THE FIRM
Tracing its origins to 1919, Kaufman & Canoles has developed its business law practice over the years to become the largest law firm headquartered in Southeastern Virginia. With offices in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Chesapeake, Hampton, Richmond and Williamsburg, the firm serves international, national and regional clients needing assistance in a broad range of legal specialties. Areas of concentration include commercial and banking law; business investments; acquisitions and joint ventures; real estate transfers, leasings, and financings; corporate and partnership taxation; estate planning; intellectual property; computer law; securities; antitrust; immigration; labor and employment; employee benefits; regulatory compliance; environmental law; health care law; mediation and arbitration, and litigation.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Kaufman & Canoles is a full service firm comprised of 116 attorneys employing over 48 legal assistants and over 83 administrative and clerical personnel. The firm is organized according to areas of concentration; a strong working relationship exists allowing for full coordination of client matters within the firm. In many cases, client teams are established coordinating representatives of multiple practice areas to ensure the integration of all areas of expertise in the overall planning for larger clients. The five primary areas of practice include:
Corporate and Banking,
Litigation (including Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights)
Labor and Employment,
Real Estate Finance, and
Tax and Estates
CORPORATE AND BANKING
The commercial section is the largest department in the firm and handles a variety of matters in connection with the representation of international, national, regional and local clients. Acting as business consultants, the commercial section lawyers advise clients regarding all manner of corporate and commercial matters and are often sought to negotiate transactions and solve business problems. Kaufman & Canoles attorneys routinely handle matters requiring expertise in areas such as securities, syndications, finance, mergers, acquisitions, distribution and licensing arrangements, antitrust, health care, bankruptcy, and intellectual property law. The firm's banking practice encompasses the representation of some of the region's largest banks, smaller local financial institutions as well as regulatory agencies. Kaufman & Canoles attorneys have considerable experience in the banking industry and representation includes formations, acquisitions and mergers of all types of financial institutions and branch banking issues as well as commercial and real estate loan transactions. The banking practice also involves complex financing and refinancing transactions and regulatory compliance issues such as electronic banking and consumer credit.
LITIGATION
The firm's litigation practice encompasses a wide variety of trial and appellate matters in federal and state courts and before administrative bodies. The practice consists primarily of representation of commercial clients in various areas of the law, including antitrust, banking, bankruptcy, environmental, securities, labor and EEOC, construction, government contracts, products liability, medical malpractice and hospital law, real estate, intellectual property and trade secrets, immigration, insurance defense and admiralty.
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
The labor and employment section has achieved an innovative, leadership role in the southeastern Virginia market and beyond. The firm represents management in a full range of employment and traditional labor issues such as class actions and multiple plaintiff cases involving discrimination, as well as discharge and wage and hour litigation in federal and state courts and before federal and state government agencies. The firm has also developed a significant employer counseling practice which features daily advice to employers and frequent drafting of employment manuals, handbooks and practical policies for managing the workplace. We have also long represented management in union avoidance and unfair labor practice matters. Business owners and personnel professionals from throughout the region attend the firm's annual seminar on recent developments in the employment law field.
TAX
The tax section's practice centers on corporate, partnership and individual tax planning. Particular areas of expertise include corporate organizations, reorganizations, redemptions and liquidations; limited and general partnership formations; ERISA and other deferred compensation planning; estate planning and administration; industrial development bond financing; international taxation and partnership syndications, including real estate and equipment leasing. Clients in the tax area include foreign individuals and entities, as well as U.S. taxpayers.
REAL ESTATE FINANCE
The real estate finance section is engaged in a broad commercial practice offering a full range of services to industrial/commercial developers. The section handles purchases, sales, financing, zoning and leasing arrangements often associated with mergers, acquisitions and new development. In addition, the real estate practice includes debt and equity financing, syndications, residential/condominium sales and environmental due diligence and regulatory matters. Clients represented by this section consist of corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, developers, individual buyers and sellers and lending institutions. Kaufman & Canoles is approved by all principal title insurance companies in the state of Virginia and most national companies.
The real estate finance section also specializes in a variety of municipal financing techniques such as housing bonds and hospital bonds. Kaufman & Canoles attorneys have considerable expertise in coordinating methods of financing industrial, commercial bstahl@vbumc.organd retail projects.