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Overview

Calfee leverages the expertise of our lawyers across multiple practice areas to provide clients with comprehensive legal guidance regarding the structuring, drafting, and negotiating of various types of commercial contracts, including:

  • Purchase and sale order terms and conditions
  • Joint venture agreements
  • Contract manufacturing agreements
  • Supply agreements
  • Distribution agreements
  • Intellectual property licenses
  • Confidentiality/nondisclosure agreements
  • Software agreements
  • Capital leases
  • Consulting, independent contractor, and sales representative agreements
  • Government contracts
  • Other complex commercial contracts

We work collaboratively with each client to draft and negotiate contracts that mitigate their identified key business and legal risks and pressure points while optimizing the client’s growth opportunities and goals.

Our advice is proactive, strategic, and practical – we work to tailor internal contracting best practices and risk mitigation techniques based on the client’s individual business model, resources, and risk profile as well as any unique industry considerations. 

We utilize our expertise across multiple practices to address high-risk compliance areas, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other data privacy compliance and legal matters, within the scope of the client’s commercial contracts.

We utilize Calfee’s proprietary reporting and other data management programs, which are developed internally by Calfee’s IT department to create customized outputs based on the client’s specific needs. We make the reports available to clients through the use of our industry-leading client extranet technology, which our clients tell us is a significant differentiator from other legal service providers.

Noteworthy

Chambers USA Leading Law Firm Rankings

For more than a decade, Calfee has been recognized as a Leading Law Firm for Corporate/M&A in Ohio by Chambers USA, most recently in Band 2 in Ohio: North and Band 3 in Ohio: South and Central (2024).

Clients provided feedback to Chambers USA researchers, "Calfee consistently generates exceptional outcomes for their clients. They are extremely responsive and meet tight deadlines. Their lawyers represent the client's best interests while also conducting themselves in a collegial and professional manner. They offer exceptional service levels. The firm has done an excellent job with some of our most difficult transactions and brings a business sensibility while protecting and mitigating our risk."

Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” Rankings

Calfee was selected for inclusion in the 2025 "Best Law Firms" rankings in the following areas:

  • Corporate Compliance Law (Regional Tier 2 Cleveland, Regional Tier 1 Cincinnati)
  • Corporate Law (National Tier 1, Regional Tier 1 Cleveland, Regional Tier 1 Columbus, Regional Tier 1 Cincinnati)

Professionals

Professionals

Karl S. Beus
Co-Chair, Corporate and Finance

Experience

Experience

  • Assisted Nestlé USA, Inc. in the (i) drafting and negotiating of a wide variety of commercial agreements related to all facets of its business operations, including, without limitation, contract manufacturing agreements, supply agreements, construction and professional services agreements, SaaS agreements, subscription and licensing agreements, power purchase agreements, construction and professional design agreements, temporary staffing agreements, and (ii) creation of form agreements to be used across business units, including marketing agreements, employee and third-party waivers and releases, equipment finance agreements, power purchase agreements, construction contracts, and event sponsorship.
  • Created a customized sales representative onboarding package – including an offer letter and sales representative agreement with invention assignment and proactive and restrictive covenants – for a client in the medical device and services industry.
  • Assisted a service industry client in rolling out a hybrid but uniform employment agreement – at-will versus term, varying degrees of proactive and restrictive covenants based upon the role, modified incentive compensation and severance packages based upon division within the company – to better manage the employee-employer relationship.
  • Represented a national finance company in the negotiation of several long-term sponsorship and marketing agreements with professional sports franchises and sporting organizations.
  • Negotiated agreements with professional sports organizations, such as the NFL, NBA, NCAA, and MLB in connection with the production of major sporting events in the City of Cleveland.
  • Represented a large, publicly traded chemical company based in Northeast Ohio with respect to drafting, negotiating, and analyzing a multitude of commercial contracts, including supply agreements, licensing agreements, distribution and sales rep agreements, nondisclosure agreements, quality agreements, etc.
  • Provided advice to a major pharmaceutical distribution company with respect to HIPAA and other compliance issues that arise from time to time when entering into new commercial contract arrangements.
  • Negotiated logistics and transportation agreements with a national carrier company for the management of the client’s national logistics and delivery function.

News & Events

News

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Calfee's Corporate and Finance practice "draws from an impressive statewide team with a strong track record across a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, acting on behalf of public and private businesses and financial institutions. Areas of excellence include M&A, securities offerings, and private equity and venture capital fund formation."

Chambers USA 

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