3100 Cumberland Boulevard SE, #1460, Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: (404) 348-2363
Fax: (404) 848-0883

Practice Areas

KEYSTONE is a full service division, which means that it has a team of lawyers available to address all of the issues that may be of concern for religious institutions and their leadership. Set forth below is a snapshot of our various practice groups and/or offerings.  KEYSTONE will have at least one attorney from each of the following disciplines dedicated and committed to carrying out its mission -building strength and protecting resources through legal compliance.

Board Development

A religious institution’s Board of Directors is a critical governing arm of the organization. Yet, many Board members have had little or no training on the legal issues that religious institutions face. The board development team of KEYSTONE is well equipped to teach your Board the necessary skills and knowledge.

Key Services:

  • Board training
  • Board development
  • Due diligence
  • Fiduciary obligations
  • D&O insurance
  • Successor planning

Church Planting

The goal of many churches is to multiply and plant additional churches, locally, nationally, and/or internationally. In some instances, the Church’s infrastructure has to be duplicated, and in others, the Church’s infrastructure must be re-developed from infancy. KEYSTONE has experience with the full gamut of church planting endeavors, whether based on existing paradigms, enhanced paradigms, or new paradigms.

Key Services:

  • Board training
  • Corporate formation
  • Contract formation
  • Construction compliance
  • Real estate acquisitions
  • Environmental compliance
  • Leadership training
  • Technology compliance

Commercial Litigation

The litigation team of KEYSTONE has significant experience representing organizations of all sizes, from negotiations to litigation to trials to appeals. We have proven experience with tempering the urge to litigate with the need to negotiate, thereby enabling us to support the process that best fits our clients’ goals.

Key Services:

  • Vendor disputes
  • Business disputes
  • Breach of contract
  • Constitutional law
  • Tort claims
  • Employment
  • Trade secrets
  • Will contests
  • Real estate & title insurance
  • Securities
  • Tax controversies
  • Products liability
  • Intellectual property
  • Premises liability
  • Intellectual property
  • Land disputes

Compliance

Being proactive is the best methodology to become legally compliant and avoid legal challenges. Self-auditing is an excellent tool for identifying problems before a legal issue arises.

Key Services:

  • Employment best practices
  • Corporate best practices
  • Employment law compliance
  • Corporate law compliance
  • Wage and hour law compliance
  • Tax compliance
  • Intellectual property compliance

Construction

KEYSTONE understands the technical, business and legal issues inherent in the multidimensional construction process. Our attorneys ensure that construction proceeds with our clients’ best interests in mind.

Key Services:

  • Design & development of construction projects
  • Construction contracts & related documents
  • Purchase & change orders
  • Procurement disputes
  • Litigation, arbitration, mediation & alternative dispute resolutions

Corporate

Clients rely on the corporate team at KEYSTONE for full-spectrum legal representation. With proven experience, we have developed operations and best practices to efficiently and comprehensively provide counsel for every corporate need.

Key Services:

  • Choice of entity & entity formation
  • Corporate governance
  • Stockholder matters
  • Director compliance
  • Partnerships & joint ventures
  • Strategic alliances
  • Fiduciary compliance
  • Successor planning

Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy

Our creditors’ rights and bankruptcy team is well equipped to handle the gamut of issues involving asset protection and enforcement of creditors’ rights, as the case may be. Our bankruptcy work regularly includes serving as counsel to secured and unsecured creditor committees, counseling clients whose debtors are threatening or actually filing bankruptcy, handling complicated debt restructuring, and pursuing our clients’ goals in bankruptcy court.

Key Services:

  • Creditors & debtors representation
  • Workouts
  • Foreclosures
  • Reorganizations
  • Liquidations
  • Orderly wind-downs
  • Creditors’ rights & bankruptcy litigation
  • Trustees & creditor committee representation

Crisis Management

Religious institutions are vanguards of their respective religious principles. Their reputations are critical to success inasmuch as negative events could hinder effectiveness, and result in a loss of credibility and membership.

Key Services:

  • Crisis prevention
  • Crisis response
  • Crisis management strategy
  • Policies and procedures
  • Threat identification
  • Communications strategy

Data Privacy/Security

Through the maintenance of membership data, donation data and/or credit information, religious institutions and their service providers are trusted with an abundance of confidential information. This information must be protected. Without protection, religious institutions risk not only losing membership confidence but also suffering adverse legal consequences, including penalties and damages.

Key Services:

  • Policies and procedures
  • Website terms and conditions of use
  • Website policy statements
  • “Click-wrap” agreements
  • Data breach compliance
  • Legal notices for data breaches
  • Risk assessment
  • Investigations
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology Guideline compliance
  • HITECH Act of 2009
  • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
  • Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM)
  • Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) “Red Flag” rules
  • European Union Data Privacy Directive
  • Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
  • Other international privacy requirements

Eminent Domain & Condemnation

The eminent domain and condemnation team at KEYSTONE has experience representing both property owners and condemning authorities in matters relating to all types of property, including multi-use, business, industrial, residential and unimproved acreage.

Key Services:

  • Property owners & condemning authorities representation
  • Eminent domain acquisitions
  • Direct condemnation
  • Inverse condemnation

Employment

The employment group at KEYSTONE understands that among the most valuable assets a religious institution and its service provider has is its leadership, staff and volunteers. We also understand that effective management of human resources allows an institution to focus on its programs and mission. We try to understand your goals in order to provide effective employment advice. With your priorities clearly in mind, we help religious institutions manage their human resources.

Key Services:

  • Employment counseling
  • Employment litigation
  • Employment training
  • Restrictive covenants
  • Legally compliant HR
  • Hire, discipline and terminate legally
  • Workplace safety
  • Pastoral compensation
  • Compliance audits
  • Internal investigations
  • Corporate restructurings
  • Employment agreements
  • Non-disclosure agreements
  • Executive compensation

Entertainment

The KEYSTONE team has a reputable, multidisciplinary entertainment practice. Our entertainment team focuses on the music, motion picture, television, and live stage. We provide clients with the pragmatic, time sensitive and dedicated counsel needed to thrive in today’s multimedia entertainment marketplace.

Key Services:

  • Artist recording agreements and producer agreements
  • Book publishing negotiation and agreements
  • Branded media
  • Employment agreements
  • Internet-based entertainment ventures
  • Live engagement and touring agreements
  • Music publishing and administration agreements
  • New media and communications
  • Recording agreements
  • Royalty and participation audits
  • Talent agreements
  • Trademark and copyright counseling, prosecution and litigation
  • Location agreements
  • Film and television agreements

Environmental

Environmental considerations impact real estate across the country. Redevelopment of contaminated properties hinges on liability, regulations and financing. The environmental team at KEYSTONE helps effectively navigate environmental issues.

Key Services:

  • Redevelopment of environmentally impacted properties
  • Environmental insurance negotiations & claims
  • Claims related to insurance coverage of environmental damage
  • Negotiation of remediation agreements
  • Litigation to recover damages & cleanup costs
  • Negotiations with state & federal regulators

Franchising

The franchise team of KEYSTONE is an outgrowth of our corporate and intellectual property practices. The team has successfully counseled both franchisors and franchisees within a range of sectors, including retail, hotels and hospitality, business services and restaurants.

Key Services:

  • Negotiation of franchise agreements, trademark licensing agreements, advertising & marketing agreements
  • Domestic & international structuring or franchise agreements
  • Trademarks, trade names & service marks filings
  • Due diligence
  • Draft acquisition agreements
  • Resolution of franchise disputes
  • Franchise registration processing
  • Compliance with state franchise relationship statutes & dealer termination statutes
  • Franchise agreements

Governance

The best organizations are those that are governed with knowledge and strength. They have effective policies, procedures and other governing vehicles in place. Most importantly, they have knowledgeable leaders who understand the organization and the threats to the organization.

Key Services:

  • By-laws
  • Strategic plans
  • Powers
  • Duties
  • Administration
  • Infrastructure
  • Asset separation
  • Constitutions
  • Policies and procedures
  • Charters
  • Board development
  • Training

Immigration

As the United States continues to diversify, understanding the key aspects of immigration law is critical to avoiding civil and criminal liability. The immigration team at KEYSTONE understands the nuances and is experienced in handling multiple types of immigration issues at the administrative and judicial levels.

Key Services:

  • Non-immigrant visas
  • Immigrant visas
  • Labor certification
  • Representation in removal proceedings
  • Asylum
  • Employer compliance
  • Naturalization & citizenship
  • Family-based petitions
  • Visa processing
  • New hire compliance

Intellectual Property (Copyright, Trademark & Patents)

Protecting intellectual property is a legal function more vital today than ever before. The IP team counsels companies and organizations in the application and protection of their patents, trademarks and copyrights to ensure that uniqueness and innovation are enabled and preserved.

Key Services:

  • Patent registration & protection
  • Trademark registration & protection
  • Copyright registration & protection
  • Trade secrets
  • Licensing
  • IP development & acquisition
  • Enforcement & protection of rights
  • Infringement & validity options
  • IP due diligence audits & rights assessment
  • Portfolio maintenance
  • Record searches

International

Due to strategic alliances and positioning in key commercial centers, the KEYSTONE team is uniquely qualified to serve clients conducting affairs internationally. We have substantial knowledge of and exposure to the intricacies of doing business internationally.

Key Services:

  • International transactions
  • Government regulations
  • Litigation
  • Immigration
  • Privatization
  • Asset restructuring
  • Trade & regulation

Leadership Training

Now more than ever, a religious institution’s leadership needs to know and understand not only applicable religious doctrine but all of the laws and regulations under which it is bound, as well as best practices for organizational infrastructure.

Key Services:

  • Employment law compliance
  • Discrimination/harassment claim avoidance
  • Leader development
  • Documentation, discipline & discharge
  • Record-keeping
  • Training workshops

Legislative/Administrative Inquiries

Religious institutions are under increased scrutiny by governmental organizations seeking to either discredit the institution (and/or leadership) or find a basis to assess penalties and fines. The time to prepare for an inquiry is not once it is received. Rather, the best defense is a proactive offense.

Key Services:

  • Legal compliance
  • Investigations
  • Strategic avoidance
  • Responses
  • Counseling

Mergers and Acquisitions

Merging with an entity, acquiring an enterprise and/or having your enterprise acquired can be daunting undertakings. The mergers and acquisitions team helps to make a complicated endeavor simple.

Key Services:

  • Due diligence
  • Transaction facilitation
  • Negotiation
  • Structuring deals

Outsourcing

The outsourcing team offers a highly specialized skill set thoroughly integrated with legal practices that help clients implement outsourced services and prepare and negotiate complex sourcing transactions.

Key Services:

  • Representing organizations seeking to launch their services
  • Objective development
  • Implement protections
  • Monitor & control
  • Contract negotiation

Real Estate/Community Development

The real estate/community development team serves clients with handling all of their real estate and community development needs. Whether you are a buyer or a seller, a real estate developer or an investor, you will find efficient and excellent legal representation from KEYSTONE. Our team has significant experience with all aspects of the real estate and community development field, ranging from initial acquisition and financing through development and construction, to ownership, operation, leasing and disposition.

Key Services:

  • Corporate development
  • Residential development
  • Community development
  • Land acquisition & development
  • Multi-campus agreements
  • Construction
  • Contract review
  • Home sales
  • Loan closings
  • Financings
  • Multi-sites
  • Bond financing
  • Credit enhanced financing
  • Debt funds
  • Direct participation programs
  • Industrial
  • Partnership & joint ventures
  • Tax allocation bonds
  • Tax credit funds
  • Tax exempt development
  • Development & construction
  • Acquisitions & sales
  • Workouts
  • Commercial leasing
  • Management & operations
  • Tax structuring
  • Land use

Religious Institution Tribunals

A religious institution tribunal is an excellent alternative to resolving differences without filing a lawsuit. We can help religious institutions establish and promote tribunals to handle any conflict that might arise among leadership, staff, members and/or vendors. We can then serve as mediators of any disputes that arise, with assurance that mediations will not only be legally compliant, but mindful of the ultimate goal in avoiding litigation.

Key Services:

  • Alternate dispute resolution agreements
  • Informal dispute resolution
  • Mediation
  • Arbitration
  • Program implementation

Retirement Planning

Each client brings unique needs and concerns to the wealth planning team at KEYSTONE. We develop and implement strategies specially designed for those unique needs based upon each client’s personal, family and economic circumstances.

Key Services:

  • Income, estate & gift tax
  • Wills
  • Asset protection
  • Estate administration
  • Trusts
  • Powers of attorney
  • Family partnerships
  • Generation skipping
  • Tax planning
  • Fiduciary litigation
  • Personal approach

Risk Management

The primary key to avoiding lawsuits, penalties and fines is to implement policies and procedures addressing critical “hot spots” and outlining best practices for religious institutions.

Key Services:

  • Legal compliance
  • Investigations
  • Strategic avoidance
  • Responses
  • Counseling

Special Investigations

When accusations of wrongdoing arise, our clients must quickly and thoroughly investigate the situation and act on the results of that investigation. The special investigations legal team at KEYSTONE is your partner in evaluation and response.

Key Services:

  • Handling institution malfeasance
  • Handling regulatory inquiries
  • Advice to victims of internal fraud, theft or other misconduct

Taxation

The tax group at KEYSTONE develops and implements creative solutions to address the complex tax issues arising from representation of dynamic organizations and entrepreneurial businesses.

Key Services:

  • Corporate tax
  • Partnership & limited
  • Liability company tax
  • Real estate tax
  • Tax audits & dispute resolution
  • State & local taxes
  • S Corporation tax
  • Federal & state ruling requests
  • Bankruptcy & insolvency tax
  • Exemptions
  • Charitable contributions

Technology

We understand high-tech, and have deep experience representing firms with their technology specific needs. From online processes to technology acquisitions, the KEYSTONE team will enable and protect your vital technology interests.

Key Services:

  • Software
  • Hardware
  • Internet
  • E-Commerce
  • Medical devices
  • Wireless
  • Telecommunications
  • Patented Technology