Lenhart Obenshain offers a breadth of legal experience in business formations, financings, tax, employment and intellectual property. We represent both companies and their founders and private equity investors and banks, giving us valuable experience from both sides of the financing table. We look for clients with whom we can have a long-term working relationship as we believe our knowledge about a client's business and history makes us better, value-added counselors. Lenhart Obenshain views itself as a strategic and proactive partner in our client's business success.

Our services include:

• Comprehensive Business Services. Lenhart Obenshain's attorneys possess significant entity formation and tax expertise for a smaller law firm. Several of our corporate attorneys hold advanced law degrees in taxation, making them well qualified to handle issues relating to choice of entity, tax aspects of partnerships, issuances of equity to employees, entity conversions, and mergers and acquisitions. Our attorneys have significant experience in negotiating corporate and limited liability company buy-sell agreements, stock option and restricted equity agreements and employment agreements. Our attorneys are also experienced in drafting employee confidentiality, intellectual property assignment and non-competition agreements. We also prepare, review and negotiate a wide range of supply, distribution, customer and other business contracts for our clients.
• Intellectual Property and E-commerce. Our attorneys provide comprehensive counsel to business owners and companies relating to intellectual property, e-commerce and technology. We support and assist business owners and companies to devise creative and tax-efficient strategies to capture, protect, license and exploit intellectual property and technology. Our intellectual property practice includes prosecuting applications for federal trademark registrations, licensing software and patents, and negotiating technology development and services agreements. Our attorneys assist emerging companies with their Internet presence, including advising on matters relating to privacy and copyright infringement, and drafting web-based agreements for the on-line licensing of software and interactive tools. We work closely with management to protect companies from the theft and misappropriation of critical business information and intangible assets by third parties and employees. We also assist businesses to take appropriate measures to respect the intellectual property rights of others, and to respond appropriately to claims of misappropriation or infringement. Our attorneys have experience with university technology transfers and have assisted companies with university research funding agreements under grants provided pursuant to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs.
• Emerging Growth Companies. Lenhart Obenshain represents growth-oriented, technology-based businesses from formation (whether in Virginia or Delaware) through exit. We assist clients in developing sound business plans and in financing growth, commercialization and market penetration, whether by way of venture capital or debt financings, intellectual property licensing, strategic alliances or joint ventures. Lenhart Obenshain's experienced tax attorneys assist clients in the selection of the optimal form of business entity, whether a corporation or limited liability company, and in designing equity incentives and executive compensation for key employees.
• Corporate Finance and Securities Offerings. Lenhart Obenshain's attorneys have represented publicly traded companies, privately owned businesses, and private equity groups in equity financings and securities offerings, including in the context of mergers and acquisitions, registered offerings, private placements and venture capital financings (including convertible debt, preferred stock, warrants and limited liability company interests offerings), debt financings, tender offers, takeover planning, "going private" transactions and proxy contests. Our real estate and commercial finance attorneys support our corporate attorneys in connection with asset-based loans and other commercial debt financings. We also handle all Securities and Exchange Commission and "blue sky" law filings in connection with private placements of securities.
• Mergers and Acquisitions. Our attorneys regularly represent buyers and sellers of businesses in asset and stock purchases or redemptions, mergers, and spin-offs. Our tax attorneys offer unique experience in structuring taxable and tax-free reorganizations, holding company formations and entity conversion transactions. We have significant experience with the due diligence process in mergers and acquisitions, strategic tax planning to maximize transaction values, and intellectual property due diligence and transfer.

Lenhart Obenshain places a premium on creativity, efficiency and responsiveness and is committed to providing the highest quality legal services. Our unique blend of size and experience enables us to provide big-firm legal expertise in a responsiveness and cost-effective manner.

If you need legal advice on emerging company and venture capital issues,
contact Patrick C. Asplin at 434.220.6105.