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Closely-Held & Family-Owned Businesses

GDCR is designed to efficiently service the unique legal and business needs of closely-held companies and their owners. We recognize owners of closely-held companies need outside general counsel with substantive experience advising similar companies and expect practical and relevant solutions on a wide variety of legal issues impacting their people, wealth, capital and reputation – often during difficult or critical times.

Our firm is organized into service teams of attorneys and staff members that share a common passion and history of working with closely-held and family-owned businesses to resolve a wide range of legal and business issues that most often arise in the life cycle of these companies – from entity formation and raising start-up capital, through growth and day-to-day commercial and operational issues, to negotiating and closing complex M&A transactions and transferring wealth across generations. We regularly advise owners on tax-efficient strategies and corporate governance issues associated with transitioning ownership and control of companies to the next generation of family members and structuring controls associated with outside investors and joint venture arrangements.

Our goal is to serve as a trusted and valued resource for our clients by offering practical, responsive and relevant legal and business advice. We work alongside our clients to understand their business’ unique opportunities, challenges, goals and risk tolerance and determine the best attorneys to resolve their specific legal or business issues. In our experience, exceptional value is the product of putting a capable advisor in charge of a team designed to efficiently serve a specific client and executing on a strategic plan created to address the legal needs of their business.

Notable Client Highlights

  • Served as outside counsel to a closely-held heavy equipment distribution company with revenue in excess of $500 million to develop and implement a corporate governance plan for the transition of ownership and management of the company to the third generation, assist in all manner of contract drafting and negotiations, close the acquisition of multiple companies, and serve as the primary counsel for commercial debt collections.

  • Assisted a second generation food processing company, with revenue in excess of $300 million, in navigating a significant expansion, including forming a strategic alliance with multiple suppliers, acquiring assets and facilities from competitors and entering new areas of operation and continue to serve as outside counsel to the corporation in the assessment, navigation, negotiation and implementation of a variety of operational, managerial and contractual matters.

  • Advised founder of family-owned healthcare company on beneficial structure for transfer of stock to his children in a tax efficient manner and represented the second generation in subsequent sales of portions of the business to multi-billion dollar, publicly traded buyers.

  • Represented grandson of company founder in connection with purchase of all interests in family-owned manufacturing and distribution company from the second generation, and assisted business in subsequent expansion through strategic acquisitions of multiple competitors obtaining significant additional debt financing from major investment funds and banks, and relocation and consolidation of multiple manufacturing facilities to a new, centralized location.

  • Represented family-owned day care franchisor in multiple suits brought by disappointed franchisees alleging fraud, RICO, breach of franchise agreements and other claims, including obtaining decision from Georgia Supreme Court reversing $1.2 million jury verdict against client.

  • Represented family-owned pest control services company in the sale of their business to a nationally recognized, publicly-traded Fortune 1000 corporation in excess of $100MM, including filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and a pre-transaction restructure of the business ownership to address tax liability concerns.