About-banner

Labor & Employment Advisory and Litigation

We move businesses forward

The attorneys of Smith, Buss & Jacobs leverage insight and experience to move businesses forward and help clients achieve real world results. Ongoing businesses of every size have contractual, financing, employment, and corporate structure needs to enable a strong foundation and continued growth.

At Smith, Buss & Jacobs, we differentiate ourselves by getting to know our clients and their businesses. We bring the full range of our collective expertise to help articulate and achieve a vast array of business goals including Contracts & Transactions, Buying & Selling, Financing, Labor & Employment, Intellectual Property and Bankruptcy.

We work with remarkable effectiveness with our business clients as general counsel on litigation avoidance and risk management, maximizing chances for commercial litigation success, and planning new business initiatives which have a litigation risk component. In addition, we provide confidential counseling on addressing legal concerns in business plan implementation, media relations, or governmental scrutiny, particularly in sensitive or high-profile situations.


Contracts & Transactions
Balancing legal and practical advice

The attorneys of Smith, Buss & Jacobs provide a strategic mix of practical and legal advice derived from remarkable experience and comprehensive expertise to client’s business transactions. Our attorneys perform extensive due diligence getting to know our clients’ businesses, starting at the roots in order to put our clients in the best position to conduct transactions and protect their interests within the four corners of every document.

Our business attorneys handle contractual needs related to commercial transaction, regulatory, employment and dispute resolution matters and we establish limited liability companies, traditional partnerships, corporations, joint ventures, trusts, and other vehicles suited for the client or the transaction. We also prepare operating agreements, shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, confidentiality agreements, employment agreements, deeds of trust and other documents necessary for the efficient management and operation of those business vehicles.

Over the years we have helped clients with business matters from various states and throughout the New York metro area including New York City, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, Westchester, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Long Island, and Rockland County.


Buying & Selling
Strategy where it counts

Clients require a trustworthy and strategic team to participate in due diligence regarding the financial and business development histories of potential business partners to establish fair value on either end of a transaction and draw up transaction documents. Our attorneys advise upon debt and counsel sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations on the reallocation, acquisition and division of business shares or interests.

Our team is well-versed in handling legally binding and complicated matters that occur at all stages of business development and operations such as disputes between owners, keeping the best interests of the business in mind from the immediate to not so distant future.


Financing
Creative solutions and expertise

When it comes to securing financing and safeguarding client finances, we reach across practice areas and apply the resources necessary to manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and develop creative solutions for moving business forward.

The evolving landscape of the financial world means that our clients expect comprehensive solutions to a wide range of financial transactions and challenges arising from market regulations, corporate compliance, lending and borrowing, and mergers and acquisitions at the local, federal and international levels. Our team is here to ensure that long and short term fiscal goals are accomplished efficiently, securely and most importantly, discreetly.


Labor & Employment
Legal acumen and effective strategies

Our Labor and Employment practice provides the foundation needed to structure and manage today’s diverse workforce. Smith, Buss & Jacobs’ experienced litigators work efficiently to achieve favorable results that align with client objectives. We successfully defend private and public sector employers in state and federal court and handle administrative charges before state and federal agencies. Our labor counsel represent employers in matters before arbitrators, mediators, labor relations boards and government agencies.

We provide overall strategic legal advice and counsel employers on compliance with local, state and federal law, terminations, employment agreements, adverse employment actions, avoidance of discrimination and retaliation claims, employee handbooks, and company policies and related workplace issues.

Smith, Buss & Jacobs also counsels employers with respect to labor relations issues and policies. For unionized employers we provide legal representation during collective bargaining negotiations, as well as advice on communications and best practices during the term of the contract including mid-agreement modifications. In addition, we have extensive experience representing employers during grievance and arbitration proceedings and disciplinary hearings.

Finally, Smith, Buss & Jacobs provides training on anti-discrimination and retaliation laws, strategies for maintaining a harassment-free workplace, prevention of retaliation claims, and FMLA and ADA requirements.


Intellectual Property & Technology
Guidance for vital assets

Our attorneys are uniquely equipped to counsel clients in matters involving the full spectrum of intellectual property, privacy, data security and e-commerce issues. Along with assistance to clients whose primary assets are their copyrights, trademarks, patents or trade secrets, we provide a full scope of services to clients whose businesses involve valuable information and intellectual property, including those in the social media, advertising, real estate, e-commerce and health care industries.

We render practical advice on data security and breach response policies, on the selection, adoption and registration of trademarks, and on the use and protection of copyrightable subject matter. We negotiate contracts for the transfer or license of intellectual property rights and render advice on laws relating to the commercial use of public and private information. In connection with corporate acquisitions and divestitures, we undertake thorough intellectual property due diligence and advise on the use of protected intellectual property of newly merged or acquired businesses.


Bankruptcy
Intelligent legal advisory

Smith, Buss & Jacobs provides advice and representation to a wide variety of parties-in-interest in bankruptcy proceedings, including creditors, debtors, bankruptcy trustees and government entities and regulators. Our services range from advice on the bankruptcy process and how a party can best to position itself in chapter 11 proceedings, to sophisticated representation in complex financial and business litigation in the bankruptcy court. We also represent foreign representatives, international clients and other parties-in-interest in cross-border proceedings under chapter 15 of the bankruptcy code.