PRACTICE FOCUS

Jonathan Wachs provides strategic counseling and operational advice to clients in the areas of intellectual property, commercial transactions, corporate governance, medical cannabis regulations and outsourced legal departments. As a member of the firm's Intellectual Property Group, Mr. Wachs works closely with clients to develop, register, analyze, enforce, and transfer intellectual property assets in a customized, cost-efficient, and highly effective manner. Additionally, he conducts intellectual property audits through which clients learn the nature and value of their intellectual property assets and the steps needed to protect such assets from misappropriation or dilution. As a business lawyer, he has successfully negotiated and completed several multimillion dollar business transactions and has served as general counsel to several small and midsize businesses and organizations in various industries and professions. He also manages a blog about intellectual property issues, Friday Factoids. Mr. Wachs co-manages New Paradigm Counsel, a service through which Offit Kurman delivers customized, comprehensive and cost-effective outsourced legal departments. Through New Paradigm Counsel, Jon served as outsourced general counsel for a government contractor, a large printing business, a payment processing company and an identity theft restoration business. As founder of the firm’s Cannabis Law Group, Jon helped several companies to navigate the complex rules and processes relating to specific state medical cannabis programs.

Points of Distinction

Mr. Wachs has developed and managed numerous intellectual property portfolios, expeditiously and successfully resolved business disputes, and negotiated hundreds of business agreements. He has structured, negotiated, and documented transactions regarding the formation, restructuring, sale, and termination of small, midsize, and large business entities (partnerships, corporations and limited liability entities) and the acquisition, financing and transfer of business assets. He has also negotiated and effectuated sales and leases of raw land, residences, commercial property, and condominium units. Mr. Wachs has served various and diverse clients including internet companies, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, consultants, restaurants, real estate developers, and medical practices. He has also drafted numerous agreements to license, sell, and/or pledge intellectual property assets in industries including software development, entertainment, textiles, and pest control. Mr. Wachs represented several manufacturers in obtaining substantial trademark and copyright infringement settlements from national and international businesses. He has negotiated, documented and implemented various corporate transactions including a multifaceted, multiparty transaction involving a client's acquisition of an $80,000,000 business division.

Activities

Jon also organizes and facilitates two affinity groups for owners and executives of emerging companies in the Baltimore-Washington region.  One group is comprised of owners of food and beverage businesses and the second group is comprised of entrepreneurs following the medical cannabis industry in Maryland.

Mr. Wachs is the past president of the Board of Directors of Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland Inc. He is a Mentor for the Towson University Incubator and an evaluator for the Maryland Industrial Partnership Program. Mr. Wachs is also actively involved in the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Interview Program. Mr. Wachs previously served for many years as a director of and associate general counsel for the Jewish Federation of Reading, Pennsylvania and as a member of the board of directors of the Institute of the Arts in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

Speeches

Mr. Wachs delivered several seminars to clients, accountants, medical professionals, and the general public regarding subjects including the fundamentals of intellectual property, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and legal issues for startup businesses. He frequently writes on intellectual property news and issues. In 2014, he was featured in The Legal Intelligencer, for his article titled, "Canada's Anti-Spam Law Raises Questions for U.S. Companies". He also publishes a weekly blog on intellectual property issues, which is available at www.fridayfactoids.com.

Previous Work

Prior to joining Offit Kurman as an intellectual property attorney, Mr. Wachs worked as an antitrust lawyer at large law firms in Washington, D.C. and as a transactional business attorney in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

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