Firm Overview
Morris James is a full service law firm with 70 lawyers located in six offices throughout Delaware. The firm is committed to anticipating the needs of our clients through innovation, technology and an emphasis on client service. We know the legal landscape in Delaware and apply our versatile skillset to solving problems for our clients with regard to transactions, dispute resolution and litigation in the Delaware courts. Our client-first philosophy, multi-disciplinary approach, and collective experience earn us high regard from clients, peers, and the Delaware community.
Main Areas of Practice
Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
The firm represents creditors’ committees, debtors, purchasers, investors and other parties-in-interest before US Bankruptcy Courts in Delaware and throughout the country. Morris James bankruptcy attorneys also counsel clients in both reorganization and liquidation cases before bankruptcy courts and in out-of-court workouts and debt restructurings.
Commercial Litigation
The firm has a substantial business litigation practice that involves representing clients in complex contract disputes, tort claims and insurance coverage litigation. This practice includes trials before judges and juries in every trial court in Delaware and appeals to the Delaware Supreme Court. Morris James also has a substantial alternative dispute resolution practice, including mediations before the Court of Chancery and arbitrations of business disputes.
Corporate/Fiduciary Counseling & Litigation
The firm devotes a major portion of its litigation practice to corporate disputes and disputes involving Delaware entities such as limited liability companies, partnerships, trusts and other entities in which fiduciary duty constitutes an integral part of the parties’ relationship. Morris James litigators have significant experience in expedited proceedings before the Delaware Court of Chancery. Members of the Litigation Group have served as counsel for independent board committees to negotiate transactions in which certain board members may not be disinterested.
Delaware Entities & Structured Finance
The firm provides strategic advice to clients who are establishing, managing, investing in or financing business ventures that take advantage of Delaware’s unique corporate, business and tax laws. A substantial portion of the firm’s alternative entity practice involves the use of Delaware special purpose entities in the financing of equipment and facilities and in other structured finance transactions. Morris James transactions attorneys frequently render legal opinions on matters of Delaware and United States federal law, including bankruptcy law, and regularly participate in the drafting of Delaware’s corporate and alternative entity legislation.
Employment Law
Morris James provides Delaware employers provides clients with in-depth employment counsel in all areas, including labor negotiations, risk management, preventative counseling and on-site training, and litigation. The complex field of employment law encompasses many legal issues within the workplace.
Intellectual Property Litigation
The firm regularly serves as Delaware counsel in intellectual property litigation, including patent, copyright, trademark, trade dress, and associated antitrust disputes. It has also served in a lead role in several trade secret, domain name and IP licensing cases.
Personal Injury & Work Injury
Morris James is the go-to practice for injury and workers' compensation cases in Delaware, regularly handling the gamut of complex injury disputes, including catastrophic and product liability cases.
Private Clients
Morris James provide personal attention and a comprehensive range of services to our private clients. Our multidisciplinary team works collaboratively with our clients and their professional advisors to develop customized solutions. We apply an integrated approach to wealth preservation and transfer that offers financial security and establishes legacies for generations to come. Our attorneys have decades of experience in designing and implementing strategies to minimize risk and optimize opportunity.
Real Estate & Land Use
The firm represents many of the major developers, investors and builders doing business in the Delaware real estate industry in a full spectrum of transactions, land use matters, and related litigation, including acquisition, construction and permanent financing, work outs, conveyancing, title, condemnation, environmental issues, leasing, rezoning, subdivision, variances and administrative matters.
Regulatory Law
The Morris James strategy for regulatory matters is a four-pronged approach consisting of strategic counseling, crisis management, education, and relationship building. We also draw upon the valuable resources offered to us as the sole Delaware member of State Law Resources, Inc., an international network of independent law firms that help businesses, trade associations, and public policy coalitions navigate the complex and time-consuming process of managing both legal issues and state government relations.
Tax, Estates & Related Planning
The firm represents clients in a variety of business transactions, including entity formation, acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, mergers and other reorganizations, and business succession planning. Morris James tax attorneys counsel clients in federal, state and local tax matters, and provide tax controversy representation before the IRS, and state and local tax authorities, both administratively and in litigation. Attorneys in our estates and trust practice offer guidance concerning dynasty trusts, asset protection trusts and other Delaware-advantaged structures, as well as wealth transfer strategies, sophisticated estate planning techniques and fiduciary litigation.
Media Contacts
Dawn Sheiker
Director of Client Relations
T 302.888.6804
E dsheiker@morrisjames.com
Keith Donovan
Managing Partner
T: 302.678.4371
kdonovan@morrisjames.com
Sherry A. Leary
Chief Operating Officer
T 302.888.6966
E sleary@morrisjames.com