Our Practice Areas

Business and Transactions
Litigation
Real Estate
Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Entertainment, Intellectual Property and New Media
Franchise
Estate Planning and Probate

Business and Transactions

Greenberg & Bass advises clients on a broad spectrum of general corporate and commercial matters, including drafting and negotiating agreements, business entity formations, commercial leasing transactions, employment issues, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder rights, and regulatory and compliance issues. In addition, we provide assistance with sophisticated business planning and operations, franchise formations, and negotiation and dispute resolution among owners of closely held or family businesses.

The firm has a tradition of developing and maintaining close relationships with entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners. We provide personal attention and ensure that clients have access to a wide variety of services and resources. Our attorneys frequently serve as outside general counsel to our business clients. In this capacity, they develop a familiarity with the business, enabling them to provide advice on virtually all legal matters affecting day-to-day operations.

The firm has extreme experience in the banking, finance and factoring industries. We routinely handle complex commercial and corporate transactions, leveraged lease financings, corporate reorganizations, and secured transactions.



Litigation

The firm's civil litigation practice is local, regional and national in scope and includes dispute resolution, negotiated settlements, appeals and trial representation. We represent business entities and individuals in commercial disputes in federal and state court; including cases involving fraud, intellectual property issues, trade secrets, trademark and licensing infringements, lender liability, securities, shareholder disputes, contracts, employment issues, Uniform Commercial Code matters, bankruptcy and insolvency.

The firm routinely assists parties in resolving disputes through various methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) rather than traditional litigation. ADR presents an opportunity to resolve disputes in a manner that protects the participants' privacy and can maintain ongoing business and personal relationships. As advocates, arbitrators and mediators, the firm's attorneys use ADR techniques to resolve a variety of business disputes and bankruptcy controversies.

The firm has significant experience using mediation and arbitration to assist parties in resolving disputes and negotiating early settlements. Our attorneys handle arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association, JAMS and other authorized providers of such services. The firm has arbitrated virtually every type of business, commercial, and real estate dispute; and is frequently involved in drafting ADR provisions carefully tailored to meet specific client needs.


Real Estate

Greenberg & Bass has an active real estate practice and represents real estate developers, lenders, hotel operators, landlords and tenants. Our attorneys are experienced in all aspects of commercial and residential development, including single-family, condominium and apartment projects; hotels; office buildings; industrial parks and mixed-use developments. The firm's real estate services also include the negotiation and preparation of office and industrial leases, as well as ground leases, for landlords and tenants.

The firm represents developers and lenders in virtually every type of real estate financing, including acquisition and development loans, construction loans, leasehold financing, equity or "profit" participations, joint ventures and limited partnerships. In addition, our team of real estate, tax, litigation, and insolvency attorneys is experienced in dealing creatively with the challenging economic, tax and bankruptcy issues raised by the restructure of secured and unsecured debt.


Insolvency and Bankruptcy

A recognized leader in the area of insolvency and bankruptcy, the firm represents secured and unsecured creditors, debtors, financial institutions, asset-based lenders, bankruptcy and creditors' committees, bankruptcy trustees and purchasers of financially distressed businesses.

Our services include structuring the purchase or sale of assets to or from financially distressed businesses and negotiating informal workouts with creditors. We advise clients on various commercial transactions, including attachment and perfection of security interests; repossession of, or foreclosure upon, real or personal property collateral; and analyzing commercial transactions in an effort to minimize the impact of a bankruptcy by another party to the transaction.

The firm handles all aspects of bankruptcy litigation, including the prosecution and defense of preference and fraudulent conveyance actions. We assist commercial and industrial landlords and tenants with protection and enforcement of lease rights and remedies. The firm also provides legal counsel in insolvency alternatives to bankruptcy, including out-of-court workouts, assignments for the benefit of creditors, receiverships, and liquidations of partnerships and corporations.

Our extensive involvement with insolvency cases provides a unique perspective on the inner workings of multiple businesses and industries. We maximize this valuable insight by proactively responding to the challenges and issues our clients face in today's competitive market.


Entertainment, Intellectual Property and New Media

Greenberg & Bass attorneys are acutely aware of the convergence taking place within the entertainment, hi-tech, gaming and new media industries. As a result, our Entertainment, Intellectual Property & New Media practice reflects a solid understanding of the business issues and creative challenges that impact these industries.

The firm’s clients include television and film production and distribution companies, talent agency and management firms, and individual musicians, actors, celebrities, writers, producers, and directors. We also represent electronic game development and distribution companies, software developers, electronics distributors, e-commerce businesses, and high-tech product manufacturers.

From locally-based to international companies, the firm provides counsel on corporate, employment and contractual matters related to intellectual property issues; acquisition and licensing agreements; copyright, trademark and trade secret protection; obtaining and structuring financing for creative projects; contract negotiations; entity formations; dispute resolution and asset protection, and develops appropriate protection vehicles for investments in high technology, games, and other entertainment products.


Franchise

The firm represents franchisors and franchisees in a variety of areas including preparation and review of Uniform Franchising Offering Circulars, regulatory compliance, ownership structuring, acquisitions and dispositions, development of franchise sales and expansion programs, commercial real estate leasing and litigation. The firm's background in this area goes beyond legal to include actual business and executive management franchise experience, giving our clients the additional advantage of first-hand knowledge of the industry.

Estate Planning and Probate

The firm provides counsel in estate planning, trusts, probate and estate taxation matters. Estate planning services include drafting of wills, trusts (both revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts), and related documents; creation and implementation of gifting programs; development of plans for the effective use of life insurance; integration of pension and profit-sharing plan benefits and individual retirement accounts with the estate plan; and preparation of prenuptial and other marital agreements. The firm advises owners of closely held businesses regarding strategies for transferring business interests to children and grandchildren. Our services also include advising clients about charitable giving programs, and drafting charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts.