General Counsel Services

Ober|Kaler’s full-service Business Group offers general and corporate counsel services designed to match our clients’ requirements at every stage of the business lifecycle. From formation, to financing (whether “friends and family,” angel or venture investments or a bank loan), to an IPO or a merger or acquisition, our Business Group helps clients take the right approach to capitalization, financing and growth. We routinely provide services on matters ranging from complex transactions with business partners to issues surrounding owner relationships, regulatory compliance and employment matters.

We provide general counsel services to companies and organizations that do not have dedicated legal departments. For companies with in-house counsel, we work hand-in-hand with in-house counsel to provide results on time and on budget.

We provide services to all business entity forms, including corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships or limited partnerships, business trusts and real estate investment trusts. 

Our experience and understanding of start-ups and emerging growth companies is particularly beneficial to our general counsel business clients. We know how to design flexible business entity structures that allow ample growth opportunities while avoiding unnecessary restructuring as these companies expand and mature.

Our general counsel capabilities include:

• Business entity formation and structure, including choice of entity decisions
• Entity governance
• Business plans
• “Owner” agreements, including operating agreements or limited liability company agreements, limited partnership agreements and shareholder agreements
• Owner disputes and buyouts
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Sales of Assets  
• Equity and debt financing
• Succession planning
• Business divorces
• Reorganizations
• Tax structuring and planning
• Customer, supplier and strategic partner agreements
• Franchising and business opportunities
• Joint ventures
• Executive and employee compensation
• Stock options, profits only interests and other compensation equity
• Officer and director liability
• Employee relations
• Employment, consulting and contractor agreements, including non-competition and non-solicitation agreements
• Intellectual property protection and enforcement
• Regulatory and reporting compliance
• Privacy matters and policies
• Litigation avoidance counsel