Private Equity

Williams Mullen, one of the leading business law firms in the Southeast, has an active and highly regarded private equity practice. Our practice addresses all legal and regulatory problems that face companies seeking to attract and invest capital. Our private equity attorneys have extensive experience formulating innovative strategies for structuring financings, acquisitions of private and public companies (including unsolicited acquisitions), going private transactions, stock for stock acquisitions, spin-offs, split-offs, split-ups and acquisitions of minority interests. We help structure transactions to maximize tax benefits and provide flexibility for future opportunities. We understand not only how to do deals but we also have experience in a wide variety of industries and businesses. Our private equity team represents clients in many different industries and draws on the resources of our firm’s industry practice teams.

Williams Mullen, one of the leading business law firms in the Southeast, has an active and highly regarded private equity practice. Our practice addresses all legal and regulatory problems that face companies seeking to attract and invest capital. Our private equity attorneys have extensive experience formulating innovative strategies for structuring financings, acquisitions of private and public companies (including unsolicited acquisitions), going private transactions, stock for stock acquisitions, spin-offs, split-offs, split-ups and acquisitions of minority interests. We help structure transactions to maximize tax benefits and provide flexibility for future opportunities. We understand not only how to do deals but we also have experience in a wide variety of industries and businesses. Our private equity team represents clients in many different industries and draws on the resources of our firm’s industry practice teams.

We guide our buyout, venture capital and private equity group clients through due diligence, structuring and closing of investments in many types of private entities. In addition, private equity and venture capital firms call on us to represent their portfolio companies after the investment transaction has been completed.

We also help early, mid-stage and later-stage companies as they prepare to find capital to finance their needs and, when they are ready to do so, we assist them in consummating capital financing transactions. Sources of these funds can be institutional investors, such as venture capital firms and mezzanine funds, private equity groups, “angel” investors and investors who cross the venture capital/angel divide. We also represent companies in negotiating with investment banking firms to raise capital or explore strategic alternatives on their behalf and work with closely with these clients their investment bankers to complete the transaction.

A private equity representation typically involves a comprehensive legal and regulatory due diligence examination of the target company. When we represent a client seeking capital, we similarly assess its business model and risk profile with the goal of matching the client with appropriate investors or with investment banks. Whether we are representing the investors, the portfolio company or the target, we draw on our experience in the areas of finance, intellectual property, tax law, real estate law, labor and employment law, environmental law, and other areas as appropriate to properly structure a transaction suited to the investment.

The firm’s attorneys are also active in publishing and lecturing on private equity related topics. Our leadership in the private equity industry enables us to understand the needs of all our clients, whether attracting or investing capital or exploring strategic alternatives.