Practice Overview
Rutan & Tucker has assembled a team of highly qualified professionals from several practice areas to provide representation to companies engaged in the fashion, apparel and beauty business. We have combined the talents and experience of our corporate and transactional attorneys, litigators, intellectual property lawyers, and employment and labor law practitioners to provide creative, effective and efficient solutions to the many complex legal and business issues that face apparel industry companies in the competitive global markets.
Located in Orange County, the home of some of the top echelon action sports and apparel companies in the world, our firm is uniquely positioned to assist and support our clients with highly skilled and experienced professionals who know and understand the apparel industry. We keep abreast of market trends and issues, regularly attend major apparel tradeshows and are active in key industry organizations giving us firsthand insight into key industry developments.
As a result of our expertise and experience in numerous areas of practice, many of which are summarized below, our attorneys are familiar with evolving legal issues and we are able to handle specialized and complex problems in a timely and efficient manner. We offer specialized services customized to our clients’ needs. Our clients range from start-up private companies to public companies that are industry leaders, and include manufacturers, distribution companies and retail operations.
Our apparel practice group attorneys structure and form business entities, assist in capitalization and financing structures, draft agreements with employees and suppliers, and negotiate transactions. We also negotiate licensing, distribution and marketing agreements, factoring agreements, letters of credit, daily business contracts and commercial and retail leases. We also advise clients on the availability of patents, copyrights and trademarks, and assist through the registration process both domestically and internationally. We work to protect our clients’ intellectual property and prosecute the violators on their behalf, and efficiently advise on business litigation strategies. We also defend clients in proceedings where they are alleged to infringe on the rights of others including before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and in state and federal courts. As respected members of the apparel industry, our firm lawyers can close transactions and resolve disputes efficiently, remedy copyright and trademark infringements quickly and develop growth and exit strategies wisely.
Our team has expertise in the following areas:
- Business formation and operations, including assistance in capitalization and financing structures, drafting buy-sell agreements and executive compensation agreements
- Mergers and acquisitions, business combinations, strategic partnerships, and growth and exit strategies
- Private equity financing, corporate finance, factoring and secured transactions
- Distribution, marketing, licensing and merchandising agreements
- Labor and employment
- Leasing of manufacturing, showroom and retail facilities
- Litigation and dispute resolution
- Tax
- Intellectual property, including patents, trademark, copyright and e-commerce protection
- Stock and equity transactions
More About Our Apparel Group
While we consider our quality of personnel to be our greatest asset, we are also cognizant of the need to maximize efficiency, minimize costs, and maintain free-flowing communications.