Managing Mergers and Acquisitions

Our attorneys can help your business grow

At some point in the lives of most successful businesses, it becomes necessary to absorb the capital and resources of other companies to expand. In some cases, one company may simply buy another wholesale. In other cases, current shareholders may need to be brought into the fold through a merger. Periodically, two companies may even combine to form a distinct new entity. Whichever the case may be, successfully completing these transactions can require lengthy negotiations, thorough due diligence and strict compliance with applicable laws. Coolidge Wall has helped businesses of all types efficiently complete these complex deals. As a client, our attorneys can put their substantial knowledge and experience to work for you through every phase of your purchase, merger or other transaction.

Steps to a business acquisition

Buying or selling a business is not like buying or selling other property, especially if the business has multiple stakeholders. Even a wholesale purchase of a company or its assets can raise numerous legal issues:

Our team understands how to address these issues efficiently to keep your transaction on schedule. We can provide competent counsel with an eye toward local business conditions through every stage of the process – from initial research to negotiations, financing and ultimately closing the deal.

Steps to a business merger

Even after the negotiations are complete, business mergers – and other fundamental corporate changes – usually require approval by the target company’s shareholders. And even when shareholders stand to receive a valuable package of stock in the new company, some may still dissent. Those dissenters retain important rights that must be taken into account. If not promptly addressed, any one of these issues can seriously delay or even wholly prevent a merger from moving forward.

Our attorneys has collectively participated in many major mergers. We know what to expect and how to anticipate potential problems and address them preemptively. Our experience has taught us how to negotiate with boards and shareholders to keep mergers and other major corporate transactions going smoothly.