Established in 1985, Bryan Cave's New York office is the firm’s second largest as a result of the 2002 merger with Manhattan-based Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman LLP.
Our New York lawyers take on many pro bono representations on behalf of poor and disadvantaged populations. The office maintains ongoing referral relationships with a diverse range of organizations including Hot Bread Kitchen, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the Office of the Appellate Defender, the Legal Aid Society, Family Equality Council, MFY Legal Services, the Partnership for New York City and the New York City AIDS Memorial Park Campaign.
Our lawyers and staff are active members of the New York community. The New York office proudly supports our “signature” charitable effort, Union Settlement Association, which builds a stronger community in East Harlem. We are also active in City Harvest’s Skip Lunch Fight Hunger program, Adopt-A-Solider Platoon, Inc., the Justice Resource Center – National MENTOR Moot Court and Mock Trial Program, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City Workplace Mentoring Program, the American Heart Association, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Lee National Denim Day in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and New York City Bar Chorus.
The New York office is comprised of approximately 135 lawyers who practice in a wide range of legal disciplines, including:
Corporate Transactions and Securities
The group handles all types of business combinations, including mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, proxy contests, takeover and anti-takeover planning, joint ventures and a variety of restructuring methods as well as private equity matters. We advise on securities offerings and financings and guide our publicly traded clients on securities compliance matters.
Litigation
Our Litigation practice combines the extensive experience of our attorneys with cutting-edge technology and an innovative and cost-effective approach to case management. Our litigators handle all manner of disputes, including issues involving securities, real estate, banking, employment, environmental, unfair competition, white collar criminal defense, product liability, insurance, and attorney and accountant liability.
Real Estate Transactions and Financings
Our Chambers USA rated Real Estate and Land Use Group has handled many of the most exciting and sophisticated transactions in the country, providing comprehensive legal services addressing all facets of real estate ownership, joint ventures, development, use, regulation, investment and financing and covering nearly every asset class. We react with the speed and sound judgment necessary to tackle the business and legal challenges that arise in ever changing real estate markets. Our clients range from large private equity funds and REITs to local developers.
Banking, Business and Public Finance
Our New York banking team, as part of the firm's 100-lawyer banking and finance group, represents both lenders and borrowers in all types of financing transactions. Our experience includes the structuring, negotiation, documentation and administration of a broad spectrum of syndicated and non-syndicated credit transactions involving both domestic and foreign companies in a wide variety of industries. In addition, our Fund Finance team handles financings for various pooled investment vehicles, such as mutual funds, closed-end funds, hedge funds and private equity funds.
Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditor’s Rights
Our lawyers have in-depth experience representing debtors, creditors’ committees, individual creditors and entities interested in acquiring troubled companies or their assets. We also counsel clients on domestic and cross-border bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters, loan workouts and restructurings and prepare the true sale and non-consolidation opinions necessary for sophisticated corporate and real estate transactions.
Intellectual Property
For businesses invested in intellectual property – including chemical, pharmaceutical, biochemical, electrical/electronic, mechanical and computer technology fields – our lawyers can add significant value by creating and implementing intellectual property strategies, in addition to handling a wide range of litigation and related patent office proceedings, patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, and intellectual property licensing and transactions.
Labor & Employment
Our Labor and Employment practice covers all aspects of traditional labor law, wage and hour law and employment law and related litigation, including class action litigation, non-compete and trade secrets matters and employment dispute arbitration. In addition to an extensive litigation practice, our lawyers assist employers with pro-active counseling and advice, employment policy and practice review, drafting and counseling with respect to all employment-related agreements, and management training to help reduce the risk of litigation.
Environmental and Land Use
We handle all aspects of environmental law and litigation for New York industrial and commercial clients as well as municipalities, state public benefit corporations and public authorities. Our land use lawyers represent developers, public authorities and municipalities in zoning, land use, historical preservation, building code, administrative proceedings and litigation matters.
Tax Advice and Controversy
The Tax Group works with clients on both transactional matters and federal and state tax controversy matters. On the transactional side, we regularly provide tax advice and tax planning including with respect to mergers and acquisitions, sophisticated real estate transactions, venture capital and private equity funds, executive compensation and tax-exemption issues. In tax controversy matters, we regularly represent clients on federal tax matters before the Internal Revenue Service and in the United States Tax Court and on state and local matters before the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and New York City Department of Finance, among others.
Payments, Stored Value and Bank Regulatory Services
We have a leading practice in the areas of stored value, payment systems, electronic payments, credit cards, debit cards and check processing. We advise banks, payment networks, program managers and marketers, ACH networks, and bill payment and payment facilitation companies regarding both federal and state consumer protection, privacy, data security and anti-money laundering laws, as well as state abandoned property and money transmitter licensing laws.
Private Client
Our Private Client lawyers engage in sophisticated personal estate and tax planning, probate and trust administration, business succession planning and related legal services. The group counsels and represents clients throughout the United States and internationally, ranging from individuals, families, and closely-held businesses to major trust and charitable institutions.