Science and Technology Commercialization

Industry Team

Emerging companies, venture capitalists, private investors and technology transfer groups at leading universities trust our Science and Technology attorneys to guide them on issues specifically pertinent to young companies, including business planning, capitalization, strategic alliances, intellectual property, and initial public offerings. At Harris Beach, we work side-by-side with our clients to guide them through the legal and financial maze facing startup companies. This means taking a comprehensive approach to ensure that the new company is well protected and will be in a position to attract capital or advantageous financing. We have guided companies from startup to success, as well as through mergers and acquisitions and public stock offerings. Our clients inevitably benefit from our extensive experience with emerging businesses.

As any entrepreneur knows, coming up with the idea for a new business or creating an invention to launch that new business is only the first step to a successful venture. While the idea for the product or service undoubtedly is essential, the most successful companies are those that start out with high-quality legal and financial advice on how to obtain the resources, strategies, and protection needed to move the business forward.

Our services include:

Choice of Entity

Our attorneys help clients decide what kind of business entity to form, be it a C corporation, an S corporation, partnership, or a limited liability company (LLC). Initial tax and financing strategies will influence this choice.

Capitalization

We help our clients plan their present and future capitalization. We help them obtain capital from individual and/or institutional investors, including venture capital. We help clients go public and handle all aspects of both private placements and Initial Public Offerings (IPOs).

Strategic Business Alliances

We help clients negotiate strategic alliances with selected companies and institutions that can provide strategic marketing services, development funding, licenses to needed technology, and often equity capital. We help initiate joint ventures. We advise clients on setting up strategic alliances for the purposes of marketing and/or global distribution strategies.

Intellectual Property

Our attorneys handle all aspects of patent, copyright, and trademark protection, both in the United States and worldwide. We have extensive experience in ensuring that our clients’ inventions or ideas are fully protected under U.S. and international patent law. We also advise our clients on establishing clear-cut patent, work-for-hire, and non-competition agreements with employees responsible for research and development, and we have extensive trial experience in intellectual property matters.

Administrative and Regulatory Law

We advise our clients on local, state, and federal regulations, we handle export applications, and we guide our clients applying for Federal Drug Administration approvals. Our attorneys handle all SEC issues, tax issues, and National Labor Relations Board and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations. We handle licensing agreements and equity and technology exchange agreements. We also assist clients in dealing with government customers and government procurement rules and issues.

Labor and Employment

Harris Beach attorneys advise clients on all areas of employer/employee relations, the hiring and firing of employees, harassment and discrimination issues, federal and state minimum wage and overtime laws, and safety in the workplace (OSHA) issues. We also provide preventive legal advice and training for all levels of management. We have an extensive track record representing company managements when faced with union organizing and/or collective bargaining negotiation issues and have extensive experience in litigating employment matters in federal and sate courts.

Economic Development Incentives

Firm attorneys have acted as bond counsel on redevelopment projects, technology parks and renaissance centers across New York state and have utilized local development corporations, empire zones, federal zones, new market tax credits, small cities block grant funding, regional and local revolving loan funds and the Brownfield Cleanup Act to secure necessary funding for groundbreaking development projects involving science and technology. The attorneys engaged in the firm’s economic development practice have participated in both domestic and international project financings and bring extensive expertise to taxable and tax-exempt transactions. Harris Beach is listed as a recognized bond counsel firm in the “Municipal Bond Attorneys” section of “The Bond Buyer’s Municipal Marketplace” (commonly known as the “Red Book”) and publishes an “Economic Development Handbook” focusing on New York development programs.

Business and Commercial Litigation

The increasingly complex business climate, both nationally and internationally, has created an ever growing demand for effective litigators. As a result, the Business and Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Harris Beach is one of the firm’s largest and fastest growing practice areas. Our firm has a demonstrated track record of successfully handling all types of litigation. We regularly represent clients in everything from straightforward contract disputes to complex intellectual property litigation. Our attorneys have extensive litigation experience in federal and state courts around the country and handle virtually any type of commercial dispute. We also have a strong appellate practice.