M. Spencer Garland

Where others may find tedium in the details of a licensing deal or technology transaction, Spencer Garland finds motivation, making him a valuable resource for clients needing a thorough consideration of commercial agreements. His practice focuses on advising companies and individuals in intellectual property, corporate and technology matters.

Licensing. Spencer represents clients in the acquisition, licensing, development and commercialization of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, as well as related corporate and business matters. He has worked with clients in the pharmaceutical, software, manufacturing, toy, merchandise, Internet and technology industries. He works with clients to determine their strategic needs and counsels them with regard to licensing structure, distribution and alternatives that add value to the transaction or business relationship. The goal is to meet not only clients’ technical needs, but their business needs as well.

Technology Procurement. When a company is procuring or providing equipment, software or other technology, whether on a large or small scale, Spencer helps review and negotiate acquisition, sale, license, support and service agreements. He has participated in a large number of technology procurement matters, including telephone VOIP conversions, conversions from satellite-based data transmission systems to terrestrial broadband networks, equipment and software procurement and enterprise systems procurement. He has represented both acquirers and vendors in these types of transactions.

Outsourcing. Spencer has represented clients with regard to mission-critical outsourcing relationships, with emphasis on hosted /SaaS and IaaS applications and solutions. He has been involved with human relations management software, securities transactions, fleet management, parts and inventory management and controls, data reformatting and transfer, transaction processing and electronic medical records processing.

Internet Security and Privacy. Spencer advises clients on security and privacy issues including Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act compliance, third-party vendor monitoring and the impact of information security issues in a variety of corporate settings. He is part of the firm’s data breach group, which helps clients establish policies to secure personal information and manage the response when a breach occurs.

Spencer has significant experience representing a range of businesses including ethical pharmaceutical firms, securities brokers, banks, technology and software firms, real estate developers, veterinary pharmaceutical companies, retail chains, distributors, manufacturers, entertainment companies, educational publishers and others. He has handled acquisitions and divestitures, business planning, financing transactions, start-up company structuring, shareholder agreements and transactions and general corporate matters, among other areas. With a background that includes time spent working in his family’s small business, Spencer has insight into what clients need and how they use legal counsel as a service provider.