With over four decades of experience, Metz Lewis’ Corporate Group represents the lower middle market in both business transactions and general corporate and commercial legal advice.  We have been recognized as a leading law firm in Corporate/M&A by Chambers USA. Clients report that the “depth and breadth of our team is outstanding” and that we are a “small firm with big firm capability”. We punch above our weight.

Mergers and Acquisitions

We close 40-50 M&A transactions annually across the lower middle market for buyers, sellers, and other transaction parties. We routinely advise private equity firms, operating companies, and strategic investors in connection with business acquisitions, sales, and other business combination transactions.  We are dedicated to fully understanding our clients, their businesses, and their industries, developing client-focused teams to do so.  These teams ensure first-class legal service and continuity of personnel, view business issues from our clients’ perspective, and utilize the best legal services to address our clients’ needs in a practical, common-sense manner, drawing upon the strengths of diverse, knowledgeable, and experienced lawyers.

We believe that our private equity practice is differentiated from that of our competitors because of the sophistication that we bring to the lower middle market and our ability to represent portfolio companies post-acquisition on a responsive and affordable basis.

Metz Lewis employs an M&A process that is designed to achieve optimal results for our clients regardless of size or complexity of the transaction. We understand that deals often require subject matter experts (SMEs). Where larger law firms often try to capture that revenue, we leverage outside subject matter experts from our vast network of trusted advisors in a more appropriate and cost-effective manner. We assess the client’s needs and engage only those SMEs necessary to find efficient solutions without excessive costs.

General Corporate

We support lower middle market clients with general corporate counsel including business structuring and planning, corporate governance, commercial contracts, federal and state securities law compliance and technology and software licensing among other areas of law.

We represent clients on corporate and transactional matters throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Our clients include established privately held businesses, U.S. divisions of foreign corporations, private equity firms and their portfolio companies, start-up companies, senior and mezzanine lenders, and individual entrepreneurs and executives.

Our representation spans a wide range of industries including:

• Financial services
• Industrial products
• Electronics
• Consumer products
• Business services
• Food and beverage
• Chemical
• E-commerce and technology
• Healthcare
• Medical products and devices
• Insurance
• Automotive
• Energy
• Real estate

Metz Lewis’ recent M&A engagements include the following transactions:

• Representation of a private equity firm in the purchase of the assets of a manufacturer of plastic wheels used in the material handling industry.
• Representation of an electronics contract manufacturing company in its acquisition of the stock of a subsidiary of a publicly traded company.
• Representation of a portfolio company of a private equity firm in a leveraged buyout of a manufacturer of high quality fittings used in the firefighting industry.
• Representation of a regional wealth management company in the sale of its assets to a leading international network of wealth management firms.
• Representation of a U.S. division of a Dutch company in the industrial products business in connection with multiple strategic acquisitions throughout the U.S.
• Representation of a buyer in the purchase of US HVAC duct manufacturing and distribution operations from its Swedish parent company.
• Representation of a seller in the sale of a chemical distribution business to a strategic acquirer.
• Representation of an apparel company in a cross-border leveraged buyout of a competitor, which was structured as an asset purchase.
• Representation of a national environmental engineering and management services firm in the acquisition of a large regional engineering and surveying company.
• Representation of an acquirer of the assets of a regional franchise of a national radiator and air conditioning service franchisor.
• Representation of a manufacturer of sodium silicates in the sale of its assets to a leading international producer of specialty inorganic performance chemicals and catalysts.
• Representation of a regional distributor of a national brand of windows and doors in the sale of its assets to a competitor.
• Representation of a titanium manufacturer in the purchase of the assets of a recycler of scrap titanium.
• Representation of a local commercial roofing business in the sale of its assets.
• Representation of an automotive service contract business and its shareholders in the sale of the company’s stock to a private equity firm.
• Representation of a significant specialty dental practice in its sale to a private equity firm as part of a roll up of practices into its Dental Service Organization.
• Representation of Dental Service Organization in connection with its roll-up of specialty dental practices.
• Representation of a chemical equipment company in its acquisition of a competitor.