James Garbus Featured in LIBN’s Who's Who in Corporate Law

James D. Garbus is a member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. in Garden City. Garbus is also co-chair of its corporate law & corporate finance law practices. He represents established as well as start-up businesses, providing day-to-day general corporate representation including legal and business advice to management on strategic planning, including exit strategies, and operational issues as they arise.

Garbus focuses his practice in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, representing both issuers and investors and including seed, private equity, and venture capital transactions and mezzanine and acquisition financing. He also has experience in lending transactions including senior secured and subordinated debt facilities, representing both borrowers and lenders. He has experience in structuring and forming complex joint ventures, limited partnerships and limited liability companies.

When a business enters a growth phase, it is important for management to fully understand the implications of decisions that they make including the ability of the business to sustain any changes in operations, Garbus said.

“For example, a directive to materially increase marketing and sales staff to increase purchase orders must be balanced with operational imperatives so that the production side can increase outflow subject to excellent quality control measures while meeting timely delivery requirements,” he said. “This is all to ensure that the business maintains its reputation in the marketplace.” Furthermore, it is also important that all department heads are made a part of the initiative so that, for example, the IT and accounting departments can keep up with demand, Garbus noted.

“The future is impossible to predict with certainty,” Garbus said. “Management should also have a failsafe position and be prepared to make any necessary operational changes if they determine that the business cannot sustain the ramp up due to a dramatic drop in the market. It may be necessary to reduce the increased internal costs without delay in a manner that is the least disruptive to operations.”

Prior to joining the firm, Garbus was in private practice. Before that, he was a partner at Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin, LLP (successor to Parker Chapin LLP) and an associate at Breed Abbott & Morgan LLP where he practiced in the corporate department.

Garbus is also the co-founder of a film finance and production company. He is the producer of several independent film and other productions.

Garbus is admitted to practice law in New York State. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Bar Association of the City of New York, the Nassau County Bar Association, the Business Advisory Board of the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, and a member of the Board of the Long Island division of the Association for Corporate Growth, New York Chapter.