Family-Owned Businesses

Staub Anderson advises owners and managers of private and closely held businesses, including family-owned businesses. We provide a full range of business legal services, with particular emphasis on the issues and opportunities that are specific to private and closely held businesses, such as succession planning, purchases and sales of business assets, and tax and estate planning. We take a practical approach in giving advice and helping to solve our clients’ problems.

General Business Representation

Each closely-held business has legal issues and needs that are unique to it and its owners. We strive to understand the business of each client and provide counsel that will help the owners achieve their business, financial and personal objectives. We assist our clients on general business issues such as review of contracts with customers and vendors, technology contracts, employment law advice, employee benefits and ESOPs, protection of the business’ intellectual property assets, real estate transactions, advice on corporate governance, entity maintenance, restructuring and recapitalization and numerous other aspects of business law.

Tax Planning and Counsel

We advise clients regarding the income, gift and estate tax consequences of the formation, reorganization, division and liquidation of corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and other entities; sales and purchases of business entities and assets; transfers of ownership; and ongoing business activities. For proposed transactions involving significant tax issues, we can obtain advance rulings from the national office of the IRS and state tax authorities. We also draft protests and negotiate with the IRS and state tax authorities on issues raised on audit.

Succession Planning

The orderly and appropriate succession of ownership and management is always an important issue for family and closely held businesses. It involves not only legal and business matters, but also sensitivity to the human aspects affecting owners, family members and key employees. We advise on ownership and management structures to facilitate succession planning and on the desirability and the tax and other implications of making lifetime gifts, prepare wills and trusts containing a variety of provisions appropriate to achieving clients’ business and personal wealth management objectives, assist with disability and life insurance planning, prepare buy-sell agreements and assist with a variety of other planning techniques. We also assist in identifying alternatives for financing succession-related transactions.

Purchases and Sales of Businesses

We have extensive experience with the purchase and sale of businesses, representing both sellers and buyers in both taxable and non-taxable transactions. Our lawyers advise regarding transaction structures (including mergers, sales of assets, sales of stock and other forms of acquisition) and legal terms, assist in the negotiation of the transaction, prepare documents necessary to complete the transaction and handle the details needed to ensure that the transaction will close as smoothly as possible.

Financing

We assist our clients with financing their businesses, including through bank financing and sales of debt and equity securities. We also have experience with project finance transactions. Our lawyers have contacts with a number of financing sources. We routinely represent our clients in negotiating the terms of these transactions, preparing the associated legal documentation and closing the transaction.

For more information on how Staub Anderson can help your family-owned business, please call David Staub at 312-345-0545.