PHILIP L. CHAPMAN

Of Counsel

Phil Chapman counsels closely held small and medium-sized New Jersey businesses. As an outside general counsel for such businesses, Phil provides a broad range of legal solutions. He is particularly adept at examining complex business issues with a broad focus to protect the best interests of a business and its owners/partners. By first examining a situation in its entirety, Phil can often devise a practical and simple business strategy, frequently avoiding the need for a legal remedy.

Phil recognizes that family-owned and other closely held enterprises encounter all the same challenges as any other corporate entity, but frequently those challenges are compounded by problems arising within family relationships and interpersonal dynamics. He adroitly navigates these delicate issues, working to mitigate family business disputes and avoiding costly and emotionally draining legal processes.

Phil provides an array of legal services that include formation document drafting; shareholder and partner dispute resolution; acquisition and disposition of businesses; franchise purchase agreements; non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreements; employment-related agreements; and distributor and private label manufacturing agreements. He has been a frequent lecturer and seminar presenter on these topics for The New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Lorman Educational Services, the Mid-Atlantic Business Brokers Association and other educational forums.

Phil is also an accomplished commercial real estate attorney. He is licensed by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission to present two core courses in real estate for Mandatory Continuing Education — Listing Agreements for Commercial Properties and Commercial Leases and Personal Guarantees. He has presented these courses for Caldwell Banker Commercial NRT, Century 21 Greater New Jersey Brokers Counsel CIL, East Bergen County Board of Realtors and Friedberg Academy.

Approved by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a mediator for business-related disputes, Phil offers vast knowledge of commercial transactions; his litigation-savvy approach frequently results in satisfactory settlements, eschewing protracted court battles.

Phil has been listed among the 2020 Best Lawyers in New York City and Metropolitan New Jersey for Corporate Law.  He has been selected as a Lead Counsel in Business Law by the Review Board of Lead Counsel, an online service that provides information to consumers and businesses to evaluate an attorney’s capability and credibility. The information is based upon reviews by clients and peers: to earn a Lead Counsel Rating, an attorney must demonstrate significant legal experience and receive multiple peer recommendations advocating his or her legal abilities.

Phil has been featured in various publications, such as New Jersey Law Journal, New York Law Journal and New York Magazine, which in December 2019, named him among the New York Area’s Top AV Rated Lawyers for 2020. The AV Preeminent rating is the top rating given to lawyers by Martindale-Hubble.