Sirote & Permutt to Combine with Dentons

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The law firm Sirote & Permutt will merge with Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, to launch Dentons Sirote, forming the first global law firm in Alabama.

“We look forward to combining with Dentons, a highly respected and top-ranked global law firm with a breadth and depth of coverage that, like us, clearly prioritizes their clients by focusing on quality, innovation, client service, and inclusion and diversity,” Birmingham-based Sirote & Permutt said in a news statement. 

The firm will be known as Dentons Sirote in 198 locations with 44 offices in the U.S. The firm’s more than 11,000 lawyers are organized into 24 business sectors with experience in 40 practice areas of expertise.

“We are delighted to be combining with Dentons, a firm that shares our common zeal for providing superior service to clients, now and in the future,” said Todd Carlisle, president of Sirote. “The unique thing about this combination is that it’s the best of both worlds for our clients and us. By combining with Dentons, our clients will continue to work with the Sirote lawyers they know and trust, as well as having access to additional talent and innovative solutions to help them achieve their objectives in a rapidly evolving business climate wherever they are located.”

Force Majeure: An Unexpected Legal Side Effect of Coronavirus

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If you are a person who never reads the fine print of a contract, you have probably never heard of a force majeure clause.

However, that clause in every commercial contract for the past century may be worth reading for those suffering the economic hardships caused by coronavirus and the economic shutdown.

That relatively short paragraph in a commercial lease offers a glimpse into why all that fine print is important, and many business owners are discovering they can take shelter in its words.

Broadly written and mostly ignored until now, force majeure essentially says the contract you are signing is not enforceable in the event of a declaration of war or an act of nature.

In the past, what exactly constitutes an act of nature has been a bit unclear and some businesses are vowing to fight it in the courts, while many businessowners are justly using the force majeure to say, “Wait a minute. We are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and I am being forced to close my business due to circumstances outside my control. I am activating my force majeure clause in response to my inability to pay the rent.”

As a result, commercial developers, property managers, and businesses who lease space to another business are getting their first look at post-coronavirus lease contracts.

What used to be a short, single paragraph is coming back a page or more in length, clarifying in detail, what exactly constitutes an act of nature. In addition to global pandemic, which is meticulously explained, these contracts are also allowing for events of civil unrest and riots.

As one landlord put it, the force majeure is now a lot more iron clad and landlords are going to have to go along with it.

While most businesses are willing to work with tenants on situations where they cannot pay the rent, and essentially defer the collection process until solutions can be found, it is now more than ever a choice about what the two parties will and won’t negotiate to reach a solution.

The force majeure is being expanded to try and clarify all circumstances that uphold that argument.

One example is that of a knee surgeon who isn’t allowed to perform knee surgeries because they are shut down for six weeks. Clearly there is no money coming in to pay the rent.

Some of these longer force majeures are written to say, if you close the hospital to elective surgeries, I will need to forego payments for six months or until the hospital reopens and I am able to offer services.

Force majeure is just one of the unexpected consequences of the coronavirus that will be with us for a long time.

Maynard Cooper & Gale Adds 3 Members to Huntsville Office

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Maynard Cooper & Gale has announced the addition of three team members to the firm’s Huntsville office.

Attorney Philip Johnson joins the litigation practice and patent agent Erin Gaddes and technical advisor Badhri Ragunathan join the intellectual property practice.

“We are excited to grow our office and expand our services with the addition of these bright and talented individuals,” said Daniel Wilson, managing shareholder. “They possess technical skill sets and industry knowledge that will benefit our IP and litigation practices, and we are pleased to have them on board.”

Remington Outdoor emerges from Chapter 11

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Remington Outdoor, which has a facility in Huntsville, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday after completing a debt-cutting deal with creditors.

Remington, America’s oldest gunmaker, filed for bankruptcy protection in March.

Under the reorganization plan, more than $775 million in Remington debt has been converted into equity. Remington also received a $193 million new lending package funded by seven banks, including Bank of America Corp.

“It is morning in Remington country,” said Anthony Acitelli, Chief Executive Officer of Remington. “We are excited about the future – producing quality products, serving our customers, and providing good jobs for our employees.”

The facility near Huntsville International Airport employs nearly 1,000 people and makes rifles, shotguns, handguns and silencers.