Practice Areas & Industries: Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

Our Entrepreneurial Business Practice Group is devoted to helping young, fast growing companies manage the legal, financing, and business issues presented by rapid and significant growth.

Today's business environment requires high-quality, responsive legal representation. Our attorneys are committed to providing that level of service while advancing client business objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Our service to growing companies is characterized by these distinct factors:

• A relationship attorney who acts as a single point of contact for all of the business' legal needs
• Value-added services and training devoted to furthering client business objectives
• Our state-of-the-art technology infrastructure
• Flexible fee arrangements focused on building long-term client relationships

Services Available

We have a strong history of representing entrepreneurial companies that extends not only to meeting their business law needs but also to meeting any other legal needs those companies may have. With the depth and breadth of practice of a full-service firm, we provide emerging businesses with the following range of services:

• Business entity formation and structuring
• Legal review of business plans
• Corporate finance — venture capital and angel investment, private equity investment, initial public offerings, and government incentive programs
• Intellectual property protection and licensing strategies, including patent and trademark prosecution, university technology transfers, confidentiality, software and technology licensing, and proprietary information agreements
• Executive compensation arrangements, including stock options, restricted stock, and other forms of equity compensation
• Employment, non-compete and consulting agreements
• Commercial agreements (leases, distribution agreements, reseller agreements, sales agreements, software licenses, purchase orders, electronic commerce, development and hosting agreements)
• Commercial finance — bank loan transactions
• Mergers and acquisitions (including structuring, due diligence, documentation, negotiation, tax advice, and integration issues)
• Strategic alliances (joint ventures, teaming agreements, research and development agreements)
• Tax planning and structuring advice
• Workforce strategies and employment law advice
• Employee benefits
• Litigation
• International markets
• Real estate
• Wealth preservation and estate planning