WHO WE HELP
Our multidisciplinary team approach enables us to serve businesses of all sizes and in many diverse industries. From private entities to public companies, emerging companies to nonprofit organizations, Arizona-based to nationwide, and tribal enterprises, our clients range from visionary start-ups to multinational Fortune 500 companies.
HOW WE HELP
As a full-service business law firm, we have substantive experience in virtually every area of law impacting your business operations across every phase of your business’ life cycle. Simply put, we are better at our business because we take the time to understand yours. We utilize the same sound business practices that you use in your business: we efficiently manage your legal matters to meet your unique needs and achieve your desired results with keen sensitivities to time and expense management.
BUSINESS ENTITY FORMATION
Having co-chaired or otherwise been actively involved in the State Bar of Arizona committees that rewrote the Arizona Business Corporation Act, Professional Corporation Act, and Limited Liability Company Act, our corporate lawyers are uniquely qualified to help clients select and maintain the ideal business entity to accomplish their unique business goals and objectives. These include:
- Corporations
- Limited liability companies
- Partnerships
- Nonprofit corporations
- Benefit corporations
BUSINESS ENTITY DISSOLUTION
The dissolution of a business or professional practice often entails a complex series of negotiations and transactions. We work with clients to develop and implement a strategic plan to achieve specific objectives regarding asset allocation, accounting, and valuation issues. Our experience also includes effectively and efficiently resolving partner and shareholder disputes.
COMMERCIAL FINANCE
Our experience representing the needs of capital raisers and capital sources in both public and private capacities benefits clients on all sides of the investment spectrum. This includes:
- Private equity and securities
- Asset-based/C&I loans
- Real-estate secured loans
- Bridge loans
- Syndicated loans
- Project finance
- Equipment lease finance
- Factoring and accounts receivable finance
- Workouts
- Collections
- Receiverships
- Financial institution regulatory and compliance
For emerging companies and startups – which are often the catalyst for economic growth and innovation – we support these new businesses in all aspects of their creation, growth, development, capitalization, and operation, including:
- Entity formation
- Joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Private placements
- Private equity
- Angel investments
- Venture capital
- Corporate finance
- Contracts and commercial agreements
- Intellectual property
- Licensing
- Technology contracts
- Employment and labor law
- Executive compensation
Learn how our employment and intellectual property attorneys support businesses.
CONTRACTS & COMMERCIAL AGREEMENTS
Contracts and commercial agreements are central to your business. We protect your interests by first understanding the day-to-day operations of your business and taking a practical, solutions-oriented approach to crafting agreements that respect your valuable business relationships.
Our experience representing both buyers and sellers includes:
- Purchase and sale of goods and services
- Supply chain management
- Manufacturing agreements
- Distribution agreements
- Supply agreements
- Development agreements
- Consulting agreements
- Technology agreements
- Licensing
- Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The implementation of best practices in corporate governance is vital to the success of any business entity. In an era of intense focus on corporate accountability, our corporate group has considerable experience establishing and maintaining the internal governance structures, protocols, and procedures that enable businesses to optimally allocate rights and responsibilities and align the interests of various entity stakeholders. We are adept at handling disputes, controversies, and threats involving the direction and control of business entities.
Our experience includes:
- Director and officer liability
- Executive compensation
- Fiduciary duties
- Management succession
- Takeover threats and defense
- Structuring boards and board committees
- Charters, policies, standards of conduct, and codes of ethics
- Special committees and internal investigations
- Nonprofit governance
JOINT VENTURES & STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
We help clients establish joint ventures and strategic alliances that can help businesses grow and thrive through the right mix of shared benefits, costs, and risks. We understand success in business is often achieved through collaboration and the establishment of the right business relationships, and we’re here to help.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are among the most significant events in a company’s life cycle. These transactions necessitate a team of experienced lawyers and skilled business advisers who fundamentally understand their clients’ businesses and can offer strategic guidance toward optimal results.
Having co-chaired the State Bar of Arizona committee that rewrote the Arizona Entity Restructuring Act governing mergers, interest exchanges, conversions, domestications, and divisions, our M&A team skillfully handles the biggest deals for the biggest companies in Arizona. We represent buyers and sellers, public and private companies, investment banks, private equity funds, special board committees, and others in transactions ranging from small product line acquisitions or divestitures to complex, high-dollar mergers. We help with:
- Asset purchases and sales
- Stock purchases and sales
- Mergers
- Spin-offs, divisions, and divestitures
- Recapitalizations and reorganizations
- Leveraged and management buyouts
- Indemnification and other post-closing matters
With our multidisciplinary team approach, we bring in other G&K attorneys to provide expert counsel in areas such as taxation, environmental, employee benefits, intellectual property, and other specialty practices.
Learn more about our tax, environmental, intellectual property, and employment law practice areas.
PUBLIC BIDDING & PROCUREMENT
Every government entity, from the federal government to states, counties, cities, and school districts, has its own laws and regulations concerning public bidding and procurement. This includes registration requirements, notification procedures, and timelines. These are more than just “technical” – and failing to comply with the specific procurement laws, processes, and guidelines could mean disqualification from an application.
We assist you in complying with the government’s complex requirements, allowing you to focus on preparing a competitive bid or proposal and meet your business objectives.
Read more about our public bidding and procurement experience.
TAX-EXEMPT & NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
G&K’s corporate tax team advises charitable organizations, private foundations, non-profit entities, and other tax-exempt organizations in all aspects of entity formation, implementation of best practices in non-profit governance, and before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Our services include:
- Applications for tax exemption
- Nonprofit corporate governance
- Fiduciary duties
- Director and officer liability
- Bylaws
- Structuring boards and board committees
- Policies and procedures
- Conflicts of interest
- Codes of ethics and standards of conduct
- Committee charters
- Succession planning
Click here to read more about our corporate tax team.
WHAT SETS US APART
While our lawyers hail from some of the country’s finest law schools, hold numerous distinctions and honors, have earned accreditation and certificates of advanced study, and bring decades of invaluable experience in all types of business and transactional matters, what truly sets us apart is the recognition that superior client service begins with understanding our clients’ unique business practices and objectives.
Your business does not operate in a vacuum and neither does ours.
We recognize the importance of understanding both the legal environment and communities in which you operate. Thus, our lawyers are leaders of the bar and have been active in shaping the laws that affect businesses. For example, practice group members have served as chairs of the State Bar of Arizona Business Law Section and Securities Law Section; as co-chairs of the Bar committees that wrote the current Arizona Business Corporation Act, Nonprofit Corporation Act, Professional Corporation Act, and Entity Restructuring Act; as the Arizona liaison to the American Bar Association’s Corporate Laws Committee; and as editor-in-chief and lead author of the seminal treatise Arizona Corporate Practice.
In addition, our lawyers are leaders in the communities where you and your employees live and work, with a rich history of serving on nonprofit boards, participating in civic and community partnerships, and providing pro bono legal services to charitable organizations.
This long-standing bar and community leadership creates an operational strength for the firm that ultimately pays dividends where it matters most: to our clients.
