About Us

Chris C. Barsness, Esq. M.B.A.

Mr. Barsness is a partner and founder of the firm. Mr. Barsness has represented businesses and individuals in a wide variety of transactional matters. He works primarily in business, corporate, and real estate law. Mr. Barsness has worked as general counsel and chief financial officer for several publicly traded companies which has given him a unique insight into the real world needs of businesses. In addition, he has worked for law firms in the areas of business, contracts, employment, real estate, and securities law. Although he focuses primarily on transactional matters, Mr. Barsness has also successfully litigated cases involving contracts, real estate, and employment issues.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

AIG, Wal-Mart, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, Rite Aid, Auriga Laboratories (acting general counsel), BioGold Fuels Corporation (acting general counsel and chief financial officer), Gemini Environmental Corporation, various small and mid-sized public and private businesses

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 

Bankruptcy

        -  Represent debtors in Chapter 7 and 13 cases and complex Chapter 11 reorganizations

 

Corporate Transactional

-   Contract Drafting for Product Acquisitions, General Commercial Contracts, Joint Venture Agreements

-   Organization Formation & Capitalization

-   Corporate Records/Minutes Drafting and Updating

-   Drafted Stock & Asset Purchase Agreements, Completed Corporate Due Diligence

 

Employment

-   Drafted & Implemented All Human Resource Documents

-   Negotiated and drafted employment contracts & separation agreements

-   Implemented & Administered Employee Equity Incentive & Stock Option Plans

 

Intellectual Property

-   International License & Supply Agreement Drafting

-   Work with outside counsel to assure trademark patent filing compliance and prosecution

 

Litigation

-   Plaintiff & Defendant Representation In Court, Mediation, Arbitration, & Trial

-   Taken & Defended Depositions

-   Managed Outside Counsel Litigation Caseload

 

Real Estate-

        -  Litigated against major banks in state and federal district court

        -  Obtained orders stopping foreclosure sales

       -   Prosecuted and defended various real estate sale transaction issues, broker representation, predatory lending

 

Regulatory

-   Assured FDA Compliance for Medical Device Medicare Reimbursement and Pharmaceutical Sales

 

Securities & Finance

 

            Issuer Representation-

-   Drafted & Filed Registration Statements, Responded to SEC Comments

-   Prepared & Filed all 33’ and 34’ Act Periodic, Current, and Section 16 Filings

-   Assured compliance with NASD/FINRA regulations

-   Implemented Corporate Governance & Exchange Listing Standards Compliance

-   Sarbanes Oxley Compliance & Implementation

 

            Mergers & Acquisitions

-   Completed Private to Private and Private to Public Reverse Mergers

-   Completed Mergers & Acquisition of Various Companies

 

            Private Equity

-   Drafted Transaction Documents And Closed Over $10 million in PIPE Transactions

 

            Secured Lending

-   Drafted Documents & Closed over $5 million in Various Debentures, Convertible Notes

ADMISSIONS & LICENSES

State Bar of California

United States District Court - Central District of California, Eastern District of California

California Department of Real Estate- Real Estate Broker

EDUCATION

University of San Diego, Juris Doctorate

University of San Diego, Master of Business Administration, emphasis in Finance

Arizona State University, Bachelor of Science, Justice Studies

MICHAEL N. COHEN, ESQ.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Mr. Cohen's practice is limited to matters involving intellectual property, business and entertainment law. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office as a patent attorney and is experienced in all phases of IP litigation relating to patent infringement validity and enforceability, trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and interference with contractual relations. Mr. Cohen also specializes in matters involving UDRP proceedings, cybersquatting, and other domain name issues, and has successfully obtained preliminary injunctions against cybersquatters.

He also is the founding partner of the Law Office of Michael N. Cohen. P.C.  www.patentlawip.com

Mr. Cohen is also active in rendering patent and trademark validity and infringement opinions in a wide range of technical disciplines. He has argued and prepared motions and briefs in proceedings before the United States District Courts, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (TTAB), as well as appellate practice before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). He regularly counsels clients in entertainment transactions and IP transactional matters including licensing options and strategies, joint development, service provider and confidentiality agreements in addition to Internet-based terms of use and privacy policy statements.

Mr. Cohen is frequently retained by entertainment and business law firms to handle specialized matters involving their client's patent and trademark portfolios and to resolve infringement disputes.

BAR ADMISSIONS

United States Federal Patent Bar, registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office

State Bar of California

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Washington, D.C.

United States District Court - Northern District of California

United States District Court - Central District of California

ASSOCIATIONS

American Bar Association - Intellectual Property Division

Los Angeles County Bar Association

Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association

Beverly Hills Bar Association - Intellectual Property Section

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND INTERVIEWS

Blogtalkradio.com Interview, with Urban Lyfe Styles, Trademark and IP Ownership, December 2008

Speaker, Nanotechnology and Clean Technology Forum, San Bernardino, California, August 2008

KSRO AM/CNN Affiliate Radio Interview: US Supreme Court's Ruling Impacting Internet Pornography, May 2008

Speaker, Intellectual Property in Film, Institute for International Film Financing, Santa Monica, California, October 2007

Nominated by Videojug.com as Legal Expert on Intellectual Property Law, August 2007

Speaker, IP and Business Issues for the Australian Technology Company's Entry to the US Market, Canberra Australia Business Council, Canberra, Australia, April 2007

Speaker, Patent Bar Review, Park Law Firm, Los Angeles, California, November 2006

BBC News Radio Interview: Legal Ramifications of Robert Sillerman's stake in the Elvis Presley Enterprises, April 2006

AWARDS

Ranked among the Top Trademark Firms in U.S., Intellectual Property Today Magazine, May 2009

Paul W. Wildman Scholar

Finalist, National Trial Competition

EDUCATION

Arizona State University, Bachelor of Arts, Emphasis Biological and Chemical Sciences

Southwestern University School of Law, Juris Doctorate