Steven M. "Steve" Szymanski

Steve Szymanski is a Shareholder in the Business Practice Group where he Co-Chairs the Business and Corporate Law and the Mergers and Acquisitions Sections. Steve is a trusted advisor to his clients. Steve draws upon his background in tax, finance and the law to help his clients identify legal and business issues, and work with his clients and their advisors to provide practical and effective solutions. Steve represents privately and publicly held clients in all aspects of their corporate and business needs, including:

• general corporate and contract matters, including, terms and conditions of sale, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, employee and executive agreements, and shareholder agreements;
• business formation, finance and governance;
• business succession planning, including, management buy-outs and family transitions;
• mergers and acquisitions;
• complex commercial transactions and negotiations;
• commercial real estate, including, the purchase, sale and leasing of real estate, structuring and drafting of ownership arrangements, and implementation of tax-deferred transactions;
• banking and finance;
• taxation.

Steve represents clients in a wide variety of industries, including, manufacturing, transportation, construction, distribution, technology, professional services, real estate, finance and banking.

Steve is a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Section. He has extensive mergers and acquisition experience having represented buyers, sellers, lenders and investors in transactions of various sizes (e.g., $100,000 to $250,000,000) and complexities. His experience includes transactions involving private equity, strategic purchasers and sellers, and management buy-outs. Steve brings years of experience to his clients’ advantage with his main objective being to find solutions that achieve a successful closing.

Prior to starting his legal career, Steve was a member of the tax department in the Milwaukee office of Arthur Andersen. He uses his background in tax, finance and accounting to understand his clients’ finances, build a rapport with their advisors, and structure transactions in a favorable manner.

Representative Matters and Experience

• Representation of privately and publicly held companies in acquisitions with sizes of $100,000 to over $250 million and involving strategic buyers, private equity firms, management and traditional parties.
• Representation of privately held companies in private placements of their securities.
• Representation of privately held company in the tax-free reorganization of its businesses in order to establish separate distinct business lines and position the distinct businesses for future sale and growth opportunities.
• Representation of lenders and borrowers in commercial and real estate financing matters and mezzanine financing.
• Representation of privately and publicly held companies in transactions involving the purchase, sale and lease of commercial real estate.
• Representation of privately held companies in the negotiation and drafting of commercial agreements involving non-competition, confidentiality, supply, distribution, employment and technology.
• Successfully negotiated resolution of shareholder disputes, representing both minority and majority positions.
• Representation of privately held companies and key executives in the development and negotiation of executive employment agreements and incentive-based compensation arrangements.