Corporate/M&A

Duane Morris provides practical and creative legal counsel, while assisting clients in complying with regulatory, statutory and other legal mandates. Our corporate lawyers share our clients' entrepreneurial passion and deliver responsive representation that is important for successful business organizations.

We advise clients in forming business entities and assist them in defining the rights and relationships of owners and stockholders. For companies in other stages of the business life cycle, our group develops and implements exit strategies and handles succession planning matters (particularly for closely held or privately held entities).

We are experienced in negotiating, drafting and reviewing agreements of all types, including employment, distribution, manufacturing, licensing, outsourcing and other agreements. Our lawyers regularly advise on technology licensing, transfer and collaboration arrangements for information, life sciences and other technologies.

We guide early stage, middle and upper-middle market companies through challenging periods, including in:

• Negotiated acquisitions and divestitures
• Mergers, consolidations and divisions
• Joint ventures
• Stock and asset sales
• Leveraged buyouts
• Spin-offs and carveouts
• Private equity backed transactions
• Minority investments in public and private companies
• Dual track processes
• Hostile acquisitions
• Takeover defense
• Alternative structuring (such as licensing arrangements) and other business combinations.