Hall Booth Smith, P.C.

Our Arbitration & Mediation service group offers a wealth of experience from all sides of the table. We proudly offer alternatives to litigation in resolving disputes and conflicts that arise in the course of everyday life and business and recognize that disputes arise which are better suited to be resolved in an alternative dispute resolution process, rather than through the traditional court system. Our attorneys are skilled through years of experience and alternative dispute resolution training and certification.

When selecting an HBS mediator, you will experience the comfort of playing an active role in resolution through confidential and constructive negotiation. Our attorneys excel in facilitating a well-informed and efficient mediation process by which the parties mutually resolve their differences. At the conclusion, we assist in crafting an agreement which embodies the letter and spirit of the parties’ mutual intent.

Mediation conducted by our highly trained and experienced mediators offers an informative and comfortable atmosphere conducive to communication and cooperation. We have found over the years that by facilitating open and honest communication between the parties while recognizing motivating factors unique to each situation we can consistently provide a satisfying and successful mediation experience. Parties leave the alternative dispute resolution process feeling fully informed, completely engaged, and integrally invested in the outcome. From beginning to end, we work with the parties to reach their own unique solutions.

The attorneys in the Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights practice at HBS are experienced in advising clients on bankruptcy and business insolvency issues that arise both prior to and during the bankruptcy process with a focus on protecting creditors and other interested parties that have been hailed into bankruptcy court in both commercial and consumer bankruptcy proceedings.

Difficult financial markets, waning resources, and reduced spending are giving rise to the rate of bankruptcy filings in the recent months. It is important to take measures to protect your rights and interests during times of economic prosperity to ensure that those rights and interests remain protected in times of economic hardship.

Businesses both large and small are experiencing financial challenges with the uncertainty surrounding our economy. This is a critical time when many businesses may perish, leaving lenders, vendors, and other creditors of the businesses to wade through the bankruptcy process as a final hope of any recovery of what they are rightfully owed.

The attorneys at Hall Booth Smith have the skill and experience to handle business disputes of all sizes and nature. From complex contract litigation with another business entity to internal governance matters involving officer and director duties and shareholder disputes, we work with our clients to help them achieve their strategic objectives.

We recognize that our clients’ time is best spent in board rooms and conference rooms rather than in the court room. We are prepared to handle complex business and commercial disputes before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, as well as alternative dispute venues such as arbitration and mediation.

The Family Law and Domestic Relations service group at Hall Booth Smith is dedicated to providing excellent legal advice and zealous legal representation for you. We understand that every family is different, which means each divorce action, each custody action, each support action, and each modification action is different.

At HBS, we do not utilize a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to representing you and your legal issues. We focus on the individual client and the specific issues that are important to you as the client. We will guide you through the laws that govern your family law case and will help you navigate the process while also zealously represent you to obtain the best possible result that will protect you and your family.

The attorneys at HBS focus on the following areas:

• Divorce (including military)
• Child custody and parenting time
• Child support
• Alimony
• Property division
• Modification of custody and support orders
• Adoption
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
• Contempt and enforcement of orders
• Legitimation

From individuals to multinational corporations, HBS Immigration attorneys help clients secure employment-based permanent and temporary visas and family-based visas, advise on compliance issues, and provide proactive advice to businesses of all sizes on best practices to avoid future liability.

In the increasingly complex world of insurance matters and risk, getting coverage right matters. At HBS, our Insurance Coverage Service Area has deep expertise in a wide range of coverage issues from policy procurement through claim resolution. We provide sound coverage advice and litigate when necessary to protect our clients’ rights and defend against bad faith claims.

Our Intellectual Property group works as a strategic business partner to help clients of all sizes protect, monetize, and defend their intellectual work and creative endeavors. Our team has decades of collective experience in representing individuals and companies of all sizes across most industries in complex patent, trademark, trade secrets, copyright, entertainment, and other matters.

This includes technology companies, businesses engaged in manufacturing, distribution and retail, hospitality and entertainment, agriculture, food and beverage, authors, artists and entertainers, entrepreneurs, and many others.

When our clients are threatened by allegations of infringement or breach of contract suits or pursuing action against someone who has infringed upon their rights, we take an aggressive stance on litigation to protect their interests.

As labor and employment laws become more nuanced and complex, Hall Booth Smith’s national Labor & Employment Service proactively assists both private and public sector clients in navigating the ever changing legal landscape. When challenging employment law and workplace issues arise, employers, companies, educational institutions, and municipalities across the United States turn to our labor and employment attorneys to provide the strategic guidance necessary to safeguard against potential claims and to resolve conflicts in the most favorable and cost-effective manner possible.

Real estate transactions can be complex, with land use, zoning, and financing issues affecting even a simple property sale. At Hall Booth Smith, we can guide you through these complexities, helping you understand these transactions. Our Real Estate practice closes commercial and residential transactions representing buyers and sellers, individuals, and institutional clients – handling contracts and purchases of all types and sizes.

The term “trusts and estates” is misleadingly narrow. Our Wills, Trusts, & Estate Administration practice group offers counsel and advice in the full range of planning for and administration of death and disability events. On the planning side, we help individuals craft estate plans that address their unique needs, with wills and trusts being only two of a broad range of tools that may be employed to that end. On the administration side, we represent beneficiaries, heirs, and fiduciaries (including corporate fiduciaries) in all the myriad issues that arise, including asset disposition and distribution, funding, tax issues and elections, joint and partial ownership issues, and disputes among and between beneficiaries and fiduciaries. We have extensive litigation experience, and while resolution outside that arena is always preferable (especially where family relationships are involved), we are prepared to pursue judicial resolution in those cases where it is the best, or only, option.

We firmly believe that legal representation in this arena must be focused on the specific persons involved and the issues that are important to them. We do not sell “canned” estate plans. While taxation issues are always important, we do not believe they should be the driving force in every estate situation. We recognize that the “traditional family” is largely a fiction; every family is unique. The efficient transfer of wealth at death is but one issue, as concerns regarding guardianship of minors and incapacitated adults, delegation of financial and medical decision-making in the event of incapacity, children from other marriages, and the unique needs of physically or mentally challenged family members are merely a few of the other issues that arise. Practice in this area is inseparable from business and real estate issues, and we are able to offer counseling on those matters as a part of our planning and administration services.

The practice of medicine is guided not only by science but also by subjectivity. Opinions, experience, and instinct often come into play when care providers make key medical decisions. This subjectivity is capable of producing practice standards that are broad and diverse and can also be problematic in the litigation arena when medical treatment yields less than optimal results. Through their extensive experience and training, knowledge of medicine, and access to top medical experts, the attorneys at Hall Booth Smith provide the highest quality representation to medical providers before, during, and after litigation.

Since the inception of the firm, a significant portion of Hall Booth Smith’s practice has been the defense of professionals in medical malpractice lawsuits. HBS attorneys have substantial experience counseling and representing professionals in all areas of patient care. Members of the firm have successfully defended doctors, nurses, physician practice groups, hospital entities, health care systems, long-term care facilities, and managed care organizations from a variety of claims, including negligent care and treatment, negligent misdiagnosis, negligent referral, lack of consent, personal injury, gross negligence, and wrongful death.

Our attorneys have significant experience in handling jury trials, arbitrations, and mediations for all types of medical providers. Additionally, our practice goes well beyond defending claims and lawsuits; we also provide legal analysis and counseling regarding credentialing, negligent retention, and risk management. Our attorneys offer you help in and out of the courtroom, and we are dedicated to surpassing our clients’ expectations in providing the highest quality legal representation tailored to each client’s individual needs and unique circumstances.

For more than twenty years, HBS attorneys have been involved in the representation of professionals in a variety of medical fields, including:

• Acute care centers
• Ambulance services
• Assisted living facilities
• Agency nurses
• Blood banks
• Home health services
• Hospitals and health systems
• Long-term acute care facilities
• Long-term care facilities
• Managed care organizations
• Outpatient surgery centers
• Pharmacists and pharmacies
• Physicians and physician practice groups