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Business Services

The full-service business legal team of trusted advisors to assist with your corporate legal needs — and beyond.

With offices in Cleveland and Columbus, Walter Haverfield provides trusted legal counsel for business start-ups, acquisitions, and venture capital initiatives of all sizes and sectors. Our full-service team of business lawyers guides clients through a range of complex business processes from beginning to end, with proactive responsiveness known for avoiding unnecessary delays and costly missteps.

As a premier Ohio business law resource founded in 1932, Walter Haverfield is relied on by a wide range of clients locally and nationally for their corporate legal services. With a commitment to successful partnerships, we are proud to serve many of our clients as their trusted in-house counsel long after the initial transactions are complete.

Practice Group Leader

Jacob B. Derenthal, Chair

216.928.2933
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Walter Haverfield is your business services legal partner every step of the way.

  • Choice of entity counseling—limited liability company (LLC), S corporation, corporation, partnership, or other forms of business
  • Entity formation—filing articles of incorporation, evidence of ownership, creation of multiple business organizations, such as parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies
  • Transfers of ownership and ESOPs
  • Corporate reorganizations—including business valuations, business sales, succession planning, exit strategy planning, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, and more
  • Shareholder and member agreements—buy-sell agreements, close corporation agreements, operating agreements, and options
  • Day-to-day operations—including banking and finance, transactions, securities compliance, taxes, government regulations, commercial relationships, and ongoing business management
  • Corporate filings
  • Shareholder disputes
  • Employment and non-compete agreements
  • Commercial leasing
  • Negotiating business relationships—including exclusive rights, customer agreements, joint ventures, and vendor agreements
  • Health care provider transactions
  • Intellectual property (IP) concerns
  • Private placement memoranda

Our Proven Business Services Process

Walter Haverfield’s business attorneys guide you every step of the way to meet your business law needs.

  • Business Formation & Beyond
    From your first conversations about business formation, our corporate lawyers will use their unparalleled experience to help you select the right business entity for your needs and prepare all necessary documents.

    Once your entity is established, our attorneys will guide you through commercial transactions, negotiations of stock option plans, employment agreements, retention plans, non-compete agreements, transfers, joint ventures, intellectual property filings, asset purchases, stock sales, and more.
  • Banking & Finance
    Banking and finance are critical components of all businesses, no matter your organization’s size. Walter Haverfield assists with loans, mortgages, lending, secured transactions, financing, international banking, mortgages, foreclosures, and more. As a full-service firm, we partner closely with our real estate law team to assist with any construction and property legal needs.
  • Employment Law
    Ensuring strong relationships with your employees is another critical component of a business’s success. Our lawyers assist you in navigating all relevant employment law regulations and restrictions, in addition to developing appropriate policies and procedures around employment.

Who We Serve

Our business attorneys partner with clients from a wide variety of industries, including:

  • Hospitals and health care systems
  • Medical equipment and device companies
  • Medical and dental practices
  • Physician practice management companies
  • Steelmakers
  • Auto parts suppliers
  • Biochemical product manufacturers
  • Software companies
  • Wholesale distributors

Recognition

Our business attorneys in our Cleveland and Columbus offices are consistently ranked and recognized by Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and more. At Walter Haverfield, we pride ourselves on becoming each client’s trusted corporate advisor for all their business needs.

U.S. NEWS – BEST LAWYERS® 2023 “BEST LAW FIRMS” RANKINGS

  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Banking and Finance Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Commercial Litigation
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Litigation – Real Estate
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Litigation – Trust & Estates
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Real Estate Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Tax Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Construction Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Litigation – Environmental
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Litigation – Construction
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Litigation – ERISA

U.S. NEWS – BEST LAWYERS® 2022 “BEST LAW FIRMS” RANKINGS

  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Litigation – Real Estate
  • Metropolitan Tier 1: Real Estate Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Banking and Finance Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Litigation – Labor & Employment
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Litigation – Trusts and Estates
  • Metropolitan Tier 2: Tax Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 2 Trusts & Estates law
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Litigation – ERISA
  • Metropolitan Tier 3: Litigation – Insurance
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Experience

  • Representing one of the largest shopping centers Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in the U.S. in connection with portfolio shopping center divestitures, outlet sales, site assemblage, acquisition/development projects, easements with covenants and restrictions (ECRs), joint ventures and unwinds, and various financing transactions
  • Counseling a private developer in the acquisition, development, financing, and leasing of a Northeast Ohio residential, retail, entertainment, and “lifestyle” center
  • Representing multiple joint ventures in the negotiation of the joint venture and operating agreements
  • Representing NYSE-listed banks, leading global investment banks, asset management firms, and life insurance companies on commercial loans, including whole loans, mezzanine loans, and bridge loans
  • Representing a regional port authority in connection with fixed-rate financing, structured leasing, and infrastructure financing
  • Representing a public company in the acquisition of a polymer manufacturing division
  • Representing sellers and purchasers in health care practice acquisitions and dispositions
  • Representing an aerospace parts manufacturer in an asset sale to a public company
  • Guiding the reorganization of a midsized manufacturing company through conversion from a corporation to an LLC and sale of minority interest to a large international manufacturer
  • Coordinating the acquisition, financing, leasing, and environmental clearance of a 750,000 square-foot mixed-use manufacturing/office/warehouse facility
  • Counseling a development owner of a 160,000 square-foot building, including ground lease, construction financing, and negotiation of letters of intent and leases with the primary tenants
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