“I am relentless in pursuit of my client’s objectives, drawing upon thirty – seven years of experience to formulate creative solutions to their problems.”

-Attorney Robert Geller

My passion for the practice of transactional law emanates from a strong desire to actively participate in, and engender, win-win scenarios.  To satisfy this thirst, I ultimately immersed myself in negotiating mergers and acquisition of businesses, the closing of which invariably result in abundant smiles on the faces of the participants. These activities eventually led to my involvement in private securities offerings and capital-raising activities for my clients, for which I prepared the requisite disclosure documentation to ensure compliance with myriad federal and state securities laws governing regulating such offerings.  I always sense the excitement of the issuers and investors alike when an offering closes and the prospects of the business, at least for that moment, shine brightly.  Of course, my practice encompasses far more than business acquisitions and private securities offerings.   I frequently represent clients in business and commercial transactions of almost every conceivable type and nature.  I uniquely combine high level transactional expertise with a comprehensive understanding of, and practical experience in, commercial litigation and pension plan (ERISA) Class Actions.  This broad skill set enables me to retain control over a significant majority of my client’s matters, including those that morph from transactional engagements into litigation or arbitration disputes.  I am more than a conduit for shuffling my clients to other attorneys in the firm, as my breadth of knowledge and considerable experience allow me to directly participate in most client engagements, a benefit my clients deem particularly valuable.

Clients uniformly want results, not a litany of excuses or reasons that purportedly impede most of their objectives.  I am result-oriented, and invariably seek to fulfill the role of deal-maker and not deal-breaker.  Although I counsel my clients that the “best deal” is sometimes the deal that does not happen, I am persistent and innovative in endeavoring to find the sweet spot for my client, so that transaction becomes a reality rather than an unrealized dream.

My practice requires that I rapidly adapt to evolving scenarios, where the personalities of the clients and attorneys often thwart the effort to achieve the desired outcome. In some instances, an attorney must assume a different role and persona to increase the probability of success.  This skill may require moving outside one’s comfort zone, for most a difficult task.  Fortunately, as usual, experience becomes the teacher, and the attentive student learns to adeptly adapt to the situation, identify the approach best suited to achieve the client’s objective, and play the role necessary to optimize the conditions that will yield that result.   I revel in the opportunity to play that role.  I  will also not hesitate to subordinate my ego to the needs of the client; too often, attorneys and their egos interfere with negotiations and undermine efforts to reach an acceptable conclusion.  Assuredly, that will not happen here.

Education

  • Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, J.D.: 1982
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, M.A.: 1979
    Major: International Politics/ Political Economy
  • University of Michigan, B.A. with distinction
    Major:  Political Science

Honors & Awards

  • Leading Lawyer (Commercial Litigation, 2013-Present)

Bar Admissions

  • Michigan, 1982
  • S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan
  • S. District Court Western District of Michigan
  • S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
  • S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
  • S. Supreme Court, 2001

Education

  • Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, J.D.: 1982
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, M.A.: 1979
    Major: International Politics/ Political Economy
  • University of Michigan, B.A. with distinction
    Major:  Political Science

Honors & Awards

  • Leading Lawyer (Commercial Litigation, 2013-Present)

Bar Admissions

  • Michigan, 1982
  • S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan
  • S. District Court Western District of Michigan
  • S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
  • S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
  • S. Supreme Court, 2001

Examples of Excellence:

  • Negotiated and closed a complex business sale for which the firm received a national award for transactions ranging from $75 million to $100 million
  • Served as primary counsel for a company that invested $100,000 in connection with a bid to secure an FCC license to construct the infrastructure for, and operate, a cellular phone business in Northern California, ultimately selling the business less than seven years later for more than $50 million
  • Recently conducted and prepared the documentation for the private offering of a client’s securities that raised $2.5 million to finance the operation of several medical marihuana facilities and procurement of the requisite state licenses
  • Represented long-standing client in the acquisition of twelve fast food restaurants and financing transaction with lender exceeding $12 million
  • Represented Class of pension plan participants in eight-year lawsuit against Georgia Pacific Corporation and its pension plan that resulted in the recovery of $67 million for the participants and established new legal precedent for calculating lump sum pension benefits

Awards and Accolades