Corporate

Clients come to Coblentz because of our strong track record in sophisticated corporate and commercial matters. They stay because of the relationships we build by understanding their businesses, anticipating their needs, and staying focused on their success.

We are known for bringing a creative, practical approach to complex matters and for being responsive and accessible. Our clients range from family-owned businesses and emerging growth companies to large multinational corporations.

For many clients, we serve as outside general counsel, providing the broad-based advice today’s businesses require across corporate and commercial matters, employment and labor, intellectual property, licensing, finance, and tax. We also advise entrepreneurs throughout the business life cycle, from company formation and financing through expansion, acquisitions, and sales.

Our clients operate across a wide range of industries, including venture capital and private equity, food and beverage, e-commerce, hospitality, consumer products, retail, spirits and wineries, music and entertainment, advertising, professional services, professional sports, real estate, software, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies.

Mergers and Acquisitions

We have extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions with a variety of U.S. and international clients. We represent both acquirers and sellers, as well as joint venture partners creating new enterprises out of existing complementary companies. We also have significant experience counseling founder-owned, owner-operated businesses in their exits.

Our work includes buyouts, growth investments, management buyouts, leveraged acquisitions and recapitalizations, joint ventures, spin-offs, and restructurings in domestic and cross-border transactions. These matters range from targeted acquisitions of a particular technology or team to transactions involving the ownership of substantial, mature businesses.

We also represent clients acquiring assets and business lines from companies in bankruptcy proceedings. Our clients in these matters include public and private companies, venture capital and private equity investors, and operating businesses.

Private Equity and Venture Capital

We represent emerging growth companies seeking venture capital as well as venture capital firms making investments in companies from the earliest stages through later stages of their growth trajectory. We also advise private equity firms on financings, acquisitions, restructurings, and other transactions for their portfolio companies.

Our clients include domestic and international venture capital and private equity firms, as well as U.S.-based and international companies. Because we work on both sides of these transactions—representing investors and venture- and private equity-backed companies—we bring a current perspective on market terms and a practical understanding of how to negotiate, diligence, document, and close financing and acquisition transactions efficiently and effectively, including both up-round and down-round financings.

Contract Matters

Corporate Governance

Public and private companies have to navigate onerous laws and regulations to do business, and we offer the help they need to operate at their highest efficiency. By partnering with corporate leadership, we get an in-depth understanding of a company so we can provide the most relevant advice on a broad range of corporate governance and compliance matters.

Securities

We regularly advise clients about private issuances of various kinds of equity and debt securities, including common and preferred stock, membership interests in limited liability companies, limited partnership interests, and straight and convertible debt instruments.

Debt Financing

We advise clients on loans from banks and institutional lenders, including private credit, with significant experience in asset-based lending, acquisition financings, and venture lending.

Intellectual Property

We provide counsel on all aspects of IP management, protection, and enforcement, including corporate IP, trademark, copyright, commercial transactions, social media and privacy, and advertising review and compliance.

Tax

Our tax lawyers advise clients on federal, state, and local tax matters. We counsel corporations, LLCs, and partnerships on structuring mergers and acquisitions in a tax-efficient manner, planning executive compensation, and minimizing California income, property, sales, and use tax liabilities.