Mergers & Acquisitions
Hoge Fenton serves as trusted advisor to companies at all stages of development in a variety of traditional and emerging industries. Our clients rely on the extensive experience of our M & A team to guide them through what is, for many, their most important and complex business transaction: the purchase or sale of a business.
Whether the transaction involves a purchase, sale, reorganization, or leveraged buyout, the business and tax lawyers on our team bring the experience and specialized knowledge to manage each step of the process efficiently and effectively. We employ an integrated approach to doing M & A deals, calling upon the expertise of our colleagues in other practice areas -- employment, intellectual property, and real estate, for example -- to ensure superior handling of all legal aspects of our transactions. We also work closely with our clients and their other professional advisors, such as investment bankers, brokers, CPAs, and lenders, to develop long term strategies for their businesses where the ultimate goal may be a merger or other acquisition.
The typical merger or acquisition may involve:
Corporate Finance
We regularly counsel issuers and underwriters in matters involving both public and private financings. Our attorneys are skilled in working with a wide variety of debt and equity instruments in financings involving both U.S. and foreign businesses.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is often a company’s most valuable asset and, thus, can be of great significance in an M&A deal. Our attorneys work with clients, whether as acquiror or target, to identify, secure, and effectively manage the timely transfer of intellectual property rights.
Tax
Our tax attorneys provide sophisticated and innovative state, federal and international tax planning and advice to our business clients involved in M & A deals. Our clients who are acquiring or divesting a business benefit from our creative problem solving in such areas as developing appropriate deal structures, analyzing tax aspects of particular business transactions, ensuring that an entity will stand up to regulatory scrutiny, and structuring executive compensation.
Securities and Private Equity
As companies begin to grow and expand out of the infancy stage, they invariably look to outside sources to fund that growth and expansion. The firm’s lawyers routinely assist clients in the capital fundraising process, whether it be debt or equity, from ensuring compliance with federal and state securities laws to formulating and presenting the proper disclosures to an investor group. The firm also counsels clients on the ability to use their equity to attract and maintain present and future employees.
Employment and Employee Benefits
Our attorneys counsel clients on all facets of the employer-employee relationship, including hiring practices, personnel policies, executive compensation, equity compensation plans, layoffs, terminations, and sexual harassment.
Real Estate and Environmental Issues
We advise and represent clients in real estate transactions and facilities issues for all of their office, commercial and manufacturing needs. We regularly advise on facility leasing, acquisition, development, construction, financing, and on all aspects of environmental compliance, due diligence, investigation, and remediation.