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Corporate Business
For more than sixty years, Cooley Shrair has been at the cutting edge of innovation, providing proactive, cost-effective, practical legal solutions to the most complicated business issues. We handle a wide variety of issues including corporate law, limited liability companies, mergers and acquisitions, tax planning, taxation, partnerships and financing. Cooley Shrair attorneys routinely act as outside counsel for clients, handling a broad spectrum of corporate and business matters in conjunction with other legal, accounting, business and banking experts. Successful businesses, regardless of size or industry, share certain strengths: effective organization, adequate capital, consistent growth and scrupulous conduct. Cooley, Shrair P.C., is considered one of the leading corporate business law firms in Western Massachusetts, representing non-profit and for profit companies, medical professionals, general and limited partnerships, banks and other business entities, working with each client to build on these strengths. We recognize that each business, no matter the size, no matter the industry, has its own unique legal challenges and opportunities – Cooley, Shrair P.C. has the experience, expertise and effective counsel to resolve those legal issues.
Employment Law and Labor Law
There is virtually no other area so regulated as employment and labor law. Yet none offers more opportunity for conflict than the relationship between employer and employee. Cooley Shrair’s Employment and Labor Law Department provides full-service legal representation to both employers and employees regarding all facets of employment and labor relations. We work with clients to resolve employment conflicts in the most effective way possible. Our employment law attorneys have experience in Labor Law, Discrimination Law, Social Security Disability Law and Personal Injury Law, and Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). We have litigated in both Massachusetts and Connecticut state court as well as the federal courts, representing clients before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). Our clients include educational institutions, municipalities, non-profit institutions, health care providers, large and small corporations and individuals.
Financial and Banking
Cooley, Shrair P.C. has more than sixty years of experience representing local and regional institutions in a wide range of financing transactions. Commercial banks, investment banking firms and other lenders, as well as select borrowers, consistently rely on our attorneys for knowledgeable, bottom-line, practical legal counsel. Faced with a complex landscape of ever-changing regulations and requirements, attorneys at Cooley Shrair provide legal counsel to our banking and finance clients on all types of loan facilities and documentation, including loan and security agreements, promissory notes and letters of credit. Our attorneys are also experienced in foreclosure and bankruptcy procedures. Our lawyers are recognized leaders in the field of finance and banking. We take pride in the fact that our uncompromised level of quality legal service and responsiveness has intensified our client relationships, many of which began over a half-century ago.
Estate Planning, Elder Law, Trusts and Probate
Estate planning, whether it involves a simple will or a series of complex trusts, is only effective if it is properly drafted and administered. Our experienced estate planning, elder law and trust attorneys provide the knowledge necessary to carry out our clients’ wishes with minimum cost and maximum efficiency. Because each client’s needs are different, we create individually tailored estate plans based on a range of personal circumstances. We realize that although a thoughtfully structured estate plan will assist individuals and families with complex issues during some of their most difficult times, appropriate planning can also minimize taxes and preserve assets during one’s lifetime. Cooley Shrair attorneys offer a team approach, seeking the most efficient way to manage assets. The law firm administers estates of all sizes and completes and files state and federal estate taxes and income tax returns. Cooley Shrair is proud that we have earned the confidence of generations of clients.
Litigation
For more than sixty years, Cooley Shrair lawyers have combined legal skill, aggressive client advocacy and efficient legal representation to achieve a proven record of success at trial. The law firm’s litigation strength stems from its ability to handle a full range of personal and commercial litigation needs. Our attorneys routinely provide litigation advice: from the inception of a dispute, through trials and, if necessary, appeals. The firm represents clients in state and federal courts at all levels, regulatory proceedings, grand jury proceedings, arbitrations and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
Domestic Relations
At Cooley Shrair, our Domestic Relations department excels at providing unparalleled legal representation in all aspects of familial relations including: spousal, parent-child and same sex relationships. Our knowledge, experience and training in family law is supported by our aggressive and proactive commitment to our client. We understand the need for reasonableness and cooperation as it relates to the particular needs of our clients and strive to resolve the issues to secure a fair settlement. We achieve results whether it is implemented through negotiation, mediation, pretrial or trial proceedings. Our goal is to protect and promote the best interest of our client.
Real Estate
Our real estate attorneys are experienced and skilled in all areas of commercial and residential transactions, representing buyers and sellers, as well as financial lenders. We specialize in large and complex commercial lease transactions representing both landlords and tenants. Additionally, because the needs associated with real estate transactions often cross over into a variety of legal issues, Cooley Shrair has developed a team approach to best serve our clients, providing the most cost-effective legal counsel. Cooley Shrair has developed a comprehensive real estate client base and has substantial experience in zoning and land use issues. In the fast-paced arena of real estate transactions it is the experience and knowledge of our real estate attorneys, providing up-to-date solutions to complex questions, which sets us apart. Not surprisingly, Cooley Shrair has played a role in some of the most successful real estate transactions in the New England area.
Special Education
In accordance with federal and state law, Cooley, Shrair P.C. has prepared its staff to represent families and students who are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as well as the corresponding state statute. All children are entitled to receive a free appropriate public education. Where a disability exists, and eligibility is found, the law requires that an individualized education program be tailored to meet the student's unique needs in a way reasonably calculated to enable him/her to make meaningful and effective educational process in the least restrictive environment. This is a specialty area of the law as the seemingly simple concept has many judicial decisions interpreting it, which requires an understanding of the interplay between the various statutes and cases interpreting them. When working in the special education field, our law firm has the ability to review individualized education plans ("IEP's"), file appeals with the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, as well as federal court actions to enforce IEP's and the public schools' obligations. In order to achieve positive results, we implement alternative dispute resolution process, including mediation, where applicable, in an effort to meet the particular needs of our clients and secure fair settlements and avoid the strain of litigation as clients in this department are some of the most fragile and are in need of superior representation.
Limited Assistance Representation
Limited assistance representation is a pilot program, based in Hampden and Suffolk County Probate Courts, that will allow individuals access to attorneys on a limited assistance representation basis. This will allow potential clients who previously self-represented themselves (considered pro se) to be given legal assistance on certain portions of their litigation. This may include utilizing an attorney for more complex components of a case, like drafting pleadings or appearing in court. Cooley Shrair's domestic relations department is certified in providing limited assistance representation.
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