Aviation Practice
Defense of FAA certificate actions and civil forfeitures; buying and selling aircraft; zoning, land use and airspace disputes around airports; contracting with municipalities or fixed base operators; civil damage claims, including personal injury or property damage, arising out of aircraft accidents; any type of civil litigation arising out of aviation, or related to it.
Edward E. Leineweber
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Bankruptcy
We can assist with Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy filings, and creditor representation with respect to individual bankruptcies as well as corporations and other entities.
William A. Abbott
Kelly J. Stohr
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Business & Corporate Planning
We provide a full range of business services. For new businesses, we assist with the entity choice decision, creating the entity, business capitalization, operating issues, and buy-sell agreements. For the established business, our attorneys counsel clients on most ongoing legal needs such as employment matters, owner disputes, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, real estate acquisitions and sales, commercial collection, licensing issues, tax issues, contract development, contractual dispute resolution, and reorganization and bankruptcy issues. When owners are ready to transition from their business, we offer business succession planning services and assistance with a sale, merger or dissolution.
William A. Abbott
Sarah Germonprez
Joost Kap
Edward E. Leineweber
Nathan T. Leong
William C. Williams
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Business Succession Planning
One problem faced by owners of many non-publicly traded businesses is that there is no readily available market to sell their business. Business succession planning addresses this issue by devising a system for transferring the value of a business to the owner, heirs or others at an appropriate time and price while allowing for the continuity of the business.
Perhaps the most common business succession tool is a buy-sell agreement which provides for the mandatory or optional buy-out of an owner's interest in the event of retirement, death, disability, divorce, bankruptcy, termination of employment, offers by outside parties, or disputes among owners.
While the buy-sell agreement is one of the more common succession planning tools, we can also counsel clients on other pro-active strategies to protect value and continuity. Our business attorneys can assist owners in developing a strategy uniquely tailored to their business succession needs and goals.
William A. Abbott
Nathan T. Leong
William C. Williams
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Commercial Collection
Every business owner will at some time be confronted with a customer or client who fails to pay. When this happens, our business attorneys and litigators can assist you both pro-actively and reactively to protect your interests. Pro-active planning can greatly increase your chance of collecting debts owed to you by, for example, securing such obligations. We can also help you develop customer or client agreements or special situation agreements to protect your interests as a creditor.
When a debtor fails to pay, we can assist in the recovery process. Whether this involves a negotiated settlement, pursuit and sale of personal property, real estate, or other collateral; obtaining personal judgments; post-judgment collection efforts; or relief from bankruptcy stay or discharge, we are here to help navigate you through the collection process.
William A. Abbott
Kelly J. Stohr
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Commercial Dispute Resolution
We represent businesses of all kinds and sizes in every type of commercial dispute resolution scenario. It is oftentimes most cost effective to attempt to resolve disputes without litigation. Whether mediation and/or arbitration is required by contract or the parties agree to submit disputes to one or the other (or both), we have experience resolving all types of commercial disputes at trial, arbitration, mediation, or negotiation.
William A. Abbott
David E. McFarlane
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Contracts
Many business disputes arise because the parties failed to memorialize their agreement with a well-drafted contract. Our business attorneys can assist in the preparation and negotiation of most commercial contracts. In the event of a contract breach or dispute, we can help you in developing a strategy to resolve the matter and protect your interests. For contract disputes that must be resolved through litigation, mediation or arbitration, our team of business advisors and litigators can help you fight for your rights.
William A. Abbott
Joost Kap
Edward E. Leineweber
Nathan T. Leong
Kelly J. Stohr
William C. Williams
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Employment Law
Our attorneys are versed in all areas of the law surrounding employer/employee relations. This includes all aspects of the regulation of the employer/employee contract, wages and hours, conditions of employment, discrimination issues, non-compete covenants, confidentiality agreements, and the protection of trade secrets. Our clients include business owners as well as valued employees.
William A. Abbott
Tara L. Nielsen
Kelly J. Stohr
William C. Williams
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Environmental Issues
Businesses typically run into environmental issues through the operation of a business which may create a risk to the environment or through the acquisition of business interests or real estate that involve existing or potential environmental hazards. Failure to secure proper licenses or permits or failing to properly contain existing or potential environmental risks can expose businesses and business owners to substantial liability. Our business attorneys and litigation team are here to assist you in managing these issues.
William A. Abbott
David E. McFarlane
Amy B. Tutwiler
William C. Williams
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Estate Planning
Estate planning is a legal process by which clients seek to maximize the benefits offered in applicable areas of law (probate, wills, trusts, taxes, property, insurance, contract law etc.) while at the same time meeting your wishes for the management of your property and health care decisions during life and the management and disposition of your property upon and after death. Estate planning can provide clients with many benefits: Naming guardians to care for children; minimizing death or estate taxes; protecting assets for children, your spouse, or disabled heirs; avoiding guardianship proceedings in the event of mental incapacity; managing property and health care; minimizing probate; protecting assets from creditors; and protecting assets from division in the event of death or divorce.
Our attorneys can counsel you on the use of wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, powers of attorney for health care, living wills, buy-sell agreements, limited partnerships, and other available means to assist you in developing a customized plan that will meet your specific estate planning goals.
Estate Planning Updates & Reports
William A. Abbott
Nathan T. Leong
Tara L. Nielsen
William C. Williams
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Finance
Our firm represents borrowers and lenders in all kinds of financing. We have experience with unconventional real estate financing, conventional mortgage and other asset-secured financing, as well as familiarity with private placements made under trust indentures.
William A. Abbott
William C. Williams
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Health Care Law
We represent health care providers in many aspects of health care law, including privacy issues, credentialing and licensing, medical staff relationships, and professional malpractice defense. We provide physicians, dentists, optometrists, and other health care providers with advice on business and employment issues in addition to assistance with the numerous levels of regulation imposed on health care providers.
William A. Abbott
Patricia J. Epstein
David E. McFarlane
William C. Williams
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Labor Law
Employers may already have a workforce consisting of unionized workers or face a unionizing effort. Our attorneys can assist in the preparation and negotiation of labor contracts as well as guidance on unfair labor practices and other labor issues. In the event of grievance arbitration or civil suit, we can help develop a strategy to resolve the matter and protect your interests.
Timothy J. Yanacheck
Amy B.F. Tutwiler
Tara L. Nielsen
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Landlord Tenant Law
We represent landlords and tenants in commercial and residential landlord tenant transactions. Most commercial leases are complex and difficult to understand regardless of whether you are a landlord or tenant. We help our clients fully understand aspects of their landlord/tenant relationship by performing lease analyses and offering drafting services for both landlords and tenants.
William A. Abbott
William C. Williams
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Mergers & Acquisitions
If you are facing the sale of your business, considering the acquisition of a new business or merging with an already existing business, we can assist you in most facets of your transaction. Whether you are looking at a stock or asset sale or acquisition, or a merger opportunity, our business advisors can assist you in negotiating and preparing agreements designed to protect your interests and meet your goals.
William A. Abbott
Nathan T. Leong
William C. Williams
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Public Utilities & Telecommunications
We are proud to represent investor-owned public utilities and telecommunications providers throughout Wisconsin. Our practice includes representing these entities before the Public Service Commission and working with de-regulated and unregulated operations. We also enjoy good relationships with Washington-based FCC and FERC specialists. Our clients include investor-owned natural gas and electric utilities, rural local exchange carriers, cellular telecommunications partnerships, and affiliates involved in telecommunications and other ventures.
Joost Kap
Nathan T. Leong
William C. Williams
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Real Estate Law
Our real estate attorneys combine an extensive knowledge of the current real estate market with a high level of proficiency in secured transactions and bankruptcy to provide effective counsel to our commercial and residential real estate clients. We can help you with: Drafting and negotiation of commercial leases; the sale, purchase, and development of commercial and residential property, including drafting and negotiation of offers to purchase and construction contracts; the formation of condominium associations and representation of their interests in such matters as insurance questions and governance; commercial property sale, purchase and development transactions; residential sale and purchase transactions; tax issues; construction liens (private and public projects); and litigation involving a wide range of real estate issues, such as fraudulent conveyances, partition actions, condemnation proceedings and challenges to brokerage agreements.
We offer commercial and residential real estate transaction and litigation services to owners, tenants, contractors, architects, engineers, title companies, developers, and financial institutions.
William A. Abbott
Edward E. Leineweber
Nathan T. Leong
Kelly J. Stohr
William C. Williams
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Regulation & Licensing
We assist clients involved in licensing disputes, with particular emphasis on licenses of real estate appraisers. We are one of the most experienced firms in Wisconsin when it comes to real estate licensing, resolving disputes through negotiations and/or trial and any subsequent appeals. Your license is your livelihood; let our experienced attorneys protect you.
William A. Abbott
Nathan T. Leong
William C. Williams
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Securities Law
Our securities law practice focuses on private placements of debt and equity securities and other offerings exempt from federal registration. We offer advice to both long-standing and new clients on debt and equity issuance, as well as advice on stock transfer issues. We have experience with issuance of debt securities under trust indentures and tax-exempt financing and the offer and sale of stock and other equity securities.
Nathan T. Leong
William C. Williams
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Tax Planning & Tax Litigation
Our attorneys have had extensive training and experience in tax ramifications surrounding personal and commercial transactions and real estate transfers. Our experience includes negotiation of tax audits, consulting with CPAs, trials to the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission, and trials to the U.S. Tax Court.
William A. Abbott
Nathan T. Leong
Kelly J. Stohr
William C. Williams
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Trademark & Copyright
We can help you take full advantage of the trademark and copyright laws. Our services range from the creation and application process to the maintenance, defense, and exploitation of existing marks. By employing a diligent and cost-effective approach, we help businesses create and protect valuable brands and ensure that trademarks and copyrights are an integral asset in our clients' business portfolios.
Joost Kap
Kelly J. Stohr
William C. Williams
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