Company Name: Connelly Roberts & McGivney LLC
Executive Name: Michael S. Roberts
Title: Principal
Product/Service: Law firm specializing in corporate and securities transactions, M&A, software licensing, VC and other financing transactions and intellectual property matters
Company Size: 27 employees
Web Site: http://www.crmlaw.com

ITA: In about 10 words, what problem does Connelly, Roberts & McGivney solve for your clients?
Michael S. Roberts: We provide comprehensive legal representation for clients in corporate transactions including M&A, software licensing, equity financing and IP matters.

ITA: What motivated you to start Connelly, Roberts & McGivney?
MR: Having a business background and large law firm experience, I decided to form a boutique firm that focused on corporate transactions from private placements to M&A for the entrepreneurial clients. I knew companies need sophisticated legal advice during all stages of their development and large firms can’t efficiently provide that service.

I started Connelly Roberts & McGivney LLC to provide sophisticated legal representation for entrepreneurial clients in the areas of M&A, software licensing, equity financing and intellectual property.

ITA: How does Connelly, Roberts & McGivney differentiate from its competitors?
MR: Connelly Roberts & McGivney LLC is a boutique law firm that provides sophisticated legal services to entrepreneurial and middle-market clients in the area of corporate transactions. Our transactional attorneys have business backgrounds and work closely with clients to make sure that deals are structured, negotiated and consummated with their business objectives at the forefront.

ITA: What area of the law is your primary source of income?
MR: M&A, software licensing, equity financing and intellectual property.

ITA: How has your business sector evolved over the last five years?
MR: Our legal services have become national and international in scope. We represent clients doing deals in the U.S., India and Europe on a regular basis. It’s not unusual for a client to have offices in Chicago, New York and Mumbai.

The legal services have to evolve with the client’s needs. Due to the current economic environment, the legal industry has evolved to one in which clients are demanding sophisticated legal representation in the area of corporate transactions in a time- and cost-efficient manner.

ITA: What are the advantages of Connelly, Roberts & McGivney working within a Midwest environment?
MR: With technology, we can provide legal services from any location. However, Chicago provides a perfect setting for our main office and for our clients.

Many of our clients are in the technology sectors including proprietary software development and video games and consulting. They find Chicago’s business community and access to national and international transportation to be an advantage. When something makes their business better, it makes our business better.

ITA: What are the biggest challenges you face as an Illinois-based IT legal company?
MR: Overcoming the notion that a business has to go to a big name to get the right legal services for sophisticated legal services. However, we welcome that challenge. Once we are given the opportunity to compete, we win and more potential clients learn about us.

ITA: What are your thoughts in general related to the Illinois IT community?
MR: We believe the Illinois IT community is at the top. The quality and sophistication may result in part because the IT community seems to have evolved by providing real products and services to mainstream industries.

As a consequence, the IT participants are necessarily sensitive to customer needs, what sells and produces revenues and what is on the horizon. The talent pool of employees is also impressive. We think that is due to the supportive IT community and the general preference to live in the Midwest.

ITA: How does a technology firm best go about protecting new ideas or products within the digital marketplace?
MR: Follow the fundamentals.

Keep your books in order, have confidentiality and proprietary rights agreements as standard templates, protect your source code, develop and maintain your corporate identity and establish solid employee policies. Most of all, work with your attorneys and accountants so you are always prepared to grow by acquisition or package your company for sale.

ITA: What trends do you see in 2009 that are relevant to the industry and your company?
MR: Strategic acquisitions and the importance of proprietary intellectual property assets. For IT companies, the ability to develop, market and sell packages of products and services.

We believe we have always been an excellent alternative to a corporate practice at a large law firm. The time couldn’t be better for us. The demand for strong, sophisticated representation in corporate deals will never change. Clients will never expect anything less than the best.

The bar for professional and advisory fees (including those of attorneys) has been reset for a long time to come. As a firm, we are perfectly positioned to move forward in this market and provide the legal services that IT business need.