CORPORATE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNSEL FOR BUSINESS-CRITICAL TRANSACTIONS
Rock-Hurst Astor is a boutique corporate and commercial law firm representing technology companies, established businesses, investors and in-house legal teams.
We advise clients on complex commercial agreements, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity matters, corporate governance, and other strategic business transactions.
Our lawyers bring decades of experience from global law firms, public and private companies, government and international business. We combine sophisticated legal judgment with an in-house understanding of how businesses operate—helping clients manage material risk, resolve difficult issues and move transactions forward.
Practical Counsel. Sophisticated Experience
Business decisions rarely fit neatly within a single legal category. A technology agreement may involve intellectual property, data security, privacy, regulatory, operational and corporate issues. An acquisition may require careful attention to commercial contracts, technology assets, employment obligations and post-closing integration.
We provide coordinated, senior-level advice across these disciplines. Our objective is not to eliminate every conceivable risk or complicate a transaction. It is to identify the issues that matter, explain the available choices clearly and help our clients reach commercially sound outcomes.
Our Practices
01
Commercial and Technology Transactions
We represent technology providers, enterprise customers and other businesses in the development, licensing, acquisition, sale and use of technology, software, data and technology-enabled services.
Our lawyers draft and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including:
- Master services agreements and statements of work
- SaaS, cloud services and software licensing agreements
- Technology development, implementation and integration agreements
- Professional and consulting services agreements
- Data processing, data use and data-sharing agreements
- Artificial intelligence and technology-enabled service agreements
- Outsourcing, managed services and business-process agreements
- Reseller, referral, channel and distribution agreements
- Procurement, sourcing and vendor agreements
- Equipment purchase, supply and maintenance agreements
- Confidentiality, nondisclosure and intellectual-property agreements
We understand the provisions that frequently determine the real allocation of value and risk—including intellectual-property ownership, use of data, information security, service levels, warranties, indemnification, limitations of liability, regulatory obligations, termination rights and transition assistance.
Whether we are helping a provider close a strategic customer agreement or assisting a customer with a critical technology acquisition, our advice is grounded in the client’s business objectives and negotiating leverage.
02
Outside General Counsel and In-House Legal Support
We serve as outside general counsel to companies that need experienced legal leadership without adding a full-time senior lawyer. We also provide targeted support to in-house legal departments facing demanding transactions, increased contract volume, temporary staffing needs or specialized commercial and technology matters.
Our support may include:
- Day-to-day corporate and commercial advice
- Sales and procurement contract negotiations
- Development of contract templates and clause libraries
- Contract playbooks and escalation procedures
- Support for quarter-end and other high-volume contracting periods
- Management of outside specialists and local counsel
- Legal support for new products, markets and strategic initiatives
- Transactional support during leaves, transitions and periods of growth
We integrate with internal business and legal teams and adapt our role to the client’s needs—from handling a discrete strategic transaction to becoming an ongoing extension of the company’s legal function.
03
Corporate, M&A and Strategic Transactions
We counsel startups, established businesses, investors and management teams throughout the business lifecycle.
Our corporate practice includes:
- Entity formation and founder arrangements
- Corporate governance and board matters
- Equity issuances and ownership arrangements
- Venture capital, private equity and strategic investments
- Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures
- Joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Corporate reorganizations
- Commercial and technology due diligence
- Transaction structuring and negotiation
- General corporate and operational advice
In an acquisition or sale, we work closely with clients from preliminary structuring and letters of intent through diligence, definitive documentation, closing and post-closing matters. We focus attention on the issues that affect transaction value, deal certainty and the client’s continuing obligations after closing.
Why Rock-Hurst Astor
Senior Lawyers, Directly Involved
Our clients work directly with experienced lawyers. Matters are staffed deliberately, with responsibility placed at the appropriate level and without unnecessary layers of personnel.
An In-House Perspective
Our lawyers have worked inside companies and understand the operational realities confronting executives, sales teams, procurement professionals and in-house counsel. We give advice that can be implemented—not merely analyzed.
Commercial Judgment
We distinguish material risks from theoretical ones. We explain the significance of an issue, evaluate the client’s leverage and recommend a practical path forward.
Efficient and Flexible Service
As a focused boutique, we can tailor staffing, responsiveness and fee arrangements to the engagement. We offer traditional hourly representation as well as project-based, fixed-fee and ongoing outside-counsel arrangements when appropriate.
National and International Experience
Our lawyers have handled transactions involving clients and counterparties across the United States and internationally. We are comfortable coordinating matters that cross jurisdictions, industries and business cultures.
A Law Firm Built Around How Business Gets Done
Rock-Hurst Astor combines the sophistication of experienced corporate counsel with the accessibility, efficiency and personal attention of a focused boutique.
We represent clients ranging from emerging companies to established enterprises, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, and corporate legal departments. Whatever the size of the organization, our approach remains the same: understand the business, focus on what matters and help the client move forward with confidence.
Discuss Your Legal Needs
If your company is negotiating a significant commercial agreement, pursuing a corporate transaction or needs experienced outside legal support, we would welcome the opportunity to learn more.