Otten Johnson’s Business Transactions & Capital Markets team works with sponsors, institutional capital, private equity, family offices, founders, and owners on sophisticated transactions that build, scale, and reshape businesses across real estate, private equity, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, technology and other industries. From new platforms through strategic acquisitions, exits, and the multi-layered deals in between, our attorneys structure transactions, draft and negotiate documents, and advise on the broader legal and tax questions these types of complex deals raise.
How we help
Raising capital and forming funds
Sponsors, family offices, and institutional investors come to us to structure, capitalize, and place equity funds across a range of strategies and sizes. We also handle private placements and Opportunity Zone investing and fund formation.
Joint ventures and partnerships
We draft and negotiate a variety of joint venture and partnership agreements, including Co-GP arrangements multi-tiered structures, preferred equity and programmatic ventures, pairing institutional capital with sponsors across industries with terms that spell out the risks and structure of the partnership. Our real estate background gives the team real depth in fund work for real estate deals, including structuring complex programmatic relationships that span multiple properties and asset classes.
Mergers, acquisitions, and transitions
Whether a client is making a strategic acquisition, exiting a long-held business, building a platform, or working through a buyout or complicated restructuring, we manage the deal through due diligence, negotiation, drafting, and closing. We build tax-efficient structures and pull in the expertise of colleagues in other fields so each part of the deal gets the attention it needs.
Forming and governing businesses
We help clients select and form the right entity for what they are building and put governance structures and liability protections in place so the foundation works for the long run.
Operating and growing the business
Once a deal closes, we continue to act as trusted advisors to guide clients through the various decisions and risks that come with operating a company. We help negotiate master services agreements, supply agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and other commercial contracts; structure equity compensation and employee incentive plans; and advise on a host of other legal, business and tax matters that arise on a day-to-day basis..
Many of our clients have worked with us through multiple transactions and over many years. That continuity means our advice is grounded in what a client has already built, where they want to go next, and what is practical for the deal in front of them today.
