Business Transaction Attorneys.
Corporate and commercial counsel for California businesses — entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, governance, commercial contracts, lending, and intellectual property.
Fennemore’s business attorneys handle the full range of corporate and commercial work a company needs — from forming and restructuring entities to the contracts, financing, and agreements that run a business day to day. We combine strategic business judgment with practical market and tax savvy to solve the problems business entities face every day.
Having represented clients on both sides of these deals, we know what works. We have advised on transactions ranging from hundreds of thousands to many millions of dollars, and we help clients meet both their business and tax objectives — California depth, backed by a full-service national firm.
What We Handle.
Corporate & Entity Matters.
Forming, operating, restructuring, combining, and winding down business entities — and the tax issues tied to each.
Formation, Operation & Reorganization
- Start-up and entity formation — corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs
- Ongoing operational counsel
- General counsel to established companies
- Restructuring and reorganization
- Tax issues across the entity's life cycle
- Counsel to boards, shareholders, partners, officers, members, and managers
Liquidation & Dissolution
- Voluntary and involuntary dissolution
- Separating shareholders, partners, and LLC members
- Spin-offs and split-ups
- Reorganization as an alternative to dissolution
Mergers, Acquisitions & Asset Sales
- Acquiring and acquired (disappearing) corporations
- Buyers, sellers, and investors
- Asset purchases and sales
- Spin-offs
- Dissident shareholders
Corporate Governance
- Voting rights and participation in management
- Rights to reports, dividends, and distributions
- Shareholder, partner, and member rights generally
Contracts & Commercial Matters.
The agreements, financing, and protections a business depends on day to day.
Commercial Loans & Secured Transactions
- Notes — installment, balloon, secured, unsecured, and simple notes
- Guarantees and guarantee agreements
- Security agreements, pledge agreements, and financing statements
- UCC filings
- Real estate loan documents — deeds of trust, assignments of rents, fixture filings, and reconveyances
Customer, Employment & Contractor Contracts
- Customer and consulting contracts
- Employee contracts
- Independent contractor contracts
- Counsel to both the business and the contracting party
Trade Secret & Intellectual Property Agreements
- Trade secret protection
- Intellectual property agreements
- Safeguards built for a changing business landscape
Buy-Sell & Non-Competition Agreements
- Buy-sell agreements
- Non-competition agreements
- Up-front planning at entity formation
- Separation of a departing shareholder, partner, or member
- Structuring to minimize impact on heirs, the entity, and key personnel
Attorneys With This Experience.
You May Also Need.
Partnership, Corporate & Special Entity Tax.
The tax side of entity formation, reorganization, and M&A.
Estate Planning Services.
Business succession planning for owners of closely held companies.
Real Estate Services.
Property transactions, development, and real estate finance.
Federal Tax Services.
Federal tax planning and controversy work tied to business deals.