Corporate

The Corporate Group at Wilentz is one of the largest and most established corporate law practices in New Jersey. We advise corporations and other business entities in all areas of corporate law, securities and regulation and serve as strategic advisors in all phases of a business' evolution—from entity formation and establishing regulatory compliance to succession planning and changes in ownership to completing mergers, acquisitions and other strategic transactions.

We serve as corporate counsel to start-ups and established businesses of all sizes. These include publicly held and private companies, professional entities, franchisees, not-for-profits, limited liability companies, limited or general partnerships, joint ventures and sole proprietorships. We also assist franchisees, owners and potential owners join, form, and grow their businesses, and we advise on a variety of liquidity alternatives and exit strategies.

As corporate counsel, we address our clients’ everyday business concerns and tackle the situations that threaten their prosperity and growth. We handle matters and disputes relating to acquisitions and sales, agreements, contracts, compliance with local, state and federal laws, financial transactions, leases, land use, environmental concerns, trade secrets and intellectual property, real estate, and human resources.

We also manage agreements and transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, spin-offs and other strategic arrangements. We structure, negotiate and draft owner agreements, agreements for buyouts, retirements and buy-sell arrangements. We negotiate and draft organizational documents such as stockholder, joint venture, independent contractor, consulting, and restrictive covenant agreements. We assist businesses with the challenges faced in attracting and retaining key employees, including implementation of phantom stock and employee incentive plans. We review vendor contracts, prepare employment agreements, policies and manuals, real estate and equipment leases and advise on applicable governmental regulations.

Because Wilentz is one of the largest and most established law firms in New Jersey, our clients benefit from a cross-disciplinary network of lawyers with deep knowledge and experience in all stages of the business lifecycle and a vast network of lawyers and other professionals.  We pride ourselves on being our clients’ trusted strategic advisors, helping them develop and implement their business strategies. Beyond providing the legal answers, we add a commercial and strategic perspective. We participate in planning and implementing strategy, help our clients gain the most favorable deal outcomes, and make certain that all their i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.