Overview
Maynard Nexsen’s Family Business Group is dedicated to counseling and providing comprehensive, highly responsive legal services to family-owned businesses and family offices.
Our select team of experienced lawyers in the Family Business Practice recognizes that the family business sector is unique and commands a law firm that provides not only full knowledge of the law and expertise in their industry but also a deep understanding of the family dynamics within the businesses and the interconnection between the two. We appreciate and respect the intricacies of family businesses and the values upon which they are founded. We also understand the critical importance of preserving the legacies of these businesses while at the same time securing their futures. With Maynard Nexsen’s full range of capabilities, the Family Business team delivers multi-faceted, strategically coordinated service and advice to family business owners so they can effectively balance the needs and goals of their families and their businesses.
With decades of experience successfully representing family businesses ranging from closely held professional service firms to large manufacturing conglomerates to family offices, Maynard Nexsen’s Family Business Practice has advanced into a team of lawyers with diverse skillsets applied on a collaborative, holistic basis to advise and assist our family business clients with any opportunity or challenge that they may face.
Among the many areas of service the Family Business Practice Group provides are:
Business Succession Planning
- Assisting in development of business succession goals and objectives
- Designing and supporting implementation of succession plans with respect to both ownership and management
- Coordinating business and personal plans for maximum achievement of goals and objectives
- Fostering multi-generational transition through creation of processes and communication
- Advising in evaluation and implementation of exit strategies, including transitions to next generations, sales to third parties, mergers, and ESOPs
Conflict Management and Resolution
- Assisting in developing processes and communication channels to both manage and mitigate conflict
- Counseling families in various strategies to reach peaceful resolution to conflicts presented in both the business setting and the family setting
- Facilitating resolution of conflict by serving as intermediary in the communication and negotiation processes
General Counsel Services
- Providing strategic business and legal advice regarding matters of corporate governance, risk management, strategic planning, dispute resolution, crisis management, business infrastructure, and communications
Mergers & Acquisitions
- Assisting in evaluation, structuring, and negotiation of accretive and dispositive transactions to achieve the goals and objectives of the business and the family, including acquisitions, investments, spin-offs, recapitalization, and liquidations
- Providing analysis and advice in pre-transactional stages such as market/industry assessments, initial due diligence, and preparing a business for sale
Tax Planning
- Developing and implementing efficient tax planning strategies in the areas of federal and state income tax, estate and gift tax, excise taxes, and state/local taxes
- Providing advice regarding the organization and operation of a variety of business entities, including corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies, as well as trusts
- Structuring and implementing creative solutions utilizing a variety of tax-favored transactions such as reorganizations, recapitalizations, like-kind exchanges, ESOPs, and compensation planning
Wealth Preservation & Transfer
- Guiding individuals and families in identifying and prioritizing their personal goals and objectives, including tax minimization, asset protection, philanthropic support, and family harmony
- Designing and implementing plans to support such goals and objectives through the use of business entities, trusts, and estate planning techniques