Morris James has a national and international practice in matters relating to Delaware business organizations, including corporations, limited liability companies, statutory trusts, and partnerships (limited and general). We advise clients who are establishing, managing, investing in or financing business ventures that take advantage of Delaware's unique corporate, business and tax laws. Our attorneys often have participated in drafting the laws that affect our clients and their business activities. Robert L. Symonds, Jr. and Michael M. Ledyard are two of the original drafters of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, and they currently serve on the drafting committee for Delaware's statutory trust law. Mr. Symonds is chairman and Matthew J. O'Toole is a member of the drafting committee responsible for amendments to Delaware's limited liability company, limited partnership and general partnership laws, and they are co-authors of Symonds & O'Toole on Delaware Limited Liability Companies, published by Wolters Kluwer Law & Business/Aspen Publishers. Edward M. McNally is the author of Delaware's Voluntary Mediation Act and is a former chair of the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association, which monitors and proposes amendments to Delaware's corporation laws. Mr. O'Toole and Lewis H. Lazarus currently serve as members of the Council.
We represent stockholders, boards of directors, board committees, members and managers of LLCs, limited and general partners, trustees, and other persons who manage, own or otherwise have interests in Delaware business organizations, as well as lenders and other persons doing business with these organizations. This representation covers a wide range of legal matters. We advise clients regarding fiduciary duty and governance issues, including management and control rights, proxy contests, tender offers, indemnifications, recapitalizations, restructurings, mergers, acquisitions and other business combinations. A substantial portion of our practice involves structuring Delaware special purpose entities for use in asset securitizations and other structured finance transactions, including "synthetic" and leveraged leases for aircraft, rolling stock, equipment and other project financings. Our attorneys frequently render legal opinions to major law firms and businesses located outside of Delaware concerning these and other critical matters of Delaware and United States federal law that affect their business organizations or transactions.
Our attorneys structure joint ventures and other strategic alliances involving major national and international business partners. Recently, we have represented clients involved in the energy, transportation, media, entertainment and communications industries. Our broad experience in business and financial issues and Delaware law, and the depth of our technological and other resources, allow us to counsel clients at all stages and on all aspects of their alliances. Mr. Symonds, Mr. Ledyard, Mr. O'Toole, Daniel P. McCollom and Nicholas J. Caggiano, Jr. have substantial expertise in this area.
In addition to our national and international practice, Morris James regularly advises owners of smaller regional and local businesses on matters of special concern to them, including buy-sell agreements, succession planning, compensation and employment issues, working capital and acquisition financing, and debtor/creditor relationships. Mr. McCollom is particularly active in these areas.