Selling a family business and breaking a record.
Two siblings were shareholders in a family business founded by their father. One worked in the business, one did not, and there was constant friction between them about the operations of the business. By advising one of them appropriately, we helped both of them – they cooperated and sold the business to a third party for a record high valuation.
Accelerating a startup with a contract.
Our client was a startup in web-based communications. They had business clients, but were looking to sign up many more before trying to sell their business. We developed a contract that was simple, quickly adjustable, and – most importantly – reinforced their sales process and built customer relationships. We helped them grow their business fast and customer-friendly. Three years later, they got their wish and sold to a much larger organization.
Pathfinding for owners and employees.
The majority owners of the business had a minority shareholder employee who wanted to retire and be paid for his shares. But they had no shareholder agreement and no common ground. They had struggled for over a year, and the struggling had strained their relationship. We got involved and designed a transaction that accounted for the subtleties of the relationship, and developed an approach to valuation and separation that both sides agreed was fair. Frustration and paralysis became progress and resolution.
Helping churches work together.
A group of like-minded churches wanted to come together to establish national governance on issues of common concern without sacrificing their independence. We developed the solution to implement that vision while helping each of them retain their independence and meet regulatory requirements.
Many failures. One success.
When we were retained, we were the fourth lawyer our client had hired to get the deal done. Our client and its partner shareholder had dramatically different visions for their business and had been at an impasse for over a year. We built trust, not just with our client but with the other shareholder. When our client successfully concluded its buyout of the other shareholder, the lawyer for the other shareholder remarked: “you succeeded where several others had failed.”
A charity told it couldn’t be a charity.
A group of people wanted to create a charity to help disadvantaged youth from all backgrounds learn critical life skills. They came to us because their last lawyers had said they would not get charitable registration. We succeeded and got them their registration, and also helped them define and refine their business processes to help them grow.
Guiding successful entrepreneurs & friends.
Two entrepreneurs who were college friends created an online business that grew like crazy. But over time, what they wanted and where they were headed grew further and further apart. Their business was complicated and international. When we got involved, they had tried for months to make a deal, and we were not the first lawyer our client had hired. We succeeded in structuring, negotiating and then closing the friendly buyout by one of the other.
Negotiating a contract. Building a relationship.
Our client had an existing relationship with a partner that they wanted to greatly deepen with a new contract. There are lots of ways to negotiate a contract. Any lawyer can “cover the downside”, but we helped do that while at the same time getting the client what they really wanted, which was not just the contract, but a stronger relationship – because of how we did our job.