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Skilled Attorneys for Mergers & Acquisitions

Helping companies maximize potential and minimize risk in mergers and acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions require careful planning. The business first needs to consider the wisdom of the transaction and new business structure. Issues of control, management, productivity, and relationships with vendors, employees and investors need to be considered in advance.

Many mergers and acquisitions increase profits and the ability to serve the public. Other efforts at restructuring can lead to cultural and financial conflicts. At Gertsburg Licata we have first-hand experience advising businesses. Many of our partners and of-counsel attorneys worked as in-house counsel before joining the firm. Our Cleveland merger and acquisition lawyers counsel businesses on the risks and benefits of merging with another company, acquiring a new company, or being the company that is acquired.

Issues that need to be addressed in business mergers and acquisitions

Most of the issues involved in merger and acquisition law are complex. For starters, a full understanding of the goals, assets, income producing abilities, and debt structures of each company needs to be achieved. Restructuring requires an understanding of who the key management personnel are, beginning with who will be the new:

  • Members of the board of directors
  • Corporate officers
  • Chief economic, information, security, and other officers

There simply can’t be two people in each position, so tensions can run high and practical decisions need to be made. Other common mergers and acquisitions issues and documents include:

  • Federal, state, and local tax requirements and payments
  • Licenses and permits
  • Employee retention
  • Contracts with vendors
  • Customer relations
  • Due diligence
  • Business entity restructuring
  • Ownership of assets and intellectual property determinations
  • Review of all lending and financing agreements
  • Executive compensation agreements
  • Compliance with regulations
  • Asset and business evaluation
  • Corporate governance issues

Business structuring issues can be especially complicated when the businesses are different. Many other issues may need to be addressed depending on the type of business, the locations of the business operations, the size of the company, and a host of other factors. Whether there will be any spinoff companies also needs to be analyzed.

Talk to a trusted mergers and acquisitions lawyer now

The success of any new business operation begins with an understanding of the full range of legal issues. At Gertsburg Licata our lawyers have several decades’ worth of business experience. One or more of our mergers and acquisition lawyers will review the business restructure options, explain the pros and cons of a new venture, prepare the correct legal documents, and navigate the transition. To discuss your legal and business options, please contact us at 216-573-6000 or through our contact form.