Purchases, sales and mergers

Any purchase, sale or merger of a business involves complex, interlocking issues, the resolution of which must be co-ordinated through thoughtful analysis and the right documentation.

While participants will naturally be focussed on the benefits of the transaction, for every benefit that can be achieved there will be corresponding risks, some of them potentially catastrophic, all of which must be understood and considered, so that suitable protections and mitigations can be put in place.

In transactions of this sort I typically work with a team of colleagues with extensive, relevant experience, for example in the areas of employment, property, regulatory, tax and corporate law. I will select a suitable team drawn from a pool of hundreds of specialist Keystone lawyers, some or all of whom I may well have worked with in the past on similar transactions.

For those clients who are acquiring a business or an interest in a business, whether by way of purchase of a business or merger of two or more businesses, also of great importance is to ensure that the documentation governing the future relationship between the business entity and its co-owners/merger partners is clear, thorough and robust, and aligned to the objectives of the business. Such documentation typically comes in the form of a partnership, LLP members or shareholders agreement. It is almost always appropriate to have such an agreement in place on day one, and to consider any pr-existing agreement or agreements to ascertain the extent to which they can and should be amended/repurposed.

If you would like a confidential, no-obligation discussion, to explore how I might be able to assist you, please contact me. I look forward to speaking with you.