Family Law

• Guardianship
• Child Abuse
  Human resources, employment, and labor law services including handling EEOC, N.Y. Division of Human Rights, and other discrimination complaints and lawsuits; teacher certification, child abuse and neglect reporting, and child abuse in an educational setting; employment policies and procedures, screening, and termination; and collective bargaining issues.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  The Firm represents various not-for-profit, charitable and tax-exempt entities, trade associations and business groups in all aspects of corporate formation, contract matters, governance and compliance, and tax exemption.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  The Couch White Corporate and Commercial Transactions Group serves as counsel and advisor to business organizations, business owners and investors across the full corporate spectrum. We have experience with all aspects of corporate and commercial law, including the organization and restructuring of business entities, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and venture capital investments, buy-outs, joint venture and limited liability company agreements, debt and equity financings, employment law matters, business succession planning and general corporate governance compliance.
• Business Formation
• Business Disputes
  Representing clients in complaint and other proceedings at the New York State Public Service Commission, Connecticut Public Utility Regulatory Authority, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other administrative agencies.
• Business Transactions
  Couch White has extensive experience in a broad array of practice areas. The Firm has unparalleled expertise in handling legal matters arising in the following areas: Energy, Renewable Energy Transaction s, Environmental, Corporate and Commercial Transactions, Real Estate, Construction, Commercial and Complex Litigation and Trust & Estate Planning & Administration. The scope and complexity of these matters are great, frequently involving tens of millions of dollars. The Firm offers a full range of legal services necessary for the evaluation, development and implementation of cost-effective solutions to legal problems.
• Construction Contracts
  Couch White’s construction attorneys draft, review, and negotiate all manner of construction contracts. In addition, their expertise in that regard provides them with particular acumen when litigating construction contracts.
• Trade Secrets

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
• Non-compete Agreement
  Clem Parente shares his thoughts on New York possibly becoming the fifth state to ban non-compete agreements for workers Read more on what steps employers should consider taking to prepare for the new non-competition agreement landscape.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Conduct and/or provide due diligence counsel on environmental, permitting, regulatory, zoning and real estate matters for entities seeking to either develop or acquire portfolios of distributed renewable energy generation facilities, including community solar and solar plus storage farms in New York and the Northeast
• Construction Litigation
  Couch White’s construction attorneys litigate construction disputes in the state and federal courts. In addition, we regularly represent clients in arbitration and mediation proceedings. The Firm’s representative experience includes...
• Real Estate Transactions
  Negotiate and draft asset and stock purchase agreements, EPC agreements, real estate purchase or lease agreements, power purchase and customer subscription agreements, utility interconnection agreements, and state incentive program agreements
• Eminent Domain
  Successfully obtaining permits required under Article VII of the New York Public Service Law to build and operate an approximately 9-mile long natural gas pipeline in Broome County, New York, including negotiating easement agreements with property owners, road use and other agreements with local municipalities and obtaining property rights through eminent domain.
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
  Natural resources development and the production of materials using natural resources (asphalt, concrete, etc.) provides the foundation of our infrastructure. It is also one of the most highly regulated industries in the state and throughout the nation. In addition to the complex web of environmental regulations and land-use issues that must be addressed to locate and operate these facilities, these projects can generate unjustified, but significant public controversy that can affect a company’s ability to establish or operate a mine site or secondary production facility.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Estate planning: We help clients create an estate plan that addresses estate and gift transfer taxes and family dynamics, with the goal of streamlining administration upon death and retaining wealth over multiple generations.  Where necessary, your plan will dovetail expertly with corporate succession documents.
• Wills
• Trusts
  Charitable planning & formation of private foundations: Our team provides advice with respect to all types of charitable gifts, including charitable trusts, formation of private foundations, and fiduciary responsibilities.
• Power of Attorney
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
• Foreclosure
  Managing litigation of numerous foreclosure actions, including preservation and recovery of tens of millions of dollars of loan value for lenders after borrowers have filed for bankruptcy.
• Tax Law
  Our attorneys have extensive experience advising on real property tax assessments, PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreements, and condemnation proceedings. We represent taxpayers and municipalities at all stages of the tax assessment review process, including informal negotiation between taxpayers and assessors, administrative proceedings with Boards of Assessment Review, litigation under the Real Property Tax Law, and litigation. Our efforts have resulted in millions of dollars in tax savings for our clients.
• Debt Collection
  Our attorneys assist clients in developing creative and effective ways to structure corporate and venture capital investments, buy-outs, and debt and equity financings. We also provide banks and financial institutions experienced and effective counsel in a variety of lending, environmental, trust and bankruptcy matters, including secured and unsecured transactions, loan workouts, asset recovery, mortgage foreclosures and debt collection. This substantial experience includes all phases of commercial and construction lending, from origination to workouts, collections, lien and mortgage foreclosure and bankruptcy resolution. The Firm’s representative experience includes...