The luxury space is sophisticated and dynamic. Strategy is crucial and cohesion between a luxury brand and its legal counsel is critical. In this digital age when opportunities and threats can arise at a moment’s notice, luxury brands need a legal team who also serves as a business partner – one who understands their business objectives and who can navigate them through the unique issues facing their brands.

BFKN knows luxury. Since 1984, BFKN has been a strategic legal business partner to some of the most respected and iconic luxury brands from around the world. Notably, we have acted as principal U.S. counsel for the Paris-based LVMH Group. Our attorneys act as outside general counsel and strategic advisors for some of the world’s most exclusive and recognizable brands, including Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Fendi, TAG Heuer, Hublot, Sephora, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot, Moët Hennessy, Celine, and Givenchy – just to name a few.

The issues facing luxury brands are complex – they cross practice areas and require a holistic approach to resolution. This is where our team of interdisciplinary attorneys stands apart. They span virtually every practice area at BFKN – Corporate, Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Employment, Litigation, and Tax – and are able to seamlessly work together in a cost-effective manner to meet the needs of our luxury clients. BFKN’s luxury team leverages the combined experience of the individuals who constitute one collective team. We work together to service our clients’ business goals and to protect and expand their unique brands.

BFKN has over 30 years of experience advising our luxury clients on business formation and structuring, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and distribution relationships, as well as real estate acquisitions and retail leasing. Our attorneys routinely counsel our clients in the areas of retail and online distribution, licensing, branding, labeling and advertising, as well as anti-counterfeiting and grey market goods seizures and enforcement. We represent clients in complex commercial, intellectual property, and employment litigation and disputes, including defense of class actions, trademark infringement claims, and claims of false advertising. Additionally, we counsel clients in the areas of executive compensation, employee benefits, and employment and labor law compliance. Finally, we have an extensive practice of negotiating and advising our luxury clients in their collaborations, whether those be with other brands or with celebrities or athletes.

The services we provide to our luxury clients include:

Brand & Product Development

  • Intellectual property counseling, clearance, and registration (U.S. and International), including relating to trademarks, trade dress, design patents, copyrights, slogans, and logos.
  • Manufacturing and supplier agreements.

Brand & Product Promotion

  • Trademark license agreements (U.S. and International).
  • Celebrity and athlete endorsement and brand ambassador agreements.
  • Product placement agreements.
  • New product launch support.

Expansion

  • Strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, and joint ventures.
  • Real estate leasing, acquisitions, and divestitures.

Product Sales & Distribution

  • Agreements for third party sale and distribution of products, including franchise, distribution, and license agreements (U.S. and International).
  • Agreements for direct company sales of products, including design and construction contracts and retail lease agreements for company-owned stores, store-in-store agreements, and department store agreements (U.S.).
  • E-commerce policies, programs, and agreements.
  • Logistics agreements (U.S. and International).

Asset Protection – Brands, Company & Reputation

  • Litigation matters, including contract disputes, distribution disputes, intellectual property disputes, and employment disputes.
  • Intellectual property matters, including maintenance, protection, and enforcement.
  • Employment matters, including employer-employee relationship matters, executive compensation, incentive plans, and retirement plans.
  • General corporate matters, and maintenance of corporate books and records.
  • Tax matters.


Industry Contacts

Newsroom

Jump to Page

We use cookies on our website to improve functionality and performance, analyze website traffic, and enable social media features. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our use of cookies.