Higher Education

Nonprofit and charitable organizations of all types and sizes depend on Goodwin for sound advice on the range of legal issues they encounter from forming tax-exempt entities to serving as outside counsel for day-to-day legal issues. Our interdisciplinary team of lawyers works with colleges, universities, research organizations, museums, environmental organizations, family and corporate foundations, and community development/lending organizations. The Tax-exempt practice includes Goodwin lawyers from the corporate, tax, real estate, ERISA/employee benefits, intellectual property, environmental and litigation practices.

Few firms offer the breadth of practice that we bring to private fund managers and investors. We understand the issues specific to different types of funds and offer advice that comes from a wealth of experience across industries and global markets. Our lawyers work in all the key industries, including, real estate, venture capital, private equity, infrastructure, natural resources and hedge funds, raising funds worldwide that range from less than $50 million to over $12 billion. The depth and breadth of our experience allows us to provide our clients with the most current market terms for their industry as well as access to cutting-edge developments across industries.

We handle every stage in the life cycle, and we provide fund managers with the sophisticated level of counsel required for forming, advising and operating private investment funds. Within fund formation, we take a creative approach, starting with not only the specific objectives of a particular fund but also an assessment of how the fund fits within the client’s broader business goals. We then help fund managers determine the best structure and terms to achieve those goals.

Clients in a broad spectrum of industry sectors including manufacturing, consumer products, hardrock mining, conventional and renewable energy, clean tech, private equity, financial services, educational institutions, and real estate investment and development work with Goodwin’s renowned Environmental Practice to resolve their most difficult environmental challenges. These challenges include multi-party litigation, contested administrative rulemaking and permitting proceedings, new legislative initiatives, major enforcement actions, compliance investigations, Brownfields redevelopment projects, and management of complex sites, particularly those involving contaminated sediments or vapor intrusion.

Management teams of all sizes and across a broad spectrum of industries rely on Goodwin for advice and representation in all areas of labor and employment law. We provide practical advice to employers on hiring and disciplinary practices, compensation, workplace violence, privacy concerns, issues arising under the Family and Medical Leave Act, loyalty issues, and protection of employer good will and proprietary information via restrictions on post-employment competition.

Our lawyers have extensive employment litigation experience involving all significant employment law issues, including reasonable accommodation of disabilities; sexual harassment; discrimination claims arising out of reductions in force; individual disparate treatment claims; wrongful discharge/public policy claims; employment contract and employee benefits claims; wage and hour disputes; and enforcement of noncompetition obligations.

As businesses today face an increasingly sophisticated threat environment compounded by aggressive regulatory enforcement, companies need a partner who can help mitigate risk and respond to the unthinkable. Our Privacy + Cybersecurity practice is one of the longest-standing of any AmLaw 50 firm. Dating back to the late 1990s and established formally in 2004, our practice is fully integrated and leverages the firm's core strengths, with the group's lawyers coming from our technology, financial institutions, licensing, litigation, regulatory and appellate practices. Our unique approach, focusing on client needs and value, enables us to engage specialists whose experience is framed by a holistic understanding of clients' greatest risks in this threatening environment.

Real estate development requires technical expertise and dedication. Building a successful project starts with good working partnerships and Goodwin is committed to guiding our clients from concept to completion of every project. We counsel developers, investors, corporate owners and managers, nonprofit institutions and investors in large-scale projects of all kinds.

Goodwin’s Debt Finance practice represents borrowers, private equity sponsors and lenders in a broad range of financing transactions. Our Debt Finance lawyers work closely with the firm's Private Equity, Technology Companies, Capital Markets, and Financial Restructuring groups structuring, negotiating and documenting domestic and cross-border debt financing arrangements, including secured and unsecured senior, mezzanine and subordinated debt facilities, acquisition-financing transactions, working capital facilities, as well as loan workouts and restructurings.

On the borrower side, Goodwin represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies, leading public and private companies and start-ups in a wide variety of business industries. On the lender side, Goodwin’s clients include domestic and international banks, insurance and finance companies, mezzanine lenders, business development companies and other institutional investors.

As a growing technology company, your prospects are exciting and your challenges are unique – from securing funding, protecting IP, and navigating the regulatory environment, to differentiating yourself in the marketplace, managing customer acquisition and scaling your business. We get it. We are proud to bring a comprehensive, coordinated approach that interconnects business, new technologies and the law.

At Goodwin, we share your entrepreneurial spirit. We developed Founders Workbench, a free online legal advisory resource to help entrepreneurs navigate many of the legal and organizational challenges commonly faced by start-ups and emerging companies. We partner with you to grow your business and realize your potential more effectively – with a combination of legal experience and business savvy that can scale with management teams from the earliest stages of development through mature public company. We support clients at all stages of the corporate life cycle with legal advice related to company formation, IP protection, licensing, commercial agreements and venture financing to IPOs, M&A, corporate governance, board matters and more.

With 180+ lawyers dedicated to the industry, we have one of the largest and most recognized technology practices in the United States. Consistently rated in the top five most active of all law firms for venture capital, IPOs and M&A, we draw on our deep experience and network of clients and investors to provide the most effective and efficient counsel for today’s emerging companies.

Succeeding in the life sciences industry is as much about strategy and execution as it is about research and development. In this highly competitive business, you need more than the best and brightest ideas – you need a legal and strategic partner that understands the challenges of securing funding, safeguarding intellectual property, establishing partnerships, bringing new products to market, opening up new revenue streams, and protecting existing product lines.

Lawyers in our life sciences practice are deeply experienced in corporate governance, financing and M&A transactions, collaborations and licensing, regulatory matters, and intellectual property law. As part of our interdisciplinary approach, we also collaborate with attorneys in our patent litigation, products liability, employment and tax practices to protect client interests and to advocate on their behalf.

With a full service team of highly experienced lawyers resident in key life sciences hubs, our team helps clients find the strategic paths that foster growth and minimize risk across all phases of the corporate life cycle. Motivated by the knowledge that the work that we do with you is improving people’s lives, we serve as an extension of your team so you can focus on your core business.