Big firm expertise with a personal touch
"I founded this law firm so I could work more directly with my clients rather than through the often inefficient and impersonal layers of staffing at a larger firm. This enables me to have a direct impact on the success of my client's business ventures. As head of the firm, the buck starts and stops with me. The boutique nature of our firm eliminates much of the unnecessary overhead associated with larger firms (e.g., expensive office space, redundant support staff and unnecessary conferences). We have the flexibility to work with clients of all sizes, from startups still looking for their first financing to established ventures facing complex litigation or sophisticated regulatory matters."
- James J. Hevener, Esquire
Quality work
Lower overhead doesn’t mean lower quality.
Firm head James J. Hevener, Esquire was fortunate to have worked with some of the finest lawyers in the country, including three years with the largest firm in the United States, where he worked on matters primarily for Fortune 500 companies. This experience with complex litigation and transactional matters was invaluable in shaping his values as a lawyer and has given him a perspective on legal issues often lacking in solo or small firm practitioners.
He learned early that in the law there is no substitute for proper preparation and attention to detail. He also learned that it is essential to have both an understanding of the law and also of a client’s business and their objectives.
An uncompromising commitment to his clients and to a quality work product remain his hallmarks.
Breadth of experience
Mr. Hevener's unusually diverse legal background allows him to offer a broader range of services than most boutique law firms.
He began his career as a commercial litigator working first for the largest law firm in the United States. He spent eight years resolving business disputes, primarily involving scientific or technical issues but also including wrongful termination, discrimination, dealer and franchisee/franchisor relations as well as other employment and business relationship matters.
He then made a significant shift in emphasis, leveraging his knowledge of commercial transactions to help found a new practice group focusing on business and technology matters.
Most recently, as a Partner with his last firm, he continued to handle dispute resolution matters but concentrated more on transactional work, including representing several new ventures formed around technology developed at California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In this role, he acted essentially as 'outside general counsel,' handling not only all legal functions but also providing business consulting services.
Our Clients
We represent businesses ranging from start-up ventures to multi-national corporations and regularly handle both litigation and transactional matters. This breadth of practice allows us to serve a range of needs much wider than might be expected from a boutique law firm. As a result, we have been able to build a practice based on client relationships, not just niche assignments. Indeed, because we know and care about the long-term success of their ventures, many of our clients look to us as their 'outside general counsel,' providing both legal and strategic business advice.
For a more detailed description of our practice and experience, please see Practice Areas.
Whether you have an established business and need someone to help with the occasional thorny issue or are just starting out and seeking someone to help you build your venture from the ground up, we look forward to working with you.