Mergers and acquisitions involves the transfer of assets, typically an operating business, from a buyer to a seller. They can be small or large, friendly or hostile, public or private, involve a business unit or division or a parent company and all its subsidiaries, and take the form of an asset purchase, equity purchase or merger.

An M&A attorney should be consulted early in the acquisition or disposition process to assist in such pre-purchase agreement matters as transaction structuring; due diligence preparation; license and regulatory considerations; negotiation of non-disclosure agreements and banker engagement letters; preparation of marketing materials; review of indications of interest; negotiation of letters of intent and term sheets; etc.

Securities represent the relationship between a business and its owners or investors. The terms of securities have profound implications for the financial condition, corporate governance, future financing opportunities and exit strategy of a business.

AP Law has decades of experience with a broad range of securities and financial instruments issued by diverse businesses, from start-ups to global investment banks and Fortune 500 companies.

Contracts are the bricks of a business. Everything from internal organization to relationships with employees, contractors, suppliers, customers, landlords, utilities, partners and investors is typically governed by some form of business contract.

The job of the contract attorney is to inform the client about the material and customary terms for any particular type of contract; to ensure the contract terms reflect the client's objectives; to mitigate risk and ambiguity using precise language; and to conform to regulatory and corporate standards. AP Law works with entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses and large enterprises on a wide range of contracts.

Intellectual Property (IP) refers to intangible creations of the human intellect. AP Law focuses on trademarks, copyright (including software and website/social media content), trade secrets and domains.

The job of an IP attorney is to register (e.g., trademark registrations with the US PTO), acquire (e.g., using assignment of inventions agreements), protect (e.g., with non-disclosure agreements), defend and license IP.

Corporate governance pertains to the relationships – particularly organizational power, rights and liabilities – among various stakeholders, such as equity holders, directors, management and employees.

A corporate governance attorney can draft or amend organizational documents (such as articles of incorporation, bylaws or limited liability company agreements), shareholder rights agreements, codes of conduct and other corporate documents to define, limit and protect the powers, rights and protections of various stakeholders.

A general counsel may be the Jack of all trades, while the master of none, but, as Shakespeare added, frequently better than a master of one. The general counsel acts both as a legal and business advisor to directors and senior management. The role requires business savvy, strategic thinking, creativity, problem-solving capabilities, leadership skills and the aptitude to collaborate with various organizational heads.

Serving in this hybrid role requires an extended relationship between lawyer and client, so that the counselor becomes as familiar with the business and operations of the enterprise as senior management.