent possible, the familial and social relationships among the parties.

Our business and commercial lawyers work closely with our firm’s other practice groups on a wide range of client matters. Our goal is to add value and efficiency for all our clients in coordinated legal services involving other major areas of our practice in real property transactions (including municipal and zoning regulation), trusts, estates and succession planning, and contested litigation matters.

For more information, please contact Leslie J. Levine at 516-829-6900, ext. 410 (llevine@alcllp.com), or contact John M. Gaioni at 516-829-6900, ext. 407 ( jgaioni@alcllp.com).