Areas of Practice

Estate Planning

 

It is a difficult and sensitive process to start planning for the well-being of your loved ones in the event of your death. Richard takes pride in clearly explaining the options available to his clients, providing them with support in making their decisions, and ensuring that they understand and are comfortable with the terms of whichever form of estate plan that they ultimately choose. He assists his clients by drafting all documents comprising their estate plan, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance healthcare directives, as well as providing continuing support to update and modify their estate plan when circumstances change.

Estate and Trust Administration

 

The death of a loved one can be one of the most traumatic and confusing times of a person’s life. You should have help with the administrative work involved with managing an estate or trust so that you can focus on your family’s emotional needs. Richard assists his executor and trustee clients with such administrative tasks, including filing appropriate petitions in probate, providing required notices to government agencies and heirs, handling creditor claims, and ensuring that all distributions to heirs are proper and documented.

Business Formation

 

You want your new business to start off on the right foot, so choosing the proper vehicle for conducting your operations is crucial to your success. Richard helps his business clients in choosing an appropriate business entity (i.e. corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, etc.) for their goals, and then drafts the appropriate documents and makes the necessary filings to implement the chosen plan. These generally may include articles of incorporation or organization, bylaws, operating agreements, shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, executive employment agreements, initial meeting minutes and executive indemnification agreements.

Business Maintenance

 

Choosing the appropriate form of business is important, but maintaining your business records is just as critical to ensure your on-going limited liability and to avoid potential owner and management conflicts. This requires at least an annual review of your business and allowing all necessary persons to participate in that review. Through Richard’s business maintenance program, he provides services to ensure that you conduct a properly noticed annual meeting of your shareholders or members, as well as your directors and management, and he drafts minutes to document the discussion and decisions made at the annual meetings. Richard also provides his clients with all forms of contract drafting and review, including detailed analysis of supplier and vendor agreements, insurance contracts, commercial leases, sales contracts and employment agreements.  Whether you have just started your business or have been operating it for years, if you would like the peace of mind that comes from getting your company’s records in order, Richard’s business maintenance program will help.

Mergers and Acquisitions

 

Selling or purchasing a business is more complicated than simply deciding on a price - important decisions must be made as to how you structure the sale for tax, liability and operational purposes. Moreover, you will need to devote time and effort to conducting due diligence for the sale. Richard has extensive experience in assisting clients with all forms of business sales from complex mergers and acquisitions of professional and manufacturing companies to time-sensitive stock and asset sales of smaller, family-owned businesses. He works with his clients, as well as their financial and tax advisors, to ensure that their interests and goals are represented throughout the sale process.

Business Succession Planning

 

You have devoted much of your life to making your business successful. However, you will not be able to run it forever. The sooner you plan for transitioning management and ownership to the next generation, the more security you will have knowing your company is in good hands. Richard has helped all types of businesses in gradually transferring responsibilities to children and key employees to allow a smooth transition and to provide comfort for the original founders in retirement. Whether it be through an “earn out” consulting arrangement, gradual transfer of shares by gift or installment sale, employee stock bonus plan, or outright sale, he can provide you with the advice and documents necessary to ensure your legacy continues.