Law Office of Matthew Van Ryn, PLLC

Focus and the clients it serves

This is a business and transactional law practice. Formally the Law Office of Matthew Van Ryn, PLLC, it goes by the brand name Matt Van Ryn Law and works with small business owners and mid-market companies across Central and Upstate New York. The firm is based in Syracuse and runs by appointment.

Its services follow a company through its life cycle. Entity formation is the first legal choice a founder makes, and it sets how the business is taxed and who carries liability. Partnership agreements then spell out who decides what, and how an owner exits. Investment documents bring outside money in on agreed terms.

After the setup, the firm drafts buy-sell agreements and helps with day-to-day operations. In my opinion, this range suits an owner who wants a single lawyer across several stages of the business, since the same person already knows the history of the paperwork. That continuity also helps when an early agreement needs a change once the company grows.

Deals and financing

The firm handles mergers and acquisitions. That work includes business valuations, due diligence, and the terms of commercial loans when a company is bought or sold. During due diligence, a buyer confirms that the business is what the seller says and checks its contracts, debts, and ownership of key assets. The firm also prepares private placement documents along with investor and partnership agreements.

Deals of this kind move in stages. Both sides settle on a price supported by a valuation, and lenders set loan terms once the numbers hold. A transactional lawyer drafts and reviews the paperwork at each step and flags the risks that sit behind a valuation. That is the role this firm fills on a purchase or a sale.

Private placement documents let a company raise money from a limited group of investors, and they carry disclosure duties under securities rules that reward careful drafting. A buy-sell agreement handles the other end, setting the terms for one owner leaving, whether by sale, retirement, or death. It can spare co-owners a dispute over price when that day arrives.

Contract drafting

Contracts make up a steady part of the work. The firm prepares form contracts, licensing and sales agreements, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements, and stock option and employment agreements. These go to companies or to individual executives.

Licensing and sales agreements set what a buyer may do with a product. A non-disclosure agreement guards information shared during talks that may or may not lead to a deal. Good contract work shows its value later, when a hire or a deal is tested, since clear terms on ownership, payment, and exit save argument down the line.

Non-compete terms draw close scrutiny in New York, so their wording carries weight. Stock option and employment agreements tie an executive's pay to performance and to staying with the company, and the drafting details matter to both sides. Employment agreements also cover confidentiality and the ownership of work an employee produces, which links back to the firm's trademark and copyright side.

Trademark and copyright matters

Alongside the transactional work, the firm advises on trademark and copyright questions. Matthew Van Ryn has filed applications, answered Office Actions, and handled Oppositions. He has also taken related cases into State and Federal courts.

A trademark application goes to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where an examiner can issue an Office Action that raises questions before a mark registers. An Opposition is a challenge from another party who believes a mark conflicts with theirs. Carrying a dispute into court is a further step, and it calls for litigation experience on top of filing work.

Copyright protection attaches when a work is created, yet registration adds rights that matter in a dispute. One attorney covering both the filing and the courtroom side is worth noting for an owner protecting a brand.

How the firm is built

The site names one attorney, Matthew Van Ryn, who has practiced law for over 30 years. The firm has worked with business owners for the past two decades. With a single named lawyer, the person reviewing a contract is the person a client speaks to.

The firm also provides outside general counsel, on an as-needed or a subscription basis. Outside general counsel usually means a lawyer who knows the company well enough to answer routine questions quickly, whether the matter is a vendor contract or a hire. As a reviewer, I read the subscription option as a way to make that access predictable for owners who face legal decisions often but keep no in-house lawyer.

The office is at the Inspyre Innovation Hub in Syracuse and operates by appointment, and the firm handles correspondence from Camillus, New York. The firm publishes a LinkedIn profile for Matthew Van Ryn and keeps a YouTube channel for its work.