Business Contract Lawyers for Connecticut

I am a Connecticut-licensed business attorney with over a decade of combined legal and business-operations experience, including roles as in-house counsel, Director of Operations & Compliance, and Director of Growth. I provide practical, business-focused legal solutions to entrepreneurs, small and mid-sized businesses, and investors who need a trusted advisor that understands both the legal and operational realities of running a company.

I am a Contracts and Mergers & Acquisitions Attorney with more than 25 years of diverse legal and business experience. My practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, contract dispute resolution, and a broad range of business-related legal matters. I have extensive experience managing and closing transactions across a variety of industries, including SaaS, IT, eCommerce, franchises, agencies, and food services. I take a practical, business-oriented approach to transactions, helping clients efficiently navigate complex deals from initial structuring and negotiation through execution and closing. My combined legal, litigation, financial, and business experience allows me to deliver strategic, efficient, and practical solutions tailored to my clients’ objectives, whether in deal negotiations, contract structuring, dispute resolution, or complex business transactions

Karl D. Shehu, has a multidisciplinary practice encompassing small business law, estate and legacy planning, real estate law, and litigation. Attorney Shehu has assisted families, physicians, professionals, and people of faith provide for their loved ones by crafting individualized estate and legacy plans. Protecting families and safeguarding families is his passion. Attorney Shehu routinely represents lenders, buyers, sellers, and businesses in real estate transactions, researching and resolving title defects, escrowing funds, and drafting lending documents. To date, Attorney Shehu has closed a real estate deal in every town in Connecticut. As a litigator, Attorney Shehu has proven willing to engage in contentious court battles to obtain results for his clients. While practicing at DLA Piper, LLP, in Boston, Attorney Shehu represented the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in multidistrict litigations filed throughout the United States. He has been a passionate advocate for immigrants and the seriously injured, frequently advising against lowball settlement offers. He is willing to try every case to verdict, and he meticulously prepares every case for trial. Attorney Shehu began his legal career as a consumer lawyer, utilizing fee-shifting statutes to force unscrupulous businesses to pay the legal fees of aggrieved consumers. For example, in Access Therapies v. Mendoza, 1:13-cv-01317 (S.D. Ind. 2014), Attorney Shehu utilized unique interpretations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, Truth-in-Lending Act, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to obtain a favorable result for his immigrant client. Attorney Shehu is a Waterbury, Connecticut native. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel grammar school, The Loomis Chaffee School, and Chase Collegiate School before earning degrees from Boston College, the University of Oxford’s Said Business School in England, and Pepperdine University School of Law. At Oxford, Karl was voted president of his class. Outside of his law practice, Attorney Shehu has worked to improve the world around him by participating in numerous charitable endeavors. He is a former candidate for the Connecticut Senate and a parishioner of St. Patrick Parish and Oratory in Waterbury. In addition, Attorney Shehu has written extensively on the Twenty-fifth Amendment and law firm retention by multinational firms.

With 15 years of extensive transactional/contracts experience reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts including a wide variety of purchase orders and contracts and non-disclosure agreements (NDA), I believe I can immediately contribute to the continued success of your team. I have been commended for a range of valuable skills—excellent contract management and contract administration, legal research, risk analysis, drafting and negotiations, and strategic thinking. I have worked as a legal consultant for 10+ years and I have reviewed over 7,500 contracts through this position. Contracts I have reviewed include but not limited to purchase orders, commercial and construction contracts, equipment rental agreements, non-disclosure, confidentiality, vendor agreements, service agreements, site access agreements, international agreements, request for proposals (RFP), bids and government contracts. These experiences have enabled me to master the ability to work independently and expeditiously to identify and assess issues and provide legally sound recommendations, consistent with good business practices. I have led teams (sales, insurance and management) to successfully negotiate contract terms with customers. Effective Communicator and Negotiator. I am a people person, and for the past 13 years, I have acquired excellent oral and written communication skills that enable me to interact and negotiate effectively with stakeholders at all levels. I am a self-starter with a strong work ethic. I have a high degree of resourcefulness, diligence, and dependability. Most important, I adapt to changing priorities quickly, thriving in an environment with high volume and short turnaround deadlines. My experience over the years allows me to transfer my skills to all types of contracts to meet the client’s needs. I am hopeful to provide similar legal expertise, effective contract administration and leadership to your organization. It would be a pleasure to meet within the next few weeks and discuss how my qualifications, experience, and capabilities will best fit the needs of your outfit.

Immigration expert with over 30 years’ experience focused on start-up companies H-1, L-1, E, O-1 visas. PERM and extraordinary ability immigrant visas. Complex family immigration cases and waivers. I also assist early stage comapnies in entity formation and general legal matters for start-up companies in the areas of Telehealth, Technology and International Trade.

Professional Experience Neil Belloff is an accomplished business lawyer with over 35 years of business and legal experience, including as Board Member, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary. After law school, Neil joined a boutique law firm in New York City and practiced as a litigator and corporate securities lawyer. Soon thereafter, Neil became a Senior Attorney-Advisor in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. responsible for reviewing 1933 Act and 1934 Act documents, coordinating projects with the EPA and DOL, overseeing bankruptcy, reorganization and work-outs, responding to Congressional inquiries, and providing assistance to other SEC divisions and the Department of Justice. Following his tenure with the government, Neil practiced with several NY-based law firms providing legal and business services to public and private enterprises focusing on securities, corporate, employment, IP, licensing, M&A, finance, governance, litigation, compliance and privacy matters. Neil became an in-house attorney in 2003 joining Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, as Executive Vice President and US Securities and Corporate Counsel. He joined Celgene Corporation, a publicly listed global biopharmaceutical company, in 2010 and became General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2018 (and Chief Operating Officer in 2020) and General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. in 2021. Neil went back to private practice in 2024. Neil has been lead counsel on dozens of IPOs (representing both issuers and underwriters) and multi-billion dollar M&A transactions. His practice includes licensing, structured finance, venture capital, risk assessment, corporate governance, legal and regulatory compliance, pharmaceutical development, and all aspects of corporate, securities, intellectual property, privacy and employment law. Education • J.D. - Quinnipiac University School of Law • LL.M. - Program in Securities Regulation at Georgetown University Law Center • M.A. - New York University • B.A. - Queens College of the City University of New York Admissions • New York, New Jersey, Connecticut • Southern District of New York • Eastern District of New York • District of Connecticut Publications • Frequent conference speaker (FEI, NACD, NIRI, ACC, PLI, MarcusEvans) • Co-authored chapter of NACD report on the Role of Directors in Strategic Planning, member of Blue Ribbon Commission of NACD • Authored various articles on securities, litigation and governance topics • Featured in Vanguard Law Magazine - https://www.vanguardlawmag.com/case-studies/neil-belloff-acorda-therapeutics/ Board Memberships • Former Board Member | Private computer network and software development company sold to NASDAQ listed company • Former Board Member | NASDAQ listed location-based entertainment company

Accomplished business and litigation counsel with experience managing a broad spectrum of legal matters on behalf of individuals as well as early-stage and established technology, software, service and medical device companies. Substantial experience in drafting commercial agreements as well as litigation and arbitration of complex business disputes as plaintiff’s and defendant’s counsel. Served as infantry officer (attaining rank of Major) in ground combat units for the United States Marine Corps and educated in Marine Corps management and tactics. Adept at taking complicated information and legal principles and presenting strategy to non-lawyers in a concise and easy-to-understand format.

M. Joseph “Joe” Smith is the founder of Celina Law, P.C. and Amirext LLC. Licensed to practice law in Connecticut and Texas, he helps clients with commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, financing, corporate governance, and disputes. Whether reviewing a straightforward agreement or guiding a complex transaction, Joe brings practical judgment and personal attention to matters large and small.

I am a solo practitioner that runs my own legal practice. I am currently licensed in 16 states and I'm working to expand that reach.

NYC based attorney of over 15 years in NY & CT who specializes in entertainment transactional law. 10 years as a general/in-house counsel in 2 entertainment companies and former indie film company executive as well as a creative professional (actress, singer, writer, model, blogger, podcast host/producer and beauty ambassador). Also have over 5 years of court appearance experience in various practice areas including foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, personal injury (plaintiff), immigration, consumer debt, etc.