My Why

What powers my practice

I came to the law from a modest background without mentors or lawyers in my family, motivated by the intellectual challenge of tax law as a political science and math double major. I wanted to be an integral part of a team. Over the years, I’ve found the greatest fulfillment in guiding clients, many now remain dear friends, through the various stages of their businesses’ growth and their inevitable M&A transactions and ownership transitions, helping them grow comfortable—as a trusted partner upon whom they can rely without fear of self-interest—on my judgment and experience. I embrace the responsibility of holding clients’ financial futures partly in my hands and guiding them with care, concern, clarity, and candor. With 50 years of practice behind me, I remain a dedicated advocate who places clients’ interests first while endeavoring to stay on the leading edge of the field.

Overview

Bob has participated in hundreds of transactions during the course of more than 30 years’ experience in his practice, advising closely held and family-owned U.S. and European (German, Swiss, Polish) clients involved in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital financings, and other significate business events. His work includes:

  • Valuing, structuring, and financing business acquisitions, particularly leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and equity-sponsored investments
  • Guiding clients through the process of investment bank-run auctions
  • Preparing clients’ businesses for sale, choosing investment bankers, and negotiating their associated engagement letters
  • Structuring and negotiating transactions and forms of financing
  • Representing sellers, financial and strategic buyers, venture capital and mezzanine financiers, management groups, and minority owners
  • Counseling clients who wish to solicit competitors’ employees, or fending off employment raids

Besides advising on transactions, Bob’s practice includes extensive experience counseling and resolving disputes among business owners, developing management, and ownership succession plans, tax planning as well as advising on operational and regulatory matters among corporations and partnerships.

Often, in his de facto capacity as “outside” general counsel, Bob advises clients concerning a myriad of business operational contracts, such as distribution, sourcing, warehousing, sales representative, and commission sales agent contracts, as well as creating tailored compensation and bonus plans.

Experience

Solutions in action

Representative engagements include:

  • Purchase and sale of manufacturing concerns such as industrial coatings, industrial tools, high-end store fixtures; and playground equipment
  • Transactions among distribution businesses, such as pharmaceutical and agricultural implements businesses
  • Purchase and sale of business-to-business and business-to-consumer service companies, such as trucking companies, pharmaceutical distributors and methadone treatment clinics
  • Purchase of life science businesses, including quality and regulatory services, consulting, customer and patient support, and supply chain management
  • Sale of technology firms, such as a genetic seed company to Dow’s Agrigenetics, Inc.
  • Organizing and structuring joint ventures in the industrial manufacturing and pharmaceutical distribution sectors
  • Debt and equity recapitalizations of privately-held industrial manufacturers and business service companies
  • Structuring ownership relationships between generations and among controlling and minority owners, and resolving ownership and management disputes

References:

Bob’s clients enthusiastically endorse both his subject matter expertise and his direct and efficient style. Numerous referrals are available by calling Bob and expressing your interest in hearing about his services.

Credentials

  • University of Chicago Law School, Juris Doctor (J.D.), 1977
  • Marquette University, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), 1974, summa cum laude

  • Wisconsin

  • Best Lawyers®, Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017-Present
  • The Midwest’s Best Lawyers©, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2021
  • BTI Client Service All-Star for exceptional client service, 2014
  • Served on Michael Best’s Management Committee and Investment Committees.

Engagement

  • Former Director, State Bar of Wisconsin-Business Law Section
  • Member, State Bar of Wisconsin-Chapter 180 Subcommittee

Insights