Michael C. Berch, Attorney at Law

Hemispheres Law Group
Michael C. Berch
Attorney and Consultant

mcb@hemispheres.pro
Tel. (415) 894-5709
Available Statewide
Calif. State Bar No. 99313

I have been a licensed attorney and technical consultant in the Bay Area for 30 years, through the growth of Silicon Valley and the computer industry and the rise of the Internet and e-commerce. My practice is centered around technology and its related legal issues -- intellectual property, licensing and negotiations, dispute resolution, policy and privacy issues, and analysis of complex technical issues, for both large and small businesses, as an attorney and consulting expert.

I also work in the area of media, publishing, and entertainment law, including advising authors, artists, musicians, and firms involved in licensing, publishing, and distributing creative works, particularly in digital media.

In addition to advising and representing clients, I am also available for consulting-expert and expert witness engagements in these areas, at more cost-effective rates than experts retained through agencies.

In the business arena, I'm equally comfortable working with start-ups, small businesses, or the senior management of a Fortune 500 company, as well as with individuals in the technology and investment communities. In addition, I am able to assist your in-house or outside litigation counsel in the research and analysis of complex issues in litigation or business transactions.
If you have questions, issues, or problems in one of the areas below, please feel free to contact me for a free initial consultation.

Drafting documents with technical/legal issues
Computer and network security issues and forensic investigations
Relations with law enforcement and regulatory agencies
Due diligence regarding technical and intellectual property matters in mergers and acquisitions
Export controls and outsourcing/offshoring
Privacy and customer/user data handling issues
Domain name disputes
Relations with ISPs and telecom and data communications vendors
Copyright, trade/service mark, brand/business naming issues
Document retention, regulatory and discovery compliance

My technical experience includes the following:

IT management of large and small sites
Network (Internet/WAN/LAN) architecture and operations
IT industry standards, protocols, platforms, and applications
Recognized expert in email format analysis, conversion, and archiving
Incident response and security/forensic investigations

My office is in the Bay Area, but I am available throughout California for legal consultation and representation, and worldwide for consulting-expert and technical consulting engagements.

I enjoy working with businesses, large and small, in all industries, and provide a cost-effective alternative to large, impersonal law firms.

Email is the best way to contact me, and I'm happy to set up a free telephone or in-person consultation, and we can decide if working together would be mutually effective. If I'm unable to help you, I will be happy to make a referral to appropriate legal counsel or technical expert.