Family businesses, regardless of industry, have unique concerns and goals that differ from their public and private competitors. Though all businesses are committed to commercial growth, family businesses often prioritize longer-term goals and place an emphasis on sustainability and maintenance of distinct family values.
We counsel families throughout an enterprise’s lifecycle on topics such as:
- Entity selection and the launch of new businesses or holding companies
- Operation of mature businesses
- Designing compensation and incentive arrangements for key executives who are not family members
- Evaluation and optimization of exit opportunities
- Transition of ownership and executive responsibilities to successors in a manner that maximizes tax benefits and minimizes the likelihood of disputes
Changes in leadership or ownership can be particularly challenging for closely-held businesses given the complex mix of personal relationships, business goals and financial pressures. When business succession counsel is required, we work with families (many times with multi-generational leaders) to ensure the current and future viability of a family enterprise is maintained.
Our depth and range of experience provides the nuance required to help clients identify and resolve issues that might be overlooked by counsel focused solely on commercial matters, earning us a reputation as a leading California law firm for this type of work.
