Daniel P. Neelon - Norwell, MA

Mr. Neelon focuses his practice on business transactional and business advisory matters (both domestic and international) and litigation related to business and professional disputes.

Business Transactional and Advisory Practice

Mr. Neelon's experience includes providing advice, documentation, negotiation and strategies concerning the following:

• Acquisitions, mergers and dispositions of securities and assets
• Broker-dealer contracts
• Company plans for bonuses, profit-sharing and stock options
• Company investigations of incidents and employees
• Corporate governance
• Corporate legal strategies
• Corporate organization
• Domestic and transnational business contract negotiation and preparation
• Energy exploration and development (onshore and offshore), and mining investments
• Executive compensation
• Executive evaluation
• Hiring and releasing employees
• Investment banking and financing relationships
• Joint ventures related to mining, oil and gas, and other businesses
• Leases of real estate
• Private securities placements
• Restaurant acquisitions and dispositions
• Select tax issues
• Securities compliance opinions
• Technology and patent licenses

Sample Business Transactions and

Corporate Representation

Representation of an entrepreneur regarding a foreign bank acquisition

Representation of an oceanographic instrument development and manufacturing company in patent license acquisitions, sublicensing, international instrument sales, and contracts with national and government-funded research institutions.

Representation of developing technology companies in the preparation of stock appreciation rights plans, stock option plans, stock grants, and related deferred compensation issues.

Representation of companies and shareholders in multi-million-dollar merger, acquisition, and share exchange transactions.

Civil Litigation Practice

Mr. Neelon's experience includes civil litigation in the following areas:

• Business contract disputes
• Commercial Collections
• Fraud (business and financial)
• Securities fraud
• Legal malpractice
• Medical malpractice
• State taxation of natural resources
• Trade secret misappropriation
• Unfair and deceptive trade and business practices

Sample Litigation Matters

• Complex, multistate commercial and securities litigation
• Obtained multiple settlements in federal securities fraud case
• Obtained preliminary and permanent injunctive relief and damage settlement in trade secret misappropriation case
• Obtained federal bankruptcy court order denying a debtor's discharge from bankruptcy on the basis of fraud

Obtained unanimous opinion of The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts Insurers Insolvency Fund v. Smith, 458 Mass.561 (2010)

Lead attorney in litigating and obtaining a seven-digit settlement of a shareholder derivative action representing over 30 plaintiffs against an issuer of securities and a securities law firm in claims based on securities fraud, misrepresentation and malpractice, 2002

Lead trial attorney in Texas commercial and estate fraud case, resulting in a $1.8 million aggregate judgment based on an approximate $1.366 million jury damage verdict, 1997 (upheld on appeal)

Lead attorney in stopping, based on constitutional grounds, a southwestern state's attempts to collect approximately $800,000 of severance taxes from a petroleum company's operations on a Native American reservation, 1989