NOVA Business Law Group is a firm of dedicated professionals specializing in helping businesses grow. We offer corporate formation, governance, and transactions services to help companies build for the future, and commercial litigation services to protect that growth. We also offer a full array of support services to aid our corporate clients: Contract Drafting and Review, Employment Dispute Resol
ution, Construction Litigation, Commercial Transactions, Intellectual Property, Commercial Real Estate and Immigration. Our litigation team brings over 25 years’ of courtroom experience from the state and federal courts of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Our lawyers trained at some of the most prestigious large-firms in the area, and are ready to offer that same level of service to you at a fraction of the ‘big-firm’ cost. DeTurris, Partner
Ibrahim A. Moiz, Associate
Jeff N. Gaull, Associate
Douglas E. Plocki, Partner
Services
Commercial Litigation
Contract Drafting and Review
Business Entity Formation
Corporate Governance
Commercial Transactions
Eminent Domain and Condemnation
Intellectual Property
Local Counsel Services
Commercial and Residential Real Estate
Immigration
-Commercial Litigation
NOVA BLG represents regional, national and international clients in cases involving business, corporate, and personal disputes. We represent companies and high net-worth individuals in a broad range of disputes. Our team of litigators has extensive high-stakes trial experience in both federal and state courts, arbitration, and mediation. We have experience representing clients in virtually every sector of the economy, including financial services, energy and natural resources, health care, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, technology, property development, and manufacturing. NOVA BLG manages all manner of commercial litigation matters, including contract law, business torts, employment issues, real estate and land use, defamation, and intellectual property. Our attorneys pursue our clients' interests as if they were their own. Our process is straight forward. We dedicate ourselves to learning our clients’ business so that we can best represent their interests no matter the engagement. We then work closely with them to develop the best strategy and/or approach to achieve the clients’ desired outcome. We recognize that the decision to enter into and to end litigation is a difficult business decision. Accordingly, we guide and advise all our clients throughout the litigation process in order to maximize our clients’ economic return on each matter. We zealously advocate on each and every matter and have a long track record of successes to show for it. When you or your business faces the prospect of engaging in litigation, or planning for how to avoid it, you need the assistance of experienced commercial litigators. At NOVA BLG, we provide our clients with the experience and skill of the largest and best law firms in the area without the large law firm expense. Our experience includes:
Business and Commercial Matters:
Contract Disputes
Business Torts:
Fraud
Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Interference with Business Expectancy or Contract
Business Conspiracy
Shareholder and partnership disputes
Disputes over corporate management and control
Business dissolutions
Employment disputes
Disputes over non-compete agreements
Franchise disputes
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) matters
Real Estate and Property Litigation:
Construction Litigation
Quality of Performance Disputes
Delay Claims
Mold Cases
Mechanics Liens
Eminent Domain and Condemnation
Property Valuation Matters
Real Estate Tax Appeals
Property Line and Boundary Disputes
Property Torts
Trespass
Nuisance
Landlord Tenant Disputes
-Contract Drafting and Review
Our experienced business lawyers and litigators have been drafting, reviewing, and litigating contract case for over 10 years. We understand the critical importance of carefully documenting the agreements that govern you internal and external relationships. Contracts are the rules by which we all must play, and sophisticated companies are careful to make sure their contracts protect their relationships and operations to the maximum extent possible. From commercial leases to employment or teaming agreements, we have the knowledge and experience to ensure your company’s contracts are supporting and protecting your business.
-Business Entity Formation
NOVA BLG advises established companies, new businesses, and entrepreneurs regarding matters of business formation and complex business transactions. Our knowledgeable and experienced attorneys guide clients through the process of selecting an appropriate business structure by advising them regarding the benefits and potential difficulties associated with forming:
Corporations
Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
Partnerships
Limited Partnerships
Non-Profit Corporations
Sole-Proprietorships
501(c)(3) Charitable Organizations
In addition our attorneys can work closely with your company to minimize risk and maximize efficient business operations by helping you develop, review, and/or revise key documents and business practices, and facilitate business transactions, by:
Drafting and reviewing contracts and leases
Providing advice and counsel regarding the purchase, sale, or transfer of assets, including real property and inventory
Reviewing and developing effective employment policies
Advising and counseling businesses regarding litigations risks
Resolving employment and other business disputes through mediation, arbitration, and litigation
Dissolution and/or sale of existing businesses
Providing advice and counsel regarding complex corporate transactions and conducting due diligence
-Corporate Governance
NOVA BLG attorneys can work closely with your company to minimize risk and maximize efficient business operations by helping you develop, review, and/or revise key documents and business practices, and facilitate business transactions, by:
Drafting and reviewing contracts and leases
Advising and counseling businesses regarding litigations risks
Reviewing and developing effective employment and governance policies
Providing advice and counsel regarding the purchase, sale, or transfer of assets, including real property and inventory
Resolving employment and other business disputes through mediation, arbitration, and litigation
Dissolution and/or sale of existing businesses
Providing advice and counsel regarding complex corporate transactions and conducting due diligence
-Commercial Transactions
NOVA BLG’s commercial transactions practice group represents both individuals and companies in all commercial related matters. We provide counsel to help our clients negotiate, draft, and settle commercial transactions. We guide our clients through their entire commercial transaction, including drafting or reviewing:
Letters of Intent/Memorandums of Understanding;
Asset Purchase Agreements;
UCC Liens;
Bills of Sale;
Financing Agreements;
Real Estate Agreements;
Vendor Contracts;
Licensing Agreements;
Prime and Subcontractor Contracts;
Liens and Releases of Liens;
Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements;
Commercial Leases. Regardless the size of your business, our Attorneys can help you put in place the legal foundations to enable your business to thrive.
-Eminent Domain and Condemnation
The unprecedented expansion of commercial and residential spaces, and the influx of power lines and other utility projects in the Greater Washington DC area has forced an increase in government-related takings and condemnation cases. Our litigation team has handled dozens of condemnation cases from negotiation through trial, and are standing by to help protect your property rights.
-Intellectual Property
NOVA BLG recognizes the importance of intellectual property to your business. Our Intellectual Property (IP) practice provides counseling and litigation services for a range of clients from entrepreneurs to global corporations with special emphasis in the high-tech and telecommunications sectors. We specialize in:
Patent, trademark and copyright (including software) prosecution
Trade dress, trade secrets and unfair competition litigation
Our professionals also assist clients in independent audits of intellectual property assets and risk evaluations that are vital to devising long-term business strategy and maximizing value of corporate assets. Our objective is to help you maximize the return on investments in intellectual property assets while minimizing the possibility of unwanted, unproductive legal disputes. Our attorneys prosecute all types of IP rights and have filed numerous of patent and trademark applications for clients. We also help clients develop internal processes to protect IP rights, and draft employment, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements.
-Local Counsel Services
The local rules and procedures for the Courts of Northern Virginia can be daunting for the uninitiated. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, a.k.a. "The Rocket Docket", has one of the most unique sets of local rules in the country. Lawsuits in the EDVA move extremely quickly, and missteps in complying with the rules are often costly. The EDVA is not the only Court in the area with unique procedures; Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington and Alexandria each have their own individual requirements for filings and ways of controlling their dockets. Some of these rules are written, some unwritten. Having an attorney on your team with the knowledge of how to usher your case from its initial filing through trial is essential when litigating in these courts. In addition to knowledge of the rules and procedures of the local courts, through his clerkship, bar participation and by litigating in the local courts our attorneys have gained a familiarity and knowledge of the local judges, taking care to learn their likes and dislikes. As the adage goes: "A good lawyer knows the law, a great lawyer knows the judge!" While knowing the judge is never going to guarantee an outcome, judges have preferences about how things are conducted in their courts. Comporting oneself in accordance with a judges preferences and avoiding unknowingly angering a judge is always a good way to practice. Our local counsel services include:
Counseling on the local rules and procedures;
Calculating deadlines;
Reviewing filings for compliance with local procedure;
Providing advice and research on matters of local law; and
Making any necessary court appearances including arguing motions and/or assisting at trial.
-Commercial and Residential Real Estate
NOVA BLG represents corporations, developers, investors and individuals in commercial real estate transactions of all sizes and complexity, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, workouts and restructurings, land assemblage, development, investments by foreign entities, sale-leasebacks, and leasing. At NOVA BLG you deal directly with practice area partners and experienced practitioners who are responsive to your needs, and who provide guidance and advice in a cost-sensitive manner that sets us apart from large firms. We are highly experienced in the acquisition, disposition, financing, development, leasing and operation of all types of real property, including:
Office buildings
Multi-unit housing
Shopping centers and retail
Restaurants and hospitality
Land development
When disputes arise, our clients can rely on our attorneys’ transactional and business experience, which enables them to propose creative solutions to complex problems, as well as our attorneys’ litigation experience, which enables them to provide effective and timely risk assessment and advice.
-Immigration
NOVA BLG provides advice to corporate and individual clients to help navigate the complexities of Immigration Law. We handle all aspects of immigration and naturalization law representing clients from the United States and overseas before the Immigration Courts and the United States Department of Homeland Security. We provide guidance in matters relating to:
Naturalization and Permanent Residence
I-9 compliance counseling for employers
Deportation defense and detained persons assistance
Business and family-based visas
Employment authorization issues
Asylum and NACARA applications
Immigration counseling for persons with criminal record concerns
Our lawyers have a strong immigration practice and the experience to solutions for a wide variety of immigration matters. Our goal is to help corporate human resources, legal departments and individuals work more effectively by providing:
Practical advice
Establishing compliance programs and systems
In-House training
Creative solutions to difficult cases
NOVA BLG also works with clients to obtain temporary and permanent resident visas to allow foreign nationals to work in the United States including:
H-1B Visas - US employers in hiring computer professionals, financial analysts, engineers, sales managers, business executives, professors, doctors, scientists and other highly educated or trained professionals
L-1 Visas - Preparing and processing visas for the transfer of managers, executives and specialized knowledge personnel
E-I Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor Visas - Obtaining visas for investors, managers, executives, and key employees to come to the United States to set up and run businesses. Employment-Based Permanent Resident Visas - Handling permanent resident or "green card" applications in all employment-based categories for individuals. "DRIVEN LAWYER. FOCUSED RESULTS."
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