Reliable Counsel from a Worcester County Mergers and Acquisitions Attorney

The advice you need to help your business grow

For some struggling businesses, merger is an attractive alternative to bankruptcy. In other cases, profitable businesses simply receive an offer that is too good to pass up. Whatever the case may be, mergers and acquisitions are complex transactions that require substantial cooperation from managers and shareholders on both sides. Guiding these transactions to an expedient and lucrative conclusion requires competent legal advice. Our attorneys at Gould & Ettenberg, P.C. have assisted both publicly traded and privately held corporations throughout the Worcester area during the merger process. A mergers and acquisitions lawyer from our firm can review merger agreements, negotiate with dissenting shareholders and assist in maintaining compliance with applicable laws.

Corporate governance

Any corporation with more than one shareholder must go through a certain process for making major decisions. The decision to acquire or be acquired by another company is no exception. These major decisions are subject to shareholder approval under state law and the bylaws and articles of individual companies. What’s more, even if a majority of shareholders approve the proposal, the dissenting shareholders still have important rights. When public companies seek to acquire private companies in a merger or acquisition, converting this private equity to stock shares of appropriate value can present a challenge. An experienced business lawyer can help you negotiate with shareholders to obtain their consent and understand the company’s obligations to dissenting shareholders.

Due diligence

In many mergers and acquisitions, the surviving company must take the good with the bad. This means that, in addition to gaining the property — real, personal and intellectual — of the acquired company, the surviving company also often acquires its liabilities. Our Worcester business attorneys assist corporations in thoroughly investigating target companies prior to acquisition to assure a fair deal in terms of:

  • Current inventory
  • Premises
  • Outstanding contractual obligations
  • Accounts receivable
  • Accounts payable
  • Potential civil liability

With access to experienced professional appraisers throughout the area, Gould & Ettenberg is superbly suited to assist businesses in mergers and acquisitions. Our attorneys can oversee the evaluation of the target company and identify and address potential sources of significant liability before the deal is finalized.

Contact a firm that has managed complex transactions for more than 35 years

Gould & Ettenberg, P.C. attorneys have assisted public and private companies in Massachusetts in navigating mergers and acquisitions as well as other fundamental corporate changes for more than three decades. Call us at 508-752-6733 or contact us online to set up a consultation with a caring and experienced attorney today. We are conveniently located in downtown Worcester with easy access to both state and federal courthouses as well as convenient parking.