Mergers & Acquisitions

 

Buyers and Sellers have different needs: If you are selling your business, you only get one chance, and you need strategic legal guidance throughout the process to ensure that you don’t make any critical missteps. If you are buying a business, you need to strategically identify risks and minimize vulnerabilities.

That’s why Stock Legal has developed a mergers and acquisitions practice focused on serving as your trusted advisor, whether you are planning an exit or looking to grow through a merger or acquisition.

Our merger and acquisition attorneys strive to protect the value of your transactions while at the same time making sure we provide practical solutions to the issues that arise during the transaction.

The Stock Legal mergers and acquisitions practice provides a full range of services for all phases of the transaction lifecycle, including:

  • Pre-transaction planning and structuring
  • Managing the due diligence process
  • Negotiating and drafting definitive transaction documents
  • Closing and resolving post-closing issues

 

Our Process

1. Initial Discussion

Click here to contact us. One of our attorneys will reach out to you quickly to set up a complimentary meeting, call, or skype to discuss your legal issues.

2. Engagement Letter

You engage Stock Legal as you consider your next move – buying or selling. That way we’re ready to act when you take the next steps.

3. Confidentiality Agreement

We draft a Confidentiality Agreement to protect the sensitive and proprietary information that you exchange before moving to a letter of intent.

4a. Letter of Intent

Although a letter of intent is usually non-binding, it forms the basis for the parties negotiations throughout the deal, and is a crucial step. Stock Legal will advise you in what's market, guide you away from potential mistakes, and confirm that the terms are reasonable.

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4b. Deal Room (Seller)

Typically, companies are bought and sold through an auction process lead by an investment banker, but occasionally, buyers and sellers find each other without a third party. In any case, interested buyers will request certain company information (such as financial statements, tax returns, material contracts, insurance, benefits, etc.). We call this “diligence”. If you are selling your company, Stock Legal will help you assemble that diligence into a virtual deal room for ease of document review and transmission. If you are buying a company, we will provide you with a list of diligence items that you should request, and help you review the information in the deal room.

5. Transaction Documents

Customarily, buyer’s attorney drafts the transaction documents. If we represent the Seller, then we review those transaction documents and work with you and your investment banker to negotiate the representations, warranties, rights, and obligations that are in your best interest. Our first step in this process, whether we represent the buyer or seller, is educating you on the legalese in those transaction documents. The next step is that we make recommendations. Because you are educated in the process, you will then be empowered with information and our recommendations to make informed business decisions on how you want to proceed on the various issues.

6. Closing

Often, deals are a “sign and close," which means that while the buyer is doing their “due diligence” through Step 4, we are negotiating the transaction documents referenced. Because all of this occurs simultaneously, we often sign the transaction documents on the date that we close the deal (and the buyer is paid the purchase price).

7. Post-closing

Often, there are miscellaneous items that we will assist with post-closing, such as true ups, working capital adjustments, earnouts, etc.