Corrections or additions?
Morgan Lewis Moves
This article was published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on February 10,
1999. All rights reserved.
Remember the fable of the lion and the mouse? What was
the king of the jungle doing with a lowly mouse, the other animals
wondered. But entrapped in a hunter’s snare, it wasn’t the tiger,
or the bear, or the elephant that came to the lion’s rescue. The mouse
gnawed the lion’s way to freedom. Not a perfect analogy perhaps, but
it reminds us that smart people court potential; they know that even
something very small could turn into something very useful — even
profitable.
Young companies may not be able to afford large attorney fees in their
early stages, but Morgan Lewis & Bockius — the nation’s fourth
largest law firm — is willing to take a chance on them. “If
these companies grow to become what we believe they will become,”
says Steven M. Cohen, a partner in the newly expanded Princeton
office,
“then they will have a lot of legal needs, and they will be very
loyal to us for having helped them in their early stages.”
“If we believe the client has big potential,” says Cohen,
“we are willing to be flexible in the timing of the payment of
our fees.”
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius opened its Princeton office in 1993 with a
commercial litigation practice. The office has since expanded both
in size and in practice areas, and tripled its clients over the last
year. A very large number of these clients are emerging businesses.
“The Princeton office plans to double again in 1999,” says
Robert A. White, the managing partner for the Princeton office, which
has moved from 100 Overbrook Center to 214 Carnegie Center. More than
50 percent of the firm’s clients are from the IT industry, others
include life sciences, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. Randall
B. Sunberg (Yale, Class of 1977, and New York University School of
Law) manages the pharmaceutical division, and Jill E. Jachera handles
the firm’s labor and employment practice. Jachera went to Penn State
(Class of 1983) and Rutgers. Cohen spearheads the firm’s New Jersey
business and finance practice.
Founded in Philadelphia in 1873, Morgan Lewis today has 14 offices
spread across the nation and in Europe and Asia. Morgan Lewis offers
area businesses the services of a boutique firm backed by the support
of more than 900 lawyers throughout the world, says Cohen.
Large law firms can also use their clout with financial institutions
to help the companies they represent. “They pass the threshold
test when they go through us,” says Cohen. “A potential
investor
might not always invest in the company, but they will read the
business
plan and give feedback. This information is very helpful, because
the entrepreneur can address those concerns, improve the next
presentation.”
Emerging companies can go to their lawyers for more than just legal
help. A big law firm has had experience with similar companies and
similar situations, says Cohen, and can offer practical advice.
Both White and Cohen agree that what a lot of emerging companies
ignore
is protecting their intellectual property and trade secrets. “If
their technology is lost, they have nothing else,” says White.
And that is why Cohen says that the ideal time to seek legal counsel
would be “when the company has an idea.”
The son of an auto mechanic and a nurse, White majored in philosophy
at Rutgers University in 1969, and received his law degree from
Columbia.
“Philosophy has helped me tremendously in many aspects of life,
not the least in the practice of law,” says White. “It helped
me develop an approach to analyze and resolve things.”
Cohen, who majored in finance and industrial relations at Wharton
School, Class of ’86, says he started out wanting to be an
entrepreneur
like his father. He almost started his own business, but decided to
pursue law instead, graduating from New York University Law School.
“I like puzzle solving and words more than numbers,” says
Cohen of his decision. “I love helping people get from point one
to point two.”
Two of his current clients, Wlodek Mandecki of PharmaSeq and Larry
Shiller of SBX, were honored as “Best of the Best” at a New
Jersey Entrepreneurial Network meeting in January. Other clients
include
Wilmar Industries, a Mount Laurel-based public company that
distributes
plumbing and electrical supplies to the apartment house market, and
Ameriquest Technologies, a publicly traded computer hardware
distributor
based in Horsham.
To increase his client base, says Cohen, he spends half an hour every
day meeting a new company. “It could or could not work out into
an attorney-client relationship. I am willing to invest that time
up front to provide my perspective at no charge.” His firm is
also very active in the New Jersey Technology Council and the New
Jersey Entrepreneurial Network. Referrals also come from bankers,
accountants, and previous clients.
Morgan Lewis has represented companies from inception to sale, public
offering, and beyond. Services include development and distribution
agreements, strategic partnerships, venture capital financing, initial
and secondary public offerings, mergers and acquisitions,
international
and intellectual property matters, stock option plans, and employee
benefits.
Princeton was chosen to represent its clients in New Jersey for three
reasons: Morgan Lewis has two major offices in Philadelphia and New
York and this central location allows them to work closely with both
offices. The three federal courts — in Trenton, Newark, and Camden
— are less than an hour’s drive away. Then there’s the prestigious
Princeton name. And the market, Cohen says, “has been extremely
receptive.”
— Teena Chandy
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, 214 Carnegie Center,Princeton08540-6273. Robert Alan White, managing partner. 609-520-6600; fax,609-520-6639.Home page: https://www.mlb.com.Top Of PageExpansionsEvans East, 104 Windsor Center, Suite 101, EastWindsor 08520. William L. Harrington, executive director.609-371-4800;fax, 609-371-5666. Home page: https://www.evanseast.com.Evans East has expanded into 15,000 at 104 Windsor Center onPrinceton-HightstownRoad in East Windsor. The new facility is twice the size of its formerfacility at 666 Plainsboro Road.Founded in 1987, East Evans, a member of the Evans Analytical Group,is a commercial materials analysis laboratory specializing in surface,thin-film, and trace element characterization. Starting with threefounders, the company now has 22 employees, and the new facility willallow the company to expand even further.”The sophisticated analytical techniques and instrumentation usedat Evans East are designed to solve material problems, to aid inprocessdevelopment, and to provide guidelines for quality control,” saysWilliam L. Harrington, one of the founders. Clients include scientistsand engineers from both small and large industrial firms, academe,and government laboratories.The Rock Brook School, 109 Orchard Road, Box 297,Blawenburg 08504. Mary Caterson-Marshall, director. 908-431-9500;fax, 908-431-9503.The Rock Brook School has expanded from 432 Route 518 to a facilitythat it built at 109 Orchard Road. “We expanded at the old sitein anticipation of this move,” says Mary Caterson-Marshall,director.This school for children with speech, learning, and languagedisabilities,now has 60 students.GA Environmental-Shah Associates, 15 West StateStreet, Floor II, Trenton 08608. Louise McCants, office manager.609-393-4089;fax, 609-393-7304.Shah Associates, a 22-year-old consulting engineering firm formerlylocated at 340 Scotch Road in Airport Corporate Center, has beenacquiredby GA Environmental at 15 West State Street; the two firms have atotal of 15 employees. James J. Silimeo was vice president of ShahAssociates.Top Of PageNew in TownSharp Design, 1 AAA Drive, Suite 202, Robbinsville08691. Carl Albertson, director. 609-890-4250; fax, 609-890-1639.Sharp Design, an engineering firm based in Woodbury, has opened abranch office at Robbinsville. This new 5,000 square foot officepresentlyhas 12 employees and will focus on the pharmaceutical industry.”Ourcustomers here are mainly pharmaceutical companies, and the Woodburymain office has more customers from the chemical and petrochemicalindustry,” says Carl Albertson, director.Top Of PageInsurance MovesSmith Benefit Services, 80 West Upper Ferry Road,Fisk Professional Center, Box 77358, Ewing 08628. Robert M. Neumann,president. 609-771-8900; fax, 609-771-8901.The insurance firm moved from the third floor of 3120 Princeton Piketo make room for the move-in of Arora & Associates, the engineeringfirm. It now occupies 2,000 square feet at Fisk Professional Center.The company is a consultant and broker for group insurance andspecialtyinsurance plans. “We have clients in 50 states and all theprovincesin Canada,” says Robert M. Neumann, the president. A graduateof LaSalle, Class of 1961, he has been with the firm for 20 years.When the overall company, Donald F. Smith, was sold, he and fourassociatesbought this division. “We also deal with close to 2,000 financialinstitutions in the Untied States and Canada, and have insuranceprogramsin Europe and South America.”It offers group employee benefits — life, medical, and disabilityinsurance — for New Jersey firms with up to 2,000 employees, butalmost half of the business involves credit card specialty insuranceprograms. For a major client, MasterCard, it supplies nationallysponsored accidental death and dismemberment program on commoncarriers,and a loot and stolen credit card fraud program in South America,and a debit card fraud program in Europe. It has put together baggageinsurance, collision damage waivers, and credit card insurance forsuch clients as First Chicago and Marine Midland. It also doesbusinessas DFS&A Insurance Agency Inc.American United Life, 3 Independence Way, Suite205, Princeton 08540. Michael O’Connell, regional pension director.609-720-1424; fax, 609-720-1427. Home page:https://www.aul.com.As the baby boomers age, the pension planners prosper. “We’regrowing. We have a good product, priced competitively, and theretirementplan business in general is a growth industry,” says MichaelO’Connell,regional pension director for American United Life.Based in Indianapolis, the firm was founded in 1877 and has severaldozen regional pension offices; last month he moved the office fromHQ in Forrestal Village to 1,800 square feet on Independence Way andexpects to have a half-dozen associates by the end of this year.”Weare in Princeton because we can work the Philadelphia marketefficiently,”says O’Connell.An economics major at University of Richmond, Class of 1983, O’Connellworked for Northwestern Mutual Life in Toms River. He went into thepension business at Cigna in 1992 before moving to AUL five yearsago. He opened the office at HQ three years ago.The firm’s clients are mid-size businesses with 25 to 250 employees,but it does not sell directly; it markets qualified pension plansthrough insurance and investment professionals. Most everyone isbuyingthe 401k plans. “That’s the one that everyone wants,” saysO’Connell.State Farm Insurance, 1340 Route 206, the VillageShopper, Skillman 08558. Fran Martillotti, agent. 609-252-1753; fax,609-252-1643.For greater visibility this insurance office moved from MontgomeryCommons to a retail site at the Village Shopper. “This is a biggeroffice and a storefront location. Nobody could find us at our previouslocation,” says Rosemary Thorne, office assistant. Phone and faxare unchanged.Top Of PageCrosstown MovesRaymond James & Associates, 44 Nassau Street, Suite370, Princeton 08542. Swep T. Davis, senior vice president.609-921-8815;fax, 609-921-0969.When its lease expired at 33 Witherspoon Street, this branch of aFlorida-based investment banking firm moved to 44 Nassau. It handlesmergers and acquisitions in the energy sector.Top Of PageExpansionsArora and Associates PC, 3120 Princeton Pike,Lawrenceville08648-2372. Surinder S. Arora P.E., president. 609-844-1111; fax,609-844-9799. Home page: https://www.arorapc.com.The highway engineering firm has moved from 8,000 feet at 5 PrincessRoad to a larger, more-visible space, to 12,500 feet at 3120 PrincetonPike. Mike Briehler at Buschman Jackson-Cross represented the tenantand Mark Hill represented Hilton Realty. Anthony Pascucci, controller,says the firm has 46 workers now and needed more space to be ableto hire more. workers now and will be hiring more. Arora & Associatesdoes bridge, highway, railroad design, construction inspection andmanagement, geotechnical engineering, and highway lighting designand surveying.Glotech Solutions, 3150 Brunswick Pike, Suite 160,Lawrenceville 08648. Jhedish Talreja, president. 609-637-0777; fax,609-671-0815. Home page: https://www.glotech.com.The “middleware” software developer has doubled in size,expandingfrom 8 to 15 employees, and moved from 256 Wall Street. Phone andfax are new. Middleware ranges in price from $75,000 to $400,000;the firm is four years old.ST&L Advertising, 209 North Center Drive, NorthBrunswick 08902. Howard Rich, president. 732-821-5800; fax,732-821-2537.This 36-year-old advertising agency moved from 2011 Route 130 to alarger facility in North Brunswick. STL is a general business tobusinessadvertising agency, and has major clients in the health care andbankingindustry nationwide and some small business clients as well. Clientsinclude Johnson and Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bosch Labs, andFirst Bank of Central New Jersey. “We provide more thanadvertisingservices,” says Rebel L. Robertson III, executive vice president.”We have our own photographer and photo studio in the agency.”Top Of PageLeaving TownTrilon Inc., Sanjiv Nathwani, president.215-790-6265;fax, 215-790-6231.Trilon Inc. had its start at the Rutgers-sponsored incubator spaceon Jersey Avenue, but it is no longer a physical tenant there. Nowa virtual company, it maintains a presence through the incubator andis still incorporated in New Jersey. The technical support numberis 215-790-6204.The firm provides multimedia and mobile solutions for structuralengineeringapplications through the IBIIS (Integrated Bridge InspectionInformationSystem). Its clients include such state highway departments asMassachusetts,Mass, Rhode Island, and Maryland, plus the Port Authority of NewJerseyand New York and the Federal Highway Administration.”We are basically a telecommuting company and most of our businessis done electronically,” says John Hagan, director of new productdevelopment. Hagan lives in Philadelphia and Sanjiv Nathwani,president,lives in New York. Excellent engineering resources are available inPhiladelphia, a little cheaper, Hagan says.A & A Engineering, 300 Corporate Center Drive,Manalapan 07726. Fred Esposito, partner. 732-845-1770; fax,732-845-1790.A & A Engineering has consolidated its office at 741 Alexander Roadwith an office in Manalapan and has a new phone and fax. The11-year-oldfirm does civil and structural engineering.Top Of PageName ChangesPrinceton Biostatistics Group Inc., 12 Roszel Road,Building B, Suite 200, Princeton 08540. Shawki Salem Ph.D, president.609-243-9050; fax, 609-243-9007. E-mail: pbgcorp@aol.com.Princeton Biosciences Group has changed back to its original name,Princeton Biostatistics Group; it is in the process of expanding.It does statistical consulting for the pharmaceutical and biotechindustries.Top Of PageDown-SizingChurch & Dwight Armex, 5 Crescent Avenue, PrincetonBusiness Park, Suite A-5, Princeton. 609-430-2306; fax, 609-497-9308.The cleaning and coating removal systems laboratory of Church &Dwight’sArmex product is moving from Princeton Business Park’s Crescent Drive,in Rocky Hill, to 469 North Harrison Street, the headquarters ofChurch& Dwight.BCA Inc., Box 3659, Princeton 08543-3659. FredPassman, president. 609-716-0200; fax, 609-716-0244.Fred Passman has moved his firm, Biodeterioration Control Associates(BCA), from 228 Alexander Street to a home office but retains thesame phone and fax. Passman founded BCA in 1991, merged with FQSLimitedtwo years ago, and has now de-merged from the Georgia-based company.”FQS wanted to consolidate their New Jersey office with theirFlorida office and I was not willing to do that,” says Passman.”They wanted me to move to Florida but I chose to remain as anindependent consultant.”.Top Of PageDeathsRoland C. Crocetti, 56, on January 27. He worked in theparts department of Z&W Mazda on Route 206.Robert Dempsky, 39, on January 31. He was a fieldrepresentativefor New Jersey Manufacturers Association and worked at Landwehr’sRestaurant on River Road.Tohams J. Scheideler, 61, on January 31. He was co-ownerof T&H Builders.Carolyn G. Cash, 62, on February 5. She had been asupervisorat Educational Testing Service.Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
