Overview

Bob has participated in hundreds of transactions during the course of more than 30 years’ experience in his practice, advising closely held and family-owned U.S. and European (German, Swiss, Polish) clients involved in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital financings, and other significate business events. His work includes:

  • Valuing, structuring, and financing business acquisitions, particularly leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and equity-sponsored investments
  • Guiding clients through the process of investment bank-run auctions
  • Preparing clients’ businesses for sale, choosing investment bankers, and negotiating their associated engagement letters
  • Structuring and negotiating transactions and forms of financing
  • Representing sellers, financial and strategic buyers, venture capital and mezzanine financiers, management groups, and minority owners
  • Counseling clients who wish to solicit competitors’ employees, or fending off employment raids

Besides advising on transactions, Bob’s practice includes extensive experience counseling and resolving disputes among business owners, developing management, and ownership succession plans, tax planning as well as advising on operational and regulatory matters among corporations and partnerships.

 

Often, in his de facto capacity as “outside” general counsel, Bob advises clients concerning a myriad of business operational contracts, such as distribution, sourcing, warehousing, sales representative, and commission sales agent contracts, as well as creating tailored compensation and bonus plans.

Experience

Representative engagements include:

  • Purchase and sale of manufacturing concerns such as industrial coatings, industrial tools, high-end store fixtures; and playground equipment
  • Transactions among distribution businesses, such as pharmaceutical and agricultural implements businesses
  • Purchase and sale of business-to-business and business-to-consumer service companies, such as trucking companies, pharmaceutical distributors and methadone treatment clinics
  • Purchase of life science businesses, including quality and regulatory services, consulting, customer and patient support, and supply chain management
  • Sale of technology firms, such as a genetic seed company to Dow’s Agrigenetics, Inc.
  • Organizing and structuring joint ventures in the industrial manufacturing and pharmaceutical distribution sectors
  • Debt and equity recapitalizations of privately-held industrial manufacturers and business service companies
  • Structuring ownership relationships between generations and among controlling and minority owners, and resolving ownership and management disputes
 

References:

Bob’s clients enthusiastically endorse both his subject matter expertise and his direct and efficient style. Numerous referrals are available by calling Bob and expressing your interest in hearing about his services.

Honors & Recognitions

  • The Best Lawyers in America©, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017-present
  • The Midwest’s Best Lawyers©, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2021
  • BTI Client Service All-Star for exceptional client service, 2014
  • Served on Michael Best’s Management Committee and Investment Committees.

Professional Activities

  • Former Director, State Bar of Wisconsin-Business Law Section
  • Member, State Bar of Wisconsin-Chapter 180 Subcommittee

Education

Bar Admission

Insights

Education

Bar Admission

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