Arbitration & Mediation
Business Counseling & Commercial Transactions
Commercial & Civil Litigation
Insurance Defense
Municipal Law
Real Estate, Development, Zoning
Arbitration & Mediation
Alternative Dispute Resolution ("ADR") is the process of resolving legal conflicts without going to trial. This can include informal non-binding mediation, as well as the more formal binding arbitration. Mr. Skorepa has substantial training and experience in arbitration and mediation. He can counsel clients in determining whether ADR could meet their needs better than the more traditional litigation track, including the legal consequences that flow from each option.
Business Counseling & Commercial Transactions
Mr. Skorepa routinely assists business clients operating as sole proprietors, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. He can advise and assist clients throughout the normal course of business activity, from formation to dissolution and all operations in between. He acts as general counsel for many business clients and offers the following additional services:
• Entity selection, formation, and operation
• Contracts and negotiations
• Loans and other commercial lending arrangements
• Equipment sales and purchase agreements
• Requirement and supply contracts
• Litigation
Commercial & Civil Litigation
Choosing whether to litigate is a major decision for a business, and having to defend a lawsuit can be a very expensive proposition. Mr. Skorepa is well aware that pursuing litigation matters aggressively while remaining mindful of the client's goal, deadlines, and budget constraints is an important balance to achieve. Maintaining good communication with the client throughout the course of litigation, including up-to-date risk evaluation analysis, is vital.
His litigation practice and experience encompasses the following areas of law:
Corporate Litigation
• Breach of contract
• Real estate
• Construction
• Insurance
• Other complex commercial litigation
General Business Litigation
• Disputes among partners, members or shareholders
• Creditors and debtors in loan workouts, enforcements, collections, foreclosure proceedings, bankruptcy and insolvency
• Real estate
• Uniform Commercial Code and Secured Transactions disputes
Real Estate Litigation
• Debt restructuring and workouts, breach of contract, fraud and bad faith, guarantee enforcement, injunctions, receivers and bankruptcies
• Commercial lease disputes, forcible entry and detainer, assignments, and lease guarantees
• Title disputes, mechanics' liens, broker liens and contracts for the purchase and sale of property
Construction Litigation
• Foundation, roof and curtainwall failures
• Delay and disruption claims
• Design defects
• Draw disputes
• Allowable costs and overruns
Insurance Defense
For well over 25 years, a large part of Mr. Skorepa's practice has consisted of defending insurance policyholders, both individuals and businesses, through their insurance carriers when the policyholder has been sued as a result of a business practice, an automobile accident, a premises liability claim, or a dramshop claim. Mr. Skorepa is also conversant with assisting clients in fire loss claims. Representative clients include Allied/Nationwide Insurance, Employers Reinsurance Corporation, Founders Insurance Company, Universal Casualty Company, American Heartland Insurance Company, American Service Insurance Company, Kingsway Insurance Company, Stonegate Insurance Company, and Mercury Insurance Company.
Municipal Law
To the extent no conflict is present, Mr. Skorepa deals with a plethora of counseling matters. He is well versed in the application and enforcement of the International Building Code, International Property Maintenance Code, and a variety of other municipal ordinances.
Real Estate, Development, Zoning
Mr. Skorepa assists clients in all aspects of real estate matters, including the purchase and sale of commercial and residential property, financing, zoning, and environmental matters. He represents lenders and borrowers in connection with issues of valuation and collateral and the review of loan documents. He drafts or reviews promissory notes, security agreements, stock powers, mortgage notes and bonds, deeds, and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure . He will assist clients in offering advice concerning foreclosures, work-outs, and debt restructuring.
He can provide representation with regard to Section 1031 like-kind, tax-deferred exchanges.
He represents commercial and residential landlords and tenants in negotiating personal guarantees, lease agreements, net leases, triple net leases, condemnation and demolition clauses , occupancy agreements, approval of plans and specifications, build-outs, rent escalation riders, and in arranging for general liability and other insurance and compliance with local laws.