Our corporate law group advises and represents a broad range of clients in a wide variety of business matters and transactions. Our clients include start-up ventures, small companies, large international corporations, and closely and publicly held corporations. We also serve nonprofit corporations, professional corporations, and financial institutions. Our corporate and business attorneys have extensive experience with the organization, purchase, sale and dissolution of businesses and professional practices in many industries such as medical, dental, accounting, and law.
Members of our group work closely with other practice groups to ensure clients receive comprehensive answers to their legal inquiries. The firm’s clients receive the benefit of a wide range of expertise from groups that specialize in real estate, employment, tax, bankruptcy, insurance, and litigation.
Group members advise and represent commercial and nonprofit clients from start-up to wind-up and offer these services:
- Entity Selection and Formation: We help clients select the appropriate type of entity for a business venture—a choice that is often fraught with hidden pitfalls in this day of general and limited partnerships, C corporations, S corporations, limited liability companies, and many other options. We also structure franchise relationships by representing both franchisors and franchisees.
- Organize Business Management: We regularly organize entities, whether corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships. We advise clients and, where appropriate, prepare shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, operating agreements, and other documents designed to aid and ensure proper governance of the entity and to provide for a smooth transition if there is change of ownership.
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Reorganizations: We regularly handle stock purchases, mergers, asset acquisitions, sales, and spin-offs. Our team collaborates with our Real Estate Practice group in the purchase or sale of businesses and professional practices.
- Financial Lending and Borrowing: We represent many financial institutions in a variety of transactional matters such as loan documentation, security agreements and mortgages, foreclosures, workouts, loan restructurings, and lender liability issues.
- Compliance: We take the necessary action to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We assist in structuring a variety of business relationships such as franchisor and franchisee, employer and employee, and principal and agent.
- Wrapping Up Entity and Succession Planning: Our expertise also includes the liquidation and dissolution of a business entity at the end of its life.
- Resolving Disputes: Our team sends and responds to demand letters pertaining to issues such as tortious interference of business contracts and resolves shareholder, partner, or member disputes. If litigated, we will vigorously assert and defend our client’s rights and business interests.
Like all other practice groups, our corporate law group is accessible, responsive, and sensitive to each client’s needs. What’s more, we bring enthusiasm to every task and offer our services at rates in keeping with our Midwestern roots.
