Professional Experience

Mr. Sterrett counsels business, exempt or non-profit and individual clients on corporate, technology, tax and general business law.  He works with start-up and emerging growth companies, privately held businesses, and large multinational corporations as well as exempt or non-profit organizations.  He represents both US and foreign based clients.

He serves or has served as principal outside counsel for multiple biotechnology, medical device, business services, information technology, software, and other technology companies.  He has substantial experience handling mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and angel, venture capital and other financial transactions.

Mr. Sterrett focuses on the unique aspects of intellectual property and technology oriented business relationships, including licenses and cross-licenses, product development, joint ventures, collaborations, material transfer, and research and development.  He has been involved in multiple highly complex mergers and acquisitions involving intellectual property and technology.

He assists clients with their key business relationships, including manufacturing, distribution and supply agreements, marketing and sponsorship agreements, employment, consulting and severance agreements, confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, purchase orders, standard terms and conditions, and personal and real property leases. He also assists clients with their corporate documents, stockholder and voting agreements, limited liability company or operating agreements, and stock option and executive compensation plans.

Mr. Sterrett regularly works with exempt or nonprofit organizations, including charities and trade associations, on business, corporate, intellectual property, and federal and state tax matters.  He has obtained federal and state tax exemptions for multiple non-profit organizations.  He has handled several complicated corporate restructurings and mergers involving exempt organizations. He also advises on federal and state tax issues, including choice of entity, executive compensation, intellectual property, and international tax issues.

Following law school, Mr. Sterrett worked at Allens Arthur Robinson, in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, and clerked for Judge James S. Halpern of the U.S. Tax Court.

Mr. Sterrett has authored several articles on business, tax and technology, including in The Intellectual Property Strategist, Legal Times, and Washington Business Journal.

Representative Experience

• Closed acquisition of optical switch technology for Fortune 500 client
• Closed acquisition of ag-biotechnology assets by international joint venture
• Closed sale of foreign software company to U.S. defense contractor
• Closed several acquisitions of student travel businesses by industry leader
• Closed multiple acquisitions and sales of TV and radio stations
• Closed acquisition by foreign company of services business in animal health industry
• Closed acquisition of an important African-American Art Collection
• Closed multiple angel and venture capital financings
• Negotiated multiple patent/know-how licenses, material transfer agreements, and collaboration and research agreements with federal government agencies, US colleges and universities, foreign universities and US and foreign research institutes
• Negotiated multiple collaboration, license, marketing and services agreements with big pharma and major laboratory reference company
• Negotiated multiple collaboration and product development agreements with multiple industry leading medical device manufacturers
• Negotiated multiple trademark and copyright agreements for internationally known private historic home
• Closed corporate restructuring of Mid-Atlantic’s leading residential services business
• Negotiated complicated lease termination agreement with international biotech manufacturer
• Closed sale of bio-manufacturing plant after resolving multiple complex Federal, state and local issues arising from the public-private partnership that funded and built the facility
• Assisted in the formation of a consortium of over 40 universities and research institutes focused on translation research in cancer
• Negotiated and closed several complicated corporate restructurings and mergers and acquisitions involving exempt or nonprofit organizations

Community Service & Affiliations

Mr. Sterrett is involved with several charitable and community organizations, including Children’s Hospital Hearing & Speech Center and Mount Vernon, Home of George Washington. He also serves or has served as a director of Australia America Association, MdBio Foundation, Inc. (charitable arm of Maryland’s biotech community and an affiliate of Technology Council of Maryland), and National Council of International Visitors.