Practice Areas

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At Liberis and Associates, our clients work directly with attorneys who have an enormous amount of experience in their fields. We pride ourselves on giving our clients the personal service they deserve, as well as the benefits of our broad expertise.

Real Estate Development

An important part of our practice is the representation of developers of real estate, especially developers of property on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. We have a great deal of experience in real estate development; in fact, Attorney Charles Liberis is a real estate developer, as well as an attorney. We know all facets of development transactions, from start to finish. Our knowledge and practical expertise will help your development project become a success.

We represent developers of all sizes, from large developers of many different properties, to individuals and families, just starting out with a small piece of land. We have represented developers involved in virtually every type of development project. We will represent you in all phases of your development project, from beginning to end, including

• Choice of entity
• Project planning
• Project site acquisition
• Government Approval
• Site Acquisition
• Zoning
• Advice regarding comprehensive plans and concurrency requirements
• Contract drafting and negotiation
• Arranging construction and permanent financing
• Environmental issues
• Sale or lease of units
• Preparation of condominium and community association documents and
• Registration with governmental authorities

We will work closely with you and your tax advisor to make sure that your transactions are structured in the most advantageous way possible.

Any real estate transaction can become a long, complicated process. Even a relatively simple matter can quickly become a series of complex, and time-consuming, issues. Our extensive experience in real estate development means that we are fully aware of all of the issues that can impact a successful development. We know the issues in advance, and we can do whatever is necessary to make sure that an issue does not become a problem that will delay or derail your project.

Business and Commercial Law

We are a firm of very experienced business lawyers. Together, we have over 60 years of experience in business and commercial law.

We provide a complete array of services to our business clients, including

• Formation of a business entity (corporation, partnership, etc.)
• Negotiation and drafting of commercial leases
• Business sales
• Acquisitions and mergers
• Negotiation and drafting of employment agreements
• Financing
• Debt restructuring
• Corporate and business tax planning and
• Representation in bankruptcies and workouts

We have worked with a number of different companies, of all different sizes.

The form of business chosen for a business entity can affect every aspect of its operations. We listen to our clients, in order to understand their business goals. We help clients decide whether they want to operate as a closely held business, limited liability company, partnership, or corporation. We advise clients about directors' and officers' liability, dissolution, franchising, reorganization, trade association membership and activity, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business successions, and shareholders' rights.

Through our many years in the practice of business law, we have come to understand the amount of time, energy, and resources that business disputes and lawsuits require from a business owner. In order to help you run a profitable, growing business, our firm is committed to resolving disputes as quickly, and as cost-efficiently, as possible.

Our business and commercial practice also includes the representation of clients involved in international transactions. In particular, we work with clients who wish to set up offshore trusts for asset protection purposes.

We provide our clients with expert legal services, the product of our many years of practice. We are available to serve any size company, from multinational corporations and publicly-held companies, to family-owned corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and business enterprises of all kinds. Let us put that expertise to work for you.

Securities

If your investments have suffered damage because of the unprecedented amount of corporate fraud committed against the securities markets, we are available to help you recover your losses. We represent investors in state and federal courts and before the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) in disputes with stockbrokers and financial advisors in areas such as

• Class actions
• Fraud
• Minority shareholder oppression
• Violations of federal or state securities law
• Misrepresentation
• Mutual fund switching
• inappropriate purchases of annuities
• Unsuitability of a particular investment
• RICO claims
• Shareholder derivative suits
• Churning (unauthorized trades) and
• Failure to execute a trade

Most brokerage or investment contracts provide that all disputes between the investor and the broker will be settled by arbitration. While most Americans are familiar with what goes on during a trial, the arbitration process may remain a mystery. As a general rule, arbitration is similar to a trial, though it tends to be less formal. The evidence is presented to a decision-maker chosen by the parties themselves, called an arbitrator, instead of to a judge or a jury. In some cases, a panel of several arbitrators may hear the matter and make the decision.

We are members of the Public Investor Arbitration Bar Association. We know how to pursue claims against brokers and advisors.

We invite you to contact us if you have a dispute with your stockbroker or investment advisor.