General Counsel

Why MZS? Practical advice, innovative solutions.

We provide general counsel services to municipal and business clients throughout Connecticut in a broad range of matters, including employment and human resources; contract preparation; contract review; and requests for proposal. For small and mid-size businesses without dedicated in house attorneys, our general counsel services are a valuable resource and our clients rely on us to assist them with everything from day-to-day issues and general advice to complex legal challenges.

MZS attorneys have years of experience counseling businesses and municipalities in sophisticated legal matters across the spectrum of practice areas. In addition, having served in and represented local government, we have significant on-the-ground experience helping leaders navigate the legal landscape and manage risk. We bring our collective knowledge and expertise to our general counsel services, providing sound advice and practical wisdom with efficiency, responsiveness, and personalized attention.

At our core we are relationship practitioners. We strive to build long-term partnerships with our clients and highly value the community connections we have established over our many years of working with and assisting cities and towns across Connecticut. We are dedicated to helping businesses grow, innovate, and thrive. By offering general counsel services, we are able to help steer our clients to be good stewards and effective leaders. Our clients take great comfort in knowing that we are readily available to assist them in multiple areas and that as a law practice, we are as future-oriented, entrepreneurial, and interested in growth as they are.

General Counsel Services

Our general counsel services include:

Employment/HR Counsel

Although employment issues are a frequent concern for businesses and municipalities, many do not have the resources or the expertise on site to handle complex human resources matters or simply prefer to outsource responsibility in this area. MZS attorneys are experienced in a broad range of labor and employment matters and are well-versed in the constantly changing legal and regulatory landscape of employment law. We provide general counsel services in connection with:

  • Municipal Labor Relations
  • Human Resources Counseling/Personnel Actions
  • Statutory/Regulatory Compliance
  • Workplace Policies and Best Practices
  • Workplace Trainings
  • Workplace Investigations
  • Employment and Severance Agreements
  • Restrictive Covenants
  • Litigation of Employment Matters/Labor Claims & Appeals

Contract Review and Contract Preparation

MZS attorneys are available to prepare or review a wide variety of business agreements, including contracts received in connection with a potential transaction or public-private partnership. Our considerable experience representing and counseling clients in both the public and private sectors gives us the unique ability to view contracts between public and private entities with strategic insight into the needs, goals, and mindset on both sides of a proposed public-private partnership.

Our multidisciplinary practice, consisting of attorneys experienced in a diverse range of practice areas, is available to review or prepare the following agreements, among others:

  • Non-compete, trade secret, non-disclosure, and non-solicitation agreements
  • Employment agreements
  • Professional services agreements
  • Operating agreements
  • Financing agreements
  • Vendor and services agreements

Requests for Proposal

We provide general counsel services in connection with requests for proposal. Having participated in RFPs on both the government side and the developer side, MZS attorneys have the practical experience and sophisticated legal knowledge to help clients navigate the RFP process. We work closely with public sector clients to prepare a detailed request for proposal, coordinate and review bids, and negotiate to obtain the best solution to the municipality’s needs and specifications.

Day-to-Day Matters

Growing businesses and local governments often encounter legal issues and questions in their daily operations. In addition, a company’s decision-making process often requires legal advice. At the same time, many small and mid-sized companies and municipalities do not have dedicated in house attorneys. This is where MZS general counsel services come in. Clients can reach out to us with quick questions, for general legal advice, to brainstorm ideas for growth, or for counsel in connection with a specific transaction or business decision. We help clients evaluate legal risk and explore alternative approaches, providing service with personalized attention, responsiveness, and efficiency.

Compliance Issues

MZS attorneys stay up-to-date on regulatory and legal developments that impact our municipal clients. We are available to help clients understand compliance matters so they can serve their communities effectively, while also managing risk. We work closely with municipalities to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure transparency and compliance with laws and regulations in a variety of areas, including bidding processes, contracting, and workplace health and safety.

Most recently, we have assisted multiple local governments with interpretation of and compliance with the ever-changing and often complicated state government mandates related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For More Information

For more information on our Connecticut general counsel services, we welcome you to contact us.