Tydings has consummated hundreds of mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions on behalf of our clients. We represent mid-Atlantic based companies in deals valued at less than $10 million, and Fortune 500 companies with transactions worth $150 million or more. Our clients value our breadth of experience and our business-driven problem-solving skills, whether they are looking to buy, sell, finance, or run a company. We have multiple clients that have changed ownership, yet continue to use Tydings for their business, corporate, and tax needs.
Our vast experience gives our clients value-added business and industry knowledge in addition to exemplary legal insight. We routinely handle complex matters in industries such as:
- Banking and Finance
- Communications
- Construction and Engineering
- Goods and Services
- Health Care
- Manufacturing and Technology
- Medical Products
- Real Estate Development
- Religious and other Tax-Exempt Entities
- Retail and Wholesale Distribution
- Transportation.
Closing Deals Successfully
At Tydings, we think like business people. We draw upon our experience to help businesses and their owners structure, negotiate, and successfully close asset and equity transactions, including mergers, spin-offs, roll-ups, consolidations, and multi-party transactions. We help potential buyers conduct due diligence investigations, and we help sellers prepare their businesses for maximum sale potential.
Launching New Businesses
Hundreds of successful businesses have taken their first steps with help from Tydings. We work with clients to structure their businesses advantageously and compose deals that secure and reward key employees while protecting the long-term interests of owners and investors. We draft employment and consulting agreements, salary-deferral and stock-option plans, phantom stock and other equity-based compensation arrangements, and non-compete and confidentiality agreements.
Establishing a Mid-Atlantic Presence
Many companies new to the mid-Atlantic and, in some cases, new to the country, have turned to Tydings to help them establish a presence in the region. Our intricate knowledge of the nuances of the mid-Atlantic legal system, tax codes, and state and local business regulations has enabled numerous companies to expand with a minimum of difficulty. Our services include:
- Drafting and reviewing employment and key-man agreements;
- Drafting and reviewing licensing and distribution agreements;
- Advising on federal, state, and local regulations;
- Strategizing, drafting, and reviewing marketing plans;
- Coordinating financing arrangements;
- Multinational tax planning;
- Real estate and construction advice;
- Protecting intellectual property rights; and
- Drafting and reviewing supply contracts.
Financing Business Growth
Companies require financing at every stage of growth. Our close working relationships with banks and other lending institutions enable us to guide clients to financing sources. We help clients secure debt and equity financing, including convertible debt, warrants, preferred stock, limited partnerships, and mortgage-related securities. We also help new businesses secure Small Business Administration loans and other government-sponsored financing.
Real Estate
Tydings represents owners, developers, and tenants in all phases of real estate development. We handle all types of commercial, industrial, and residential projects, from large-scale multi-use developments to individual office buildings. For companies new to the region, our contacts with brokers, financing sources, government agencies, and construction professionals often prove invaluable. For more information about our real estate practice, visit Real Estate Law.
Tax and Planning
Avoiding unnecessary taxes is a priority for any company. We help clients evaluate their tax-planning options and structure their businesses in a way that best achieves their objectives. This can be as simple as providing advice on the most appropriate way to incorporate or as complex as a multi-state, multi-level tax structure designed around the disparate tax objectives of owners, employees, outside investors, and joint venture partners.
Multinational and International Corporations
We represent many foreign companies seeking to do business in the United States. Clients include large corporations and small, closely held companies. Regardless of their size, we take pride in creating innovative solutions to the problems they face.
We are members of MERITAS, Law Firms Worldwide, a select international network of peer-reviewed and quality-monitored law firms that share our client-centered approach to the practice of law. Our Meritas membership helps minimize the impact of differing cultural and legal norms between countries, and alleviates some of the logistical burdens of differing time zones.
The business attorneys at the firm are also active with Meritas, a highly selective global alliance of independent, full service law firms. As chair of the alliance from 2005 to 2007, Lee Lundy traveled widely around the world to facilitate the organization’s growth into new markets.
Immigration
As the business world becomes more global, the need for skilled foreign nationals can become an integral part of a company’s operations. In these instances, our immigration practice seamlessly guides our clients through the process of incorporating qualified citizens of other countries into the United States-based workforce. For more information about our immigration practice, visit Immigration.
Leadership
For decades, the business lawyers at Tydings have taken on leadership roles in bar associations, trade groups, and charitable organizations. Department chair, Emerson Dorsey, served on the Baltimore County Ethics Commission (2008-2013) and the Board of Directors and various committees of the United Way of Central Maryland (2007-2018). Franklin Lee, a partner in the department, is a member of Greater Baltimore Medical Center's Board of Directors. They and their colleagues are members of bar associations such as the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. They serve or have served the boards of organizations such as The Children’s Guild, Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Baltimore, Inc.
Representative Matters
- Represented a chain of automobile dealers in a stock-purchase sale;
- Handled the acquisition of three office buildings in Columbia, Maryland and the placement of financing through conduit lenders;
- Handled the acquisition of an office building on behalf of a non-profit organization, and orchestrated the financing of the acquisition and subsequent renovations with state grants and tax-exempt bonds;
- Successfully litigated exemption from property taxes on behalf of a not-for-profit business;
- Served as lead counsel in several mixed-use developments in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, including a senior housing/office space development and an ongoing $450 million project for a religious institution;
- Handled the acquisition of a 60-acre energy storage facility with access to barge, rail, and truck transportation;
- Negotiated the sale of a portfolio of seven large land parcels to a national homebuilder;
- Developed clients’ corporate crisis management plans to prepare for and manage environmental, products liability and tampering, and other catastrophic occurrences;
- Handled tax planning strategies for off-shore activities of American taxpayers;
- Structured the capital, compensation, and intellectual property solutions for several high-technology startups;
- Counseled numerous clients on distribution and franchise matters;
- Developed and drafted commercial financing forms, negotiated terms of loan transactions, handled loan closings, and perfected security interests for several national lenders; and
- Worked with numerous distressed companies handling restructurings and developing exit strategies.
Representative Clients
We have represented or currently represent the following clients:
- American Office Equipment Company
- AT&T Communications of Maryland, Inc.
- BB&T
- CMC Sheet Metal
- Cloverland/Greenspring Farms Dairy, Inc.
- Diageo North America
- Fox Chevrolet, LLC
- Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Inc.
- Hearn Kirkwood