Practice Areas

We plan to be with you from the ground floor up. When it comes to our construction clients, we work with them as they work to build the city. These principles guide us whether and whenever we draft or review a construction contract, an AIA contract, or a design contract; evaluate and counsel on claims such as mechanics’ liens, warranties, and delay and other claims; or counsel on project requirements relating to bonding, LEED, and insurance. We leverage our collective experience, insight, ingenuity, knowledge to provide integrated and comprehensive advice to our clients from small family to Fortune 500 businesses. 

Goetz Platzer is more than just a law firm—we are hands-on strategic advisors to our clients that do a “deep dive” into the intricacies of our clients’ business. That bedrock knowledge informs everything we do, from dispute resolution (including arbitration and mediation) to presentation and defense of claims against city and state agencies to bid protests and injunctions.

Sometimes business deals go awry. Things change, people changes, the economy changes. We help our clients navigate the maze of resolving disputes, from pre-litigation efforts to resolve disputes although through commencing and defending actions, discovery, and trial. Our experience in commercial litigation covers a wide spectrum. Our litigation skills shine whether it is a fee dispute between real estate brokers, business divorces where partners differ on strategies, breach of contract involving real estate, goods or services, and more. Each case entails sophisticated litigation involving monetary claims based on a business or commercial transaction. Our seasoned attorneys have depth and expertise in administrative hearings before various agencies, along with pre-claim evaluation and assessment, and arbitration. We apply our knowledge of what can go wrong to help our clients properly plan to avoid disputes in the first place, a welcome skill in providing advisory services to closely-held companies and startups.

Before you build on the property, you need to close on the property. Complications or delays often come with the territory in real estate. No matter the transaction, you can turn to Goetz Platzer for the expertise and resources to structure, negotiate and close your deal whether commercial leasing or purchase and sale transactions ranging from $1 million to $100 million and beyond. Our firm is all about the details, seamlessly working with clients ranging from individuals and small businesses to commercial and institutional tenants to landlords. In addition to representing purchasers to secure financing, we handle real estate brokerage issues and litigation, easements and rights of way, tax-deferred property exchanges (1031 exchanges), among other critical, time-sensitive services.

Corporate transactions are definitely not a one-size-fits-all proposition—they demand a multi-faceted and practical approach. For established or growing business of all sizes, Goetz Platzer’s attorneys expertly balance the many aspects of complex corporate organization and management in forming corporate entities, preparing partnership, corporate and LLC operating agreements, shareholder and employment agreements, stock and asset sale and purchases, and business operation financing. We serve as counsel in mergers, acquisitions and other transactional activities, from employee relations and E-Commerce, to representation of professional services firms and federal and state compliance. We also help our business clients develop and protect their brand through registration of intellectual property such as trademark and copyrights.

In our bankruptcy practice, we check all the boxes. We help debtors overcome setbacks to maintain their solvency, which typically means restructuring distressed loans and negotiating favorable terms with the lender, usually a nationally recognized bank or some other private lender. This could involve adjusting the term of the loan, payback amount, charging a lesser interest rate, or avoiding default interest being charged. If that falls through, we advise on bankruptcy proceedings and specialize in Chapter 11 corporate restructuring. Whatever the outcome, our mission remains the same: we get our clients; businesses back on track.

Preserving your assets and leaving a legacy is what drives our trust and estates practice. We stand ready to safeguard clients’ personal wealth and transfer it in a way that achieves their personal objectives, while minimizing applicable taxes and other expenses—like potential litigation. Our clients are as diverse as our planning. Our clients range from new parents just starting a family, to family business owners, to high net-worth individuals, and family foundations. Regardless of an estate’s value, we provide consistent guidance to structure our clients’ estates in a way that minimizes stress on their families in a crisis situation and avoids potential disputes. Our services include preparing wills, trusts and advance directives such as health care proxies and powers of attorney, pursuing and defending guardianships where necessary, business continuity planning, and other key practice areas.

As a matter of federal, state, and local law, employers in New York and New Jersey must comply with labor standards. Guided by our attorneys’ top-to-bottom grasp of employment terms and conditions, we work tirelessly to resolve disputes prior to pursuing litigation. When that’s no longer a viable option (even as arbitration becomes the norm), we act as experienced consultants with one overarching goal in mind: to see every claim through to a successful conclusion, whether it involves wage disputes on the state or federal level; claims against employers involving labor union benefit plans; or workplace health and safety.

A business is only as good as its brand. You want yours to symbolize your company’s core values, culture, and good will. You give your business your all; you need to protect your business name, logo, and trade name so that your competitors and would-be competitors are deterred from siphoning the goodwill built by your sweat equity.

Our Commercial & Real Estate Finance team represents lenders and borrowers throughout the life cycle of a credit facility.

We partner with our clients from origination to closing on commercial and industrial (C&I) and commercial real estate (CRE) loans.

We provide maximum value by joining the conversation at the structuring stage of a credit facility where we can apply our in-depth experience to assist clients to optimally meet their goals.

The broad scope of our due diligence process, our wide experience in recognizing and overcoming title challenges, and our negotiating skills all combine to minimize risk and achieve the most favorable legal terms for our clients.

When loans do not perform as planned, our team is here to identify and implement effective solutions for our clients to address changed circumstances.