CounselX P.C.
Commercial & IP Dispute Resolution
Advice and negotiation outside court for contract, founder, investor, and IP disagreements—including demand letters and settlement terms.
Umar Farooq leads every matter.
Nineteen years of practice. More than a thousand companies advised since 2012.
Get in touchOverview
Start with what needs to be resolved.
A customer disputes an invoice. Founders disagree about a departure. An investor challenges a contractual right, or another business objects to your use of a brand. The first step is to review the documents and facts with the client, then consider whether a revised agreement, separation, or settlement makes sense. Cost, time, and the effect on the business matter alongside the legal position. Litigation, arbitration, and formal mediation are handled by separate counsel.
How we help
How CounselX can help
01
Commercial contract disputes
Payment, performance, scope, renewals, termination, and customer, vendor, or partner obligations.
02
Founder disagreements
Equity and vesting terms, departures, decision rights, deadlock, and negotiated separations.
03
Investor–company disagreements
Information, consent, and financing rights, including SAFE, note, and side-letter terms.
04
IP and technology disputes
Software licensing, development deliverables, ownership, permitted uses, and confidentiality.
05
Trademark cease-and-desist letters
Response strategy and negotiation of coexistence, licensing, use restrictions, or a transition.
06
Demand letters and negotiation
Demand letters and responses, executive-level discussions, and settlement proposals.
07
Settlement documentation
Payment or cure terms, releases, confidentiality within legal limits, IP rights, and approvals.
08
Early coordination and handoff
Record preservation, communications, insurance notice issues, and handoff to litigation counsel.
Securities claims, specialist IP analysis, and litigation, arbitration, or formal mediation are handled by separately engaged counsel.
Working together
Working together
Project
An initial review, response letter, or negotiation phase can be handled as a Project.
Get in touchOutside General Counsel
A dispute may fall outside an existing monthly engagement.
Explore ongoing counselFees are agreed first; hourly pricing may be used if the work cannot be fixed. Formal proceedings and specialist advice are separate.
Experience
Representative experience
Post-closing purchase dispute
Negotiated a post-closing dispute and settlement under a purchase agreement CounselX had negotiated.
Demand letters and settlements
Demand letters, responses, and settlement agreements across commercial relationships.
Investor claim responses
Responses to investor claims under financing and governance documents.
Vendor and brand disputes
Contractor and vendor disputes and cease and desist correspondence, resolved before filing.
Pre-filing negotiation and resolution only.
Client matters are described without identifying details. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
See representative mattersQuestions
Common questions
Can you help with a founder or investor disagreement?
Yes, subject to conflict review and an agreed engagement. Work can include contractual equity, vesting, departure, governance, and financing rights, including SAFE, note, and side-letter terms. The client must be identified as the company, a founder, or an investor; representing the company does not mean representing its owners. Adverse parties may need independent counsel. Securities and fiduciary-duty claims, valuation, and tax issues may need specialists.
What about a trademark cease-and-desist letter?
Do not ignore it or agree to its demands without advice. Review starts with the claimed rights, relevant dates, your use of the brand, and the cost of changing it. CounselX can help with a response and negotiations over coexistence, licensing, use restrictions, or a transition period, with specialist IP analysis where needed. Court and trademark-office proceedings are separate.
Can you help with software or IP ownership disputes?
CounselX can review development, assignment, licensing, and confidentiality terms and negotiate changes or an exit. Specialist infringement analysis and enforcement may require separate counsel. Urgent trade secret concerns should not wait for negotiations.
What does a settlement need to cover?
Who pays or performs, by when, which claims are released, and which obligations continue. IP rights, transition duties, confidentiality, and signing authority may also matter. Confidentiality and non-disparagement terms have legal limits; settlement discussions are not automatically protected from disclosure.
What should we do before contacting you?
Identify the parties, key dates, agreements, and what you want to resolve. Preserve relevant emails, messages, and other records without altering them. Get advice before public statements or sharing dispute materials with AI tools.
Will you handle a lawsuit or arbitration?
No. Court representation, arbitration, and formal mediation require separately engaged counsel.