Alice Rodd O’Rourke, a brand marketer with extensive experience in the legal industry, explains how the same skills that make for successful trial lawyers or transactions attorneys can be a gold mine in terms of business development success in this exclusive two-part “CMO Corner” interview.

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In this exclusive LegalMindsTV “Viewpoint” interview, Brian Cuban, discusses the impact of social media on the legal community.

Brian Cuban is counsel for Mark Cuban Companies, where his responsibilities include providing legal advice in a broad spectrum of endeavors and acting as Executive as Executive Director of The Mark Cuban Foundation.

View and download a transcript of the complete interview here. (Coming soon!)

Counterfeit consumer products were once limited mostly to luxury fashion and jewelry brands, but now companies are finding the threat reaching broadly across all product categories and levels of commerce — from upscale merchants to the local 99¢ store, and even the pharmacy shelves.

Current estimates are that 7-10% of global trade is derived from counterfeit products, with an annual cost of almost $492 billion to the global economy.  Within the U.S., government agencies made almost 15,000 seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods in 2009, with a domestic value of $260 million.

In this exclusive LegalMindsTV interview, Greg Gulia, a partner in the New York office of Duane Morris LLP, discusses the factors contributing to the sudden increase in counterfeit and gray market goods, what companies can do to protect their brands from trademark infringement and why it’s essential to take action.

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Gregory P. Gulia
Partner, Duane Morris LLP

Mr. Gulia has counseled clients concerning a broad range of intellectual property issues, negotiated trademark licenses, purchases and consent agreements, and litigated numerous trademark, copyright, anti-counterfeiting, domain name, unfair competition, trade secrets, rights of publicity and privacy, and First Amendment cases for various major media corporations, entertainers, luxury goods makers, fashion companies, international store chains and consumer products companies.

Mr. Gulia is a 1992 cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

FIRM INFORMATION

Evolving from a partnership of prominent lawyers in Philadelphia a century ago, Duane Morris now has offices in many major markets and continues to expand across the country and overseas through nonmerger growth. Throughout this expansion, Duane Morris remains committed to preserving the collegial culture that has attracted so many talented attorneys. The firm’s leadership believes this culture is truly unique among large law firms, and that outstanding legal work is best accomplished by skilled professionals who respect each other and work well together.

Duane Morris lawyers hold leadership positions in bar associations, as well as in educational, cultural and charitable organizations and with community groups across the country. Many of the firm’s attorneys come to Duane Morris after having held senior positions in government agencies and large corporations. This range of experience is further enriched by the diverse backgrounds of the firm’s attorneys. Duane Morris has long been committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting talented female and minority lawyers, many of whom hold leadership roles at the firm.

Trade publications have placed Duane Morris in the upper echelon of law firms in terms of utilizing technology. Hundreds of lawyers working around the globe quickly communicate and collaborate using the firm’s integrated computer network, accessing sophisticated research software, information-rich databases, and other knowledge-sharing tools. Duane Morris’ clients also benefit from the contributions of professional-level support staff who maintain the firm’s technological and administrative infrastructure and enable lawyers to focus on providing valuable counsel and service to their clients.

For additional information, visit: http://www.duanemorris.com

RELATED INTERVIEWS:

Advising Entrepreneurs on Business Formation, Funding and Growth
Peter Rothberg, Duane Morris LLP

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The challenges of forming and growing an entrepreneurial venture are formidable – particularly in such a challenging financial market where funding is tight and exits are few and far between.

However, according to Peter Rothberg, a partner at Duane Morris LLP, there are many things an entrepreneur can do to build a foundation for growth and success, starting with the proper business structure to limit financial liability and help position the company to weather any circumstance.

In addition to the proper corporate structure, Rothberg discusses why every entrepreneur should have a business plan to help build a strong foundation.  And contrary to what many believe, it’s real value is not for presenting to investors.  According to Rothberg, “the consensus of the venture capitalists that I know would tell you that the business plan is not for them, the business plan if for the entrepreneur.”

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Peter W. Rothberg
Partner, Duane Morris LLP

Peter W. Rothberg practices in the area of corporate law with a focus on corporate securities, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, financial transactions and digital media company representation. Mr. Rothberg serves as outside general counsel to venture capital funds and to private companies involved in a variety of industries, particularly in connection with financing and acquisitions transactions, including venture capital and private equity fund investments in such companies, private placements of securities, bridge financings, IPOs and public and private mergers and acquisitions. He also represents a life insurance premium finance agency in matters related to regulatory issues as well as lending and borrowing transactions.

Mr. Rothberg is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of the editorial board of Law Policy in International Business, and a summa cum laude graduate of Bowdoin College, where he was a James Bowdoin Scholar.

FIRM INFORMATION

Evolving from a partnership of prominent lawyers in Philadelphia a century ago, Duane Morris now has offices in many major markets and continues to expand across the country and overseas through nonmerger growth. Throughout this expansion, Duane Morris remains committed to preserving the collegial culture that has attracted so many talented attorneys. The firm’s leadership believes this culture is truly unique among large law firms, and that outstanding legal work is best accomplished by skilled professionals who respect each other and work well together.

Duane Morris lawyers hold leadership positions in bar associations, as well as in educational, cultural and charitable organizations and with community groups across the country. Many of the firm’s attorneys come to Duane Morris after having held senior positions in government agencies and large corporations. This range of experience is further enriched by the diverse backgrounds of the firm’s attorneys. Duane Morris has long been committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting talented female and minority lawyers, many of whom hold leadership roles at the firm.

Trade publications have placed Duane Morris in the upper echelon of law firms in terms of utilizing technology. Hundreds of lawyers working around the globe quickly communicate and collaborate using the firm’s integrated computer network, accessing sophisticated research software, information-rich databases, and other knowledge-sharing tools. Duane Morris’ clients also benefit from the contributions of professional-level support staff who maintain the firm’s technological and administrative infrastructure and enable lawyers to focus on providing valuable counsel and service to their clients.

For additional information, visit: http://www.duanemorris.com

RELATED INTERVIEWS:

Protecting Brands from Trademark Infringement
Gregory Gulia, Duane Morris LLP

Click image to view video.

Increased pressure to reduce costs and improve profitability and operating efficiencies have led outsourcing to become a $50 billion industry.  While growing at an annual rate of 29% until the the recent credit crisis, the industry has increasingly been under legal, economic, regulatory and policy scrutiny.

According to Richard Raysman, a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP, it’s not just companies outsourcing their IT and business processes which has fueled the growth of the industry.  Companies like HP NYSE:HPQ, Dell NASDAQ:DELL, Xerox NYSE:XRX and IBM NYSE:IBM have all made significant acquisitions in outsourcing as a means to increase revenues and profitability as well as to become more competitive as outsourcing had continued to grow.” This has become more important in the face of competition from Indian companies such as Wipro NYSE:WIT, Cognizant NASDAQ:CTSH and Infosys NASDAQ: INFY.

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

Publications referenced in this interview:
“Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: An Overview of Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data,” Congressional Research Service
“Civilian Agencies Development and Implementation of Insourcing Guidelines,” United States General Accounting Office

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Richard Raysman
Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

Richard Raysman concentrates on computer law, outsourcing, complex technology transactions, and intellectual property issues. He has significant experience in structuring technology transactions, and his information technology background and understanding of the law have made him uniquely qualified to represent clients for technology issues. Mr. Raysman has been selected by Chambers as one of America’s leading outsourcing lawyers. He has also been named by “Super Lawyers” as a top practitioner. He has litigated reported cases for the New York state and federal courts. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Raysman was a Systems Engineer for IBM Corporation for six years

Representative Transactional Matters

• Represented a telecommunications company in a $1.2 billion outsourcing transaction with a global manufacturing company.
• Represented a Transportation Agency in a $1 billion acquisition of an automated fare collection system.
• Represented an international manufacturing company in a $500 million worldwide outsourcing of information technology to an international service provider.
• Represented a major Hospital in a $350 million outsourcing with a major service provider.

FIRM INFORMATION

With 1,100 lawyers, 150 practice areas and a global presence, Holland & Knight offers the experience and resources to handle your most difficult legal challenges. But we are dedicated to going beyond, to being your counselors in the fullest sense of the word. That involves more than knowing the law. It’s understanding your business and your needs almost as well as you do. It’s thinking about how we can serve your long-term interests, and not just the problem of the moment. It’s measuring our value by your standards.

There’s a reason Holland & Knight perennially ranks among the top law firms for client service. The answer lies in the relationships we build. Get connected to experience the difference.

For additional information, visit: http://www.hklaw.com/

The growth of technology has had a significant impact on most every facet of the entertainment industry. According to Marc Jacobson, who concentrates his practice in media and entertainment, this is most evident in the music business, where unit sales, revenues and jobs have been reduced by an astonishing 50% since 2001.

But Jacobson is also quick to point out that music is consumed — listened to, played, streamed, downloaded and copies made — more than ever before.

In this exclusive video interview with LegalMindsTV, he discusses how changes in technology have led to a profound shift in the entertainment industry and how constantly-evolving business models are struggling to compete in a landscape dominated by Apple NASDAQ:AAPL iTunes, which accounts for 69% of all digital music sales and 25% of all music sold, and Amazon NASDAQ:AMZN, which is a distant second with 8% of the digital market.

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Marc Jacobson
Marc Jacobson, P.C.

Marc Jacobson has significant experience in the entertainment and Internet industries. He currently advises many clients on the business and intellectual property issues faced by entertainment businesses in the digital age. This includes advice regarding the creation, development, and exploitation of intellectual property rights in internet-based content as well as film, television, video, music and theatrical properties. Marc also advises companies on business and financing strategies in connection with such properties.

As a result of Marc’s broad business and legal background, he is an advisor to a diverse group of individuals and companies in connection with production, licensing, financing, recording, distributing, publishing, joint venture, personal service and related contracts. He handles the purchase and sale of music publishing catalogs, and the financing, production, and distribution of filmed entertainment. Marc is also well known for his experience with regard to the approval and disaffirmance of minors’ contracts. Additionally, as the former General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and SVP of Public Policy for a major online service, Marc was a principal draftsman of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He is also the founding Chairman of the New York State Bar Association Section on Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law.

FIRM INFORMATION

Marc Jacobson, P.C. currently advises clients on the business and intellectual property issues faced by entertainment businesses in the digital age. This includes matters relating to the creation, development and exploitation of intellectual property rights in internet-based content as well as film television, video, music and theatrical properties. Marc also advises companies on business and financing strategies in connection with such properties.

For additional information, visit: http://www.marcjacobson.com

Changes in the regulatory landscape are having a profound impact on companies seeking to access the capital markets.  In this exclusive LegalMindsTV interview, Steven Khadavi, Co-Chair of the Capital Markets practice Group at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, discusses some of the challenges these companies face.

According to Khadavi, “companies considering accessing the capital markets need to carefully weight the costs and benefits of these transactions.  In addition to being an expensive and time consuming process, it can create a significant diversion of management’s time, as well as add significant burdens in terms of disclosures and regulatory compliance.”

“Accessing the capital markets is a long process,’ says Khadavi.  The lead time to commencing a transaction is probably a year or so and in that time you need to “start thinking like a public company.”  This includes engaging PCAOB certified auditors and an accounting firm that’s familiar with SEC reporting and be able to go through the capital markets process.  Companies also need to consider the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which entails large upfront costs for testing internal controls and procedures – particularly the first time around.

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Steven Khadavi
Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Steven Khadavi is a partner in Dorsey’s Corporate group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets practice group. He has extensive experience in corporate finance and securities law, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Khadavi has represented underwriters and issuers in public and private debt and equity offerings, debt tender offers, consent solicitations, exchange offers and public and private acquisitions. He has represented clients in the United States and abroad in various sectors, including telecommunications, healthcare and consumer products. He also advises clients with respect to corporate governance and Sarbanes-Oxley matters.

FIRM INFORMATION

Clients have relied on Dorsey since 1912 as a valued business partner. With more than 650 lawyers in 19 locations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific region, Dorsey provides an integrated, proactive approach to its clients’ legal and business needs. Dorsey represents a number of the world’s most successful Fortune 500 companies from a variety of disciplines, including leaders in the financial services, investment banking, life sciences, securities, technology and energy sectors, as well as nonprofit and government entities.

For additional information, visit: http://www.dorsey.com

Investments in cleantech have helped lead a strong turnaround in the venture capital market after the first quarter of 2009 – pulling ahead of biotech and software as the largest area of investment and closing out the year with more than 75 deals in the month December and the announcement of Hudson Clean Energy Partners’ closing it’s debut fund with over $1 billion in commitments.

In this exclusive LegalMindsTV interview, Chip Korn, a Partner at Sonnenschein Venture Technology Group, takes a look at what factors affected the venture market this year, as well what’s in store for the cleantech sector in 2010, including the role of tax credits on large projects, the impact of government stimulus funds, the move of traditional VC funds into clean tech investments, and the funding outlook for early-stage companies across the broad range of industries that make up the cleantech sector.

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Peter “Chip” L. Korn Jr.
Partner, Sonnenschein Venture Technology Group

Chip Korn is a member of Sonnenschein’s Corporate Practice Group.  His practice emphasizes venture capital and private equity matters, mergers and acquisition, and general corporate counseling for emerging growth companies.

Mr. Korn is engaged in a diverse corporate practice representing emerging technology companies across a range of sectors relating to mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and securities transactions, as well as joint ventures, strategic alliances, and general corporate representation.  He also regularly advises venture capital funds relating to their organizational structure, the issuance of their securities and investments in their portfolio companies.

Mr. Korn works actively with emerging growth and other technology companies, as well as entrepreneurs behind them, at all stages of a company’s growth process from incorporation through exit strategies.

Mr. Korn also has served as a contributing editor for the Encyclopedia of Private Equity and Venture Capital, for which he has authored a quarterly survey of venture capital terms and is a co-author of Leveraged Buyouts, published by ALM’s Law Journal Press.

Prior to joining Sonnenschein, Mr. Korn was a Principal at Fish & Richardson P.C.

Admissions:
New York

FIRM INFORMATION

Sonnenschein’s Venture Technology Group has been ranked in the Top 10 nationally by Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst.  In addition, the team has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of the premier national venture capital practices.  Cutting-edge emerging growth and Fortune 500 technology and life sciences companies moving at breakneck speed in competitive markets require nimble, fast-paced counsel at the convergence of finance, strategy, policy and law.

For high potential entrepreneurs, our recently expanded Sprout Incubation/Acceleration Initiative has been a growth catalyst for more than 100 successful start-ups from Silicon Valley to Boston and New York and around the globe. Our success is driven by a multidisciplinary team comprised of more than 200 attorneys and other professionals specializing in venture capital, recovery act and legislative strate­gies, incubation services, M&A and strategic advisory, IP and patent litigation, fund services, licensing and IT transactions, capital markets/IPOs, corporate governance, and outsourcing/Asia.

Sonnenschein’s Venture Technology Group leverages its deep expertise in IT, life sciences and medical devices, digital media, clean technology, telecommunications and data privacy, along with a global network of venture capital and investment banking firms.

For additional information, visit: http://www.sonnenschein.com

The volatility in the financial markets has been a wake up call for the energy sector. According to Jeffrey Delaney , Partner and coleader of the Energy Industry team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP , “treasury and finance folks need to take a critical look at their liquidity strategy, their capital structure and financing plans and try to think outside the box.”

In this exclusive interview with LegalMindsTV, Delaney discusses the impact of the Lehman bankruptcy, financial and industry trends and capital markets strategies which energy companies need to focus on in the coming year.

CONTINUE READING SUMMARY (Click to Expand/Collapse)

View and download a PDF transcript of the full interview here.

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ATTORNEY INFORMATION

Jeffrey J. Delaney

Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Mr. Delaney is coleader of Pillsbury’s Global Energy industry team and also leads the New York Corporate & Securities local practice. He advises issuers and underwriters on public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, principally in the energy industry. Specifically, he acts as regular underwriters’ counsel for a number of energy and utility companies in the United States. In addition, he acts as regular underwriters counsel in connection with multiple funding agreement backed medium-term note programs(registered and private) for domestic life insurance companies. He also represents a bank holding company in connection with its financings. Lastly, Mr. Delaney regularly advises on drug royalty monetizations and related transactions for a major investment bank.

FIRM INFORMATION

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a full-service law firm with market-leading strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors. Based in the world’s major financial and technology centers, Pillsbury counsels clients on global corporate, regulatory and litigation matters. We work in multidisciplinary teams that allow us to anticipate trends and bring a 360-degree perspective to complex business and legal issues — helping clients to take greater advantage of new opportunities and better mitigate risk. This collaborative work style helps produce the results our clients seek.

For additional information, visit: http://www.pillsburylaw.com

Welcome to LegalMindsTV!

Each week, we’ll be featuring exclusive, topical video interviews with leading attorneys, regulators and other legal experts focused on a variety of industry sectors and legal issues, including: securities regulation, intellectual property, litigation, corporate finance, alternative energy, music and entertainment, private equity, tax, and more.

Our goal is to offer timely content to corporate executives, directors and their in-house counsel, as well as providing a resource for identifying outside counsel with specific practice area expertise.

We currently have some great interviews scheduled for the weeks ahead and hope you’ll take a moment to sign up for our email alerts by entering your email address on the box to your right.  We’ll also be introducting “Viewpoint” in which we speak with an industry thought leader, and our “CMO Corner,” which provides unique insights for legal marketers.

Kicking off these two features with be Brian Cuban from Mark Cuban Companies, who will give his point of view on the impact of social media on the legal community and Alice O’Rourke, CMO at Day Pitney, who is former ADA, Business Law professor and seasoned brand marketer. Alice will be discussing “Why Litigators can be Great Business Developers.”

Please feel free to contact me with any comments or suggestions you might have.

Regards,

Bruce Colwin
President & CEO
LegalMinds Media LLC
bcolwin@legalmindsmedia.com

P.S – If you’re an attorney or law firm marketer interested in our video production and distribution programs, please contact me directly at 646-875-8370.