Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler

Chairman: Joel I Sher

President: William E Carlson

Firm Overview:

The companies and individuals who rely on Shapiro Sher receive the close attention of deeply experienced attorneys. Based in Baltimore, the firm’s lawyers concentrate in banking, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights litigation, corporate law, civil litigation, insurance law, technology law, and employment law. Since its founding in 1972 by Ronald M Shapiro, Shapiro Sher has represented large corporations, emerging growth businesses, governments, non-profits, and individuals.

Main Areas of Practice:

Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring

The firm’s bankruptcy and financial restructuring department represents debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, and financial institutions in reorganization and bankruptcy proceedings, workouts, refinancings, and restructurings. The practice, headed by Joel I Sher, is enhanced by the firm’s robust capabilities in banking, real estate, corporate, and tax law, as well as litigation. Lawyers from multiple practice groups work in concert to help clients emerge from bankruptcy proceedings in strong financial condition. The firm’s efforts have consistently led to outstanding results for a variety of debtor and creditor clients.

Banking & Financial Services

Chaired by Scott W Foley, the banking and financial services group represents regional banks, community banks, credit unions, insurance companies, pension funds, and other financial institutions in Maryland and throughout the Mid Atlantic. Because the group has extensive experience in the origination of loans and in workout situations, it is prepared to provide efficient representation at every stage in the commercial lending process.

Commercial Litigation

Shapiro Sher represents regional, national, and international clients and their officers, directors, and employees in commercial litigation. In complex commercial actions, the firm provides both the capacity to take cases to trial, as well as the experience necessary to resolve matters favorably in settlement or through arbitration or mediation. The litigation department, co-chaired by David B Applefeld and Alex J Brown, is experienced in a variety of commercial disputes, including breach of contract claims, construction cases, copyright infringement, professional liability, securities law claims, antitrust, and other areas.

Corporate & Securities

The firm’s corporate attorneys represent a variety of clients ranging from large corporations to small privately-held entities. Headed by William E Carlson, the business law department has experience in finance, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spin-offs, and reorganizations, and frequently works in the technology and life sciences sectors. It has worked with many financing mechanisms, including venture capital, issuance of high-yield debt instruments, debt and equity financing, and mezzanine financing. The firm represents clients in private sales of securities and serves as counsel to issuer companies in Reg. A and Maryland intra-state offerings. The group also provides ‘Maryland General Corporation Law’ guidance to out-of-state law firms.

Employment

Shapiro Sher’s employment practice handles all forms of employment litigation, including actions to enforce non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, claims alleging breach of employment agreement, breach of fiduciary duty, wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, and violations of federal and state anti-discrimination laws. The firm also provides informed litigation avoidance counsel and assists companies in enacting policies that deter potential employment litigation.

Insurance

Shapiro Sher’s insurance law practice represents insurance companies, policyholders, risk-retention groups, and government agencies in complex insurance-litigation matters, as well as transactional and administrative insurance matters, at the federal and state level. Headed by Alex J Brown, a former Assistant Attorney General and Senior Counsel to the Maryland Insurance Administration, the group is experienced in all aspects of insurance law. Mr Brown has won numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts in insurance-related matters. His experience in both the private and public sector has enabled him to defend many companies facing an array of charges under complex Maryland insurance statutes, as well as to advise government agencies, including the Maryland Insurance Administration.

Technology Transactions

Inventors, start-ups, emerging businesses, and major corporations turn to Shapiro Sher for guidance in a range of technology-related transactional matters. The firm advises life science and technology companies on technology transfer, financing, research collaboration, employment issues, executive compensation, trade-secret regimens, nondisclosure agreements, and privacy strategies.