Business Articles

M&A Attorneys Are Anything But Equal

Here’s the sad reality of calling large law firms as a local unknown Entrepreneur. Usually when I place a call to a one of several large M&A Law firms in Kansas City. I am usually immediately met with sometimes challenging impersonal and impatient attitudes. The Attorneys at these Law Firms forget they need our Business to stay in business. So if I may offer some guidance when doing exactly this, calling M&A attorneys. I would start with keeping the conversation as impressionable as possible. And about your mission. Become personal only after you meet them in person.

When a Business Attorney finally does pick up the phone or return your email do be Respectful. Be Firm and gently ask your questions while asking for their permission to help you both crush the marketplace. Service through cooperation. The above video shares some opinions about why a large law firm was having issues staying in business. Even though Im writing to share my experiences and some suggestions. I would share My opinion is just that. My opinion! I have a 1st amendment right to speak about the issues I have personally experienced with attorneys. I am not advocating all Attorneys are deceitful or bullies. But you must be careful who you select and who you place your trust into. Because they will try to get away with unacceptable behaviors at times. So please be informed.

There is one thing that stands out to me as a Entrepreneur and Business owner. And that is you must have a backbone and be able to work with aggressive and borderline disrespectful Attorneys. This post will share with you some of my experiences working with and selecting Attorneys. Some things to watch out for. And what to do if you feel outmatched or taken advantage of. Im not going to pretend that most Attorneys don’t have an adversarial reputation of treating people poorly. Not to mention they routinely treat serious entrepreneurs with judge-mental disdain. So with this information being brought to the table of discussion. I feel it’s my obligation to share with other Entrepreneurs “How to handle attorneys who are aggressive and treat you poorly”. Stay tuned this is gonna be worth the time and energy to read. It may just save your business career.

I would like to share a personal experience of mine. This experience had a profound impact on me to the point of knowing I could never allow any Attorney basic trust until they proved themselves worthy of my trust. Being completely honest. I feel you damn near need to hire counsel – to talk to counsel. LOL I do hope your having a laugh with this pessimistic tone I am projecting in my writing here.

Your going to find many Attorneys will likely prematurely and unfairly judge you. Speak down to you. Aggressively try to intimidate you with verbal or emotionally charged statements meant to covertly bully you. You will likely have Attorneys feign being nice while demonstrating micro aggressions during conversations. I do not deny I find most Big Firm Partners unworthy of trust. Until otherwise they can prove worthy of my trust. So this has been my experience. And I am sure most who have had to deal with large firm partners will agree with my observation.

But with all this said. You will eventually find Attorneys who will go to war for you. And these awesome Attorneys will do whatever it takes to make sure you and your interests are represented just like a good soldier on the Battlefield. Plus they will treat you like the Prince or Princess you are.

So do take this information and experience I am providing. And use it as you select, interview, or work with M&A Attorneys.

Here is some basic advice from me for you the Entrepreneur. To use when choosing and searching for a Mergers and Acquisitions Business Attorney.

  1. Not all Business Attorneys are the same. Choose your M&A Attorney based on the Previous Transactions they have completed. I will let you in on a little secret in the M&A space. Most Partners at Big Firms will assign your transaction work to their associate attorneys. Making them do most of the work. All the while smiling and sharing with you how hard they have worked.
  2. Furthermore It’s good to personally know and have lunch and dinner with your Associate Attorney who is doing most of the work for your transaction. They can be your warning alarm if things go sideways. In the end this associate Attorney will form a bond with you. This can be helpful during On & Off again negotiations or other times when you need that Associate Attorney to share “What you can do”, instead of “What you can’t do”. I hope you get my drift.
  3. Carefully select and interview the Attorneys and Firms you want working on your transactions. Make sure your a good fit for each other. Do you have good rapport? Be choosy. Don’t rush things.
  4. So many M&A law firms use templates for Transactions.
  5. Never ever pay for Up Front Fee’s without negotiating a billing agreement in place. Some Attorneys will bill you for the privilege of talking to them. This is a NO GO!!! NEVER EVER allow them to pull a stunt like this with you.
  6. Never go to an Attorney to be educated. This can and will cost you big time. Most Attorneys bill by the hour. If you seeking your Attorney to educate you? That will probably be the most expensive education you will ever receive. All the while they will smile and thank you for the opportunity.
  7. Make sure the Attorney your working with welcomes the opportunity to work with you as an Entrepreneur. You can easily test their mettle and authenticity. By asking if they have provided entrepreneurs in the past the same courtesy as you. And if they have? Ask them nicely to introduce you.
  8. Don’t expect your Attorney to want to be your friend. It’s likely they won’t want to be. Usually Attorney’s are unfriendly to Entrepreneurs unless you come in with Heavy hitters on your left and right.
  9. Always have a Mentor or fellow Board Member present when dealing with Business Attorneys. They are very used to taking advantage of Peoples ignorance or inexperience.
  10. Don’t be a bumbling fool who calls themselves a Entrepreneur. Never try to impress your Attorney. They won’t care anyways. And will likely assign disrespectful and profane pet names to you when your not around. I have seen it.
  11. Never allow a M&A Transaction Attorney the privilege of meeting your Mentors or Board members alone. Keep everything documented. And do be suspicious of any Attorney you do not know well. It’s so easy for people to cut you out of Transactions. In the end without the support and leadership of your Chairman? You are the weak link. I have seen this happen unfortunately. It’s not pretty.
  12. One last thing….. Be suspicious of money matters and always use other Attorneys for your benefit. You want to be a informed Entrepreneur with second and third opinions.

Please take these suggestions as loose suggestions only. Be informed. And it may come in handy one day when you have a suspicion that well founded. I would also look for my other post about “Wall Street Attorneys as Secret Weapons” read that as well. Thank you for reading. I do hope you find an Attorney who is suitable and is a proper and comfortable fit. After all they are one of the most important puzzle pieces to have as a Business owner and Entrepreneur.

JS

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Business Articles

Coca Cola & Body Armor Acquisition

Largest Coca Cola Acquisition in the History of the Company

Sky Business News and the NTD International Business News in New York City, Manhattan. Asked for my personal opinion on acquisition strategy of Coca Cola. Coca Cola just completed it’s largest Acquisition in History. Watch the full segment here.

If your a Business Journalist or Reporter in Business and your News Organization needs someone to share market insights, analysis inside the Mergers and Acquisition Business space? I would be happy to do so for the Tech Industry and Beverage Industry.

Watch the Full Broadcast live from New York City, Wall Street below

For the full Broadcast of all segments during the News Period on Wall Street in New York City, Manhattan watch below.

I would like to say Thank you to Accountant and Business Reporter Hensi Chen for the opportunity.

SKYNEWS.com

NTD.com

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Business Articles

Create Trust In Business Negotiations?

So you would like to improve your negotiating and communication as a Business Entrepreneur? I got you covered. Read on

Be Choosy Who You Take Lessons From

Some Internet Guru’s will share this strategy, which instructs you to keep Emotion out of your Business Negotiations. But the truth is? We all know very well emotion drives many individuals conversations. With these suggestions, personal strategies, and books I am sharing. I can only hope you would Thank me one day for this information I am revealing here. After all I have been a Entrepreneur most of my life. And this knowledge has taken me a lifetime to acquire. So I do hope you appreciate the honest approach’s I use when communicating and Negotiating in business.

If you stop and really think about conversations with other humans. Every conversation with someone is likely a Negotiation of some sort. So what should your strategy be? Let’s take a example and expand on this thought. We first need to ask. “Should you be so detailed about sharing your wants that you get lost in the weeds?” Answer No. That isn’t likely to work whatsoever. However if you seek to understand the person your communicating with. You will likely land on the details, needs, and wants of the other person. And after you listen to their needs and wants. You should repeat this information back to them. And it’s very likely the person will love you for this. Gaining you trust and respect. This is much better than just talking with no strategy at all.

Seek To Understand Others

Marcus Lemonis on INC magazine

Seeking to understand always will be a smooth way to communicate empathy. Rather than talking with no direction or strategy. It seems appropriate to introduce a businessman and friend. He was generous enough to follow me on Twitter, then made me understand. I should always seek to understand people needs and wants as a strategy during Business negotiations. This will help you more than just talking with no direction. Most importantly implement the use of empathy. This good man’s name is Mr. Marcus Lemonis. Marcus is the CEO of Camping World. Has his own TV Shows on CNBC Networks. He runs his own Investment fund not to mention is fantastic to contact when needing direction. The one thing that makes Marcus wildly successful? Is his understanding that to be able to communicate effectively and efficiently.

Listen Intently

Honestly I have had issues in the past listening to others. So sure! I have forgotten to use my own lessons at times. But this lesson is critical for your success. You must listen intently to others. Listening allows you to seek to understand the other persons needs and wants. While being honest and collaborative. Marcus has always taught his people using manipulation tactics from Internet Gurus will be seen as unnatural and extremely manipulative. Be very careful who you accept your information from. In the current environment of internet marketing content. It’s best to take your lessons from a Man who has business credibility and a proven trust worthy track record. Marcus is one of several proven leaders I look to adopt lessons from.

US ARMY Major Chase Spears

Another Personal friend and Professional I must mention is US Army Major Chase Spears. Chase has his own Communications & Public Relations consultancy, is a writer and Warfighter. And as an Officer serving in the United States Army, Chase has shared with me personal lesson’s that no doubt helps individuals communicate more efficiently not to mention effectively. Be about serving those your speaking with. While being helpful to these professionals in your daily communications. It pays massive dividends.

Servant Leadership

Having the ability to be a rock solid leader and be known to demonstrate strength is all about being a servant and leader combined. Serve others needs and they will respect your availability. Another nugget of advice that does help during negotiations. Is being completely transparent, but firm. Never deviate from this. People do not respect a leader who is not firm. I know your probably concerned about others ability to be dishonest during negotiations. However there are ways of identifying if a persons negotiating behavior is being dishonest. To help you read this book here. Chris Voss “Never Split the Difference. This has been my foundation for negotiating and communicating. Mr. Voss’s book & experience is world class. The lessons in Never Split the Difference, are simply invaluable to me.

Be Approachable

Be the man or woman everyone can call or personally approach if something your working on is not moving forward like you thought it would. Being known as the woman or man who can fix situations. Is a fantastic reputation to have. For example: If your team has been inundated with requests to keep your business plan moving and someone or a problem develops that could end your career? You must know how to competently be the guy or gal everyone looks to when problems need to be solved. Let’s be realistic for a moment. Most employee’s are scared to death of making the wrong decision. And honestly they go about their business and put the issue on the back burner. They would rather neglect the situation. Than face upper management and negotiate a plan of action to remedy the situation. Be approachable for your people and others during transactions. It pays massive dividends.

In conclusion summing up the all the little personal pointers on Earning a persons trust during a Negotiations. A. Choose carefully who you adopt your lessons and information from. It could boost your future success. B. Do be detailed when communicating with others. C. Repeat back to the individual their needs and wants will earn their trust faster and respect. D. Seek to understand them and their position. Once you have clearly demonstrated your willingness to understand. You immediately become more engaging. And it’s likely they will come to you in the future. Because you took the time to “LISTEN”.

Thank you for reading, if this article provided you with skills and information you found useful? Please be sure to share.

JS

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Watch the Movie here on my Blog.

I recently was watching University of Waterloo & Mink Capital CIO Steve Balaban on his Private Equity and Investment Fund Informational training Youtube channel. And Steve had suggested during his online training that we should all watch the movie “Barbarians at the Gate”. I am so pleased I took his advice. I watched the movie. Barbarians at the gate is about the Private Equity and Leveraged Buy Out Business. It’s a great watch.

Thank’s Steve!!

Movie – Barbarians at the gate

What did you think? Great Movie from the 1980’s?? LOL

Thanks for stopping by and watching the Movie.

JS