Corporate/Business Law

Our business attorneys manage all of the major legal activities that can arise in the formation, ongoing management, and sale, merger, or acquisition of a business enterprise including –

• Business structure, formation and capitalization
• Mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and divestitures
• Daily operations
• Corporate governance counseling
• Designing and monitoring employee benefit and executive compensation plans
• Financing transactions
• Negotiation and preparation of vendor, customer, and employment contracts
• Corporate restructurings, workouts and reorganizations
• Succession planning
• Exit strategies
• Development and implementation of business and employment policies
• Distribution, wales and franchising
• Business-related litigation, including shareholder disputes, defending director and officer liability claims, and
• business torts

Whether your industry is banking, financial services, manufacturing, distribution, automotive, giftware, radio, broadcasting, film production, engineering, architecture, construction, real estate, healthcare, or any other . . . we will provide you with no-nonsense assistance and practical solutions for successful business transactions.

Business Organization Mergers and Acquisitions

The organization of a new business requires thoughtful decisions on many issues including the relationship of the owners, change in ownership, limitation of liability, governance of the business, income tax minimization, effect of state law, and future sale or reorganization of the business.

Similarly, the sale or acquisition of a business involves many complex scenarios, including post-closing employment and/or consulting relationships for the sellers, tax considerations, price calculation (multiples of EBITDA, valuation of assets), payment structures (lump sum? promissory note? earn-out? rollover equity?), representations and warranties, post-closing covenants and possible enforcement issues, escrow and indemnification process and amounts, and ongoing governance of the selling entity or acquiring entity post-closing (if the seller remains an owner).

The business attorneys at Harrison & Held, LLP can help business owners overcome these challenges and help ensure a seamless transaction.

Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation

Today, business owners face more competition when trying to recruit quality employees, and they must do so in an ever-increasing regulatory environment. Due to these conditions, employers must make choices regarding employee benefits and executive compensation that will have serious long and short-term impacts.

From the employee’s perspective, wages and benefits have a great impact on their decision to work or remain with a certain company. For the employer, the wages and benefits they offer are essential to ensure that they recruit and retain top-quality employees. To ensure companies offer a wage and benefit structure that is right for them and their employees, a corporate attorney can advise on 401(k)s, employee stock ownership plans, deferred compensation plans, and more.

Employment Relations and Litigation

The relationships within a business are extremely important, but they do not always go smoothly. There are many disputes that can arise, including those related to:

• State and federal discrimination claims, such as those that are in violation of Title  VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act, and many others
• Contract disputes
• Wage disputes, including overtime claims and disputes regarding misclassification of employees as independent contractors
• Employer retaliation
• Wrongful termination
• Sexual harassment, and related policies and training
• Short and long-term disability
• Restrictive covenants and non-compete clauses
• Severance package issues
• ERISA, COBRA and other Federal legislation related to employment benefits
• Employment policies, manuals and their upkeep.

Although these disputes are sometimes resolved through mediation and negotiation, in other instances, the parties involved must enter litigation to resolve the different issues.

Our Illinois Corporate Attorneys Can Help Solve Your Business Issues

As a business owner, there are many issues you will face that relate to your company. At Harrison & Held, LLP, our Chicago corporate attorneys can help. We know how to resolve business disputes, and have the knowledge to help ensure any transaction your business embarks on goes as smoothly as possible. When your business runs into a legal issue, call us or contact us online to learn more about how we can help.