Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  In 1993-94, Sharon Conway prosecuted attorney disciplinary actions for the State Bar of Texas.  After leaving the State Bar, Ms. Conway determined that, in addition to her business/corporate law and litigation practice, she should use the expertise she developed at the State Bar and handle both the defense of attorneys in grievance matters and advising law firms throughout the State of Texas on legal ethics matters.  When defending attorneys against grievances, Ms. Conway provides her clients with honest, straightforward representation and, for those who need guidance, advice on how to improve their ethical practices and to stay in compliance with the disciplinary rules.  She also advises law firms concerning compliance with the disciplinary rules and avoidance and prevention of grievances, and has testified as an expert witness on legal ethics in several matters.  Many lawyers have turned to Sharon Conway for her expertise in ethics to assist them in grievance matters, civil disputes, and day-to-day legal ethics situations.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Corporate entities raise money and grow their businesses through various means – public offerings of stocks and debt, private investment of funds, venture capital investments, merging with other companies or acquiring other companies (or being acquired), and selling assets (or purchasing them).  Sharon Conway can assist your company with the legal aspects of all of these types of transactions.  She can help you ensure that your stock and/or debt offering meets the criteria for exemption from public registration if that is your company’s goal.  Plain English writing is required by the SEC and by clients alike.  Ms. Conway is a strong supporter of the “plain English” movement and makes the extra effort to draft understandable documents while still maintaining the contract’s necessary legal integrity.  Ms. Conway has also had significant experience representing venture capital firms and Angel Investors who provide loans or investment capital to businesses, as well as representing businesses receiving cash investments or loans.  Ms. Conway can not only draft these loan or investment agreements for investors, she can also explain and negotiate on behalf of businesses engaged with these investors to assist in obtaining the best possible arrangement for her clients with the investor.
• Business Disputes
  Sharon E. Conway has over 30 years of experience practicing business law and is the right lawyer for your business legal needs.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Sharon Conway has been forming and maintaining corporate entities since she was licensed in 1989. Ms. Conway has several decades of experience forming Texas corporations (including Subchapter S corporations), limited liability companies, and limited partnerships, as well as assisting with the formation of entities or ventures with entities in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Nigeria in coordination with local counsel in those countries. While forming a corporation or other type of business entity may seem to be a simple process, corporate executives and owners should be aware that many rules and regulations exist that affect how the entity should be governed. Cumulative voting, preemptive voting rights, common and preferred stock, buy-sell agreements or provisions, and other matters can be vital to the manner in which the entity is run, and can affect the future growth and “saleability” of the entity.
• Trade Secrets
  Sharon Conway has handled many matters that relate to intellectual property, including trademarking company, tag line, or product names, handling trademark and trade name disputes, cybersquatting, trade secret protection and enforcement, trademark licensing, software licensing, and copyright protection. In the emergence of the internet age, legal issues related to intellectual property matters have become more common and more complicated. Ms. Conway can assist companies in taking steps to protect their intellectual property and enforcing their intellectual property rights under the law.

Employment Law

• Non-compete Agreement
  Non-compete law appears to be taking a dramatic new direction in 2024.  The US Federal Trade Commission has issued a new rule banning non-compete agreements in almost all cases on the basis that they are essentially bad for businesses and bad for the economy.  This new rule is already under legal challenge, and until the matter plays out in the courts, employers would be wise to review any non-compete agreements they have in place and ensure that other means besides direct non-competition language are set forth in their agreements to protect their businesses.  There are viable alternatives to an outright non-compete agreement that can be beneficial to your business that remain enforceable. Ms. Conway can review your existing non-compete agreements to see what changes you might need to make to protect your business and also be in compliance with the FTC’s new rule. If you need some type of business-protective agreement that is in compliance with the FTC's rule, Ms. Conway can draft an agreement that protects your company.  Confidentiality agreements are