Murtha Cullina LLP

Murtha Cullina and Harris Beach PLLC are combining! A Combination Agreement is signed, and we are well on our way to being one firm - known as Harris Beach Murtha. The combined firm will offer clients innovative, diverse services across an expanded geographic footprint, with more than 250 attorneys – including 150 partners – across 15 offices in several states. We expect to be one firm by Jan. 1, 2025. Stay tuned for updates! Read more: https://bit.ly/3Qzr1KU

Earlier this week, partner Ed Spinella attended the TANGO Foundation’s 2024 Golf Invitational. The event’s goal was to raise funds for the TANGO Foundation, whose mission is to guide the next generation of nonprofit leadership by financially supporting educational opportunities for individuals working in the nonprofit sector. Murtha Cullina is a proud partner of The Alliance for Nonprofit Growth & Opportunity (TANGO) and its mission to help nonprofits thrive. Learn more about the TANGO Foundation: https://bit.ly/44RWSwk #MurthaCullina #ConnecticutLawFirm #Nonprofits #NonprofitLaw 

We are excited to share more news coverage of our planned combination with Harris Beach PLLC!

In a new client alert, Murtha partners Andy Corea, Richard Basile, Daniel Cohn and Jonathan Horne explain a recent decision from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court’s decision in In re Mallinckrodt PLC, No. 23-1111, serves as an important reminder that agreements to pay future royalties must consider the payor’s potential future bankruptcy, no matter how remote the risk may seem at the time of contracting. Read the full alert: https://bit.ly/3wCvtBI #MurthaCullina #IntellectualPropertyLaw #BankruptcyLaw #ClientAlert

In a recent article for the Hartford Business Journal, Labor and Employment attorney Salvatore Gangemi offers insight on the implications of the FTC’s recent vote to ban noncompete agreements and explains how Connecticut employers should move forward. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4amujrX #MurthaCullina #ConnecticutLawFirm #FTCNoncompetesBan #LaborAndEmploymentLaw

On May 9, 2024, intellectual property attorney Andy Corea obtained a victory in an administrative appeal when the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) issued a decision in favor of the firm’s client, who submitted an application to register “arbata” as a trademark for “tea.” The application was initially refused because “arbata” means tea in Lithuanian and was therefore not registrable under the doctrine of foreign equivalents. Murtha Cullina was able to demonstrate that the number of Lithuanian speakers in the United States is several times smaller than the number of speakers of modern languages found to be common in other cases. As a result, the TTAB determined that it was unlikely that an ordinary American consumer of tea would stop and translate Arbata into its English equivalent. It therefore reversed the refusal to register, resulting in a win for the firm and its client. Read the full decision here: https://bit.ly/3UYdwXH #MurthaCullina #ConnecticutLaw #IntellectualProperty #TrademarkLaw

New York has amended its sick leave law (Labor Law § 196-b) to provide paid prenatal personal leave to all employees. Effective January 1, 2025, all employers shall be required to provide their employees with 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave per 52-week period. Prenatal personal leave is leave taken by an employee “during their pregnancy or related to such pregnancy,” including for physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions related to pregnancy with a health care provider. Prenatal personal leave may be taken in hourly increments. Murtha attorney Salvatore Gangemi explains the impacts of this amendment on both employers and employees who may be affected in this recent blog post: https://bit.ly/3V9WDtn #MurthaCullina #NewYorkLawFirm #LaborAndEmployment #PrenatalPersonalLeave

On May 9, the Connecticut and New England chapters of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) hosted a dinner with women bankruptcy judges from the region at Gather55 Restaurant in Hartford. Taruna Garg serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Chapter of the IWIRC. A partner at Murtha Cullina, Taruna has 20 years of experience, and her practice centers on business litigation and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. Lindsey McComber is an associate in Murtha Cullina’s Litigation practice and assists with all aspects of litigation from pretrial matters through trial and appeal. Murtha Cullina was a proud supporter of the evening and salutes Gather55 and Hands On Hartford, whose partnership brings in renowned local chefs to provide high-quality and sophisticated dining experiences to patrons regardless of their ability to pay. #MurthaCullina #ConnecticutLawFirm #BostonLawFirm #BankruptcyLaw

We’re making headlines! Click here for a list of the latest press coverage on our combination agreement with Harris Beach PLLC: https://bit.ly/3R36r5Z

Earlier this week, partners Bob Kaelin and Keith Varian attended the Turnaround Management Association - Connecticut Chapter (CTTMA)’s Annual Charity Golf Outing and Clinic. Bob serves on both the Board of Directors and the Programming Committee of the CTTMA. This year, the event’s charity recipient is The Legacy Foundation of Hartford, Inc. whose mission is to address disparities in health and education by providing substantive academic and experiential learning opportunities to the region’s most underrepresented students. The Turnaround Management Association is the leading organization dedicated to turnaround management, corporate restructuring, and distressed investing. Established in 1988, TMA has almost 10,000 members in 54 chapters worldwide, including 34 North American chapters. #MurthaCullina #ConnecticutLawFirm #CorporateRenewal