Private Business Group

You Have Unique Needs

Privately held and family businesses have unique needs. At Leonard, Street and Deinard, we have placed a special emphasis on serving privately held and family businesses since our firm was founded in 1922. Our clients include smaller and newer businesses as well as some of the largest privately held companies in the U.S.

Our business lawyers understand and appreciate the intricacies of running a successful closely held company. We take pride in being both highly skilled legal practitioners and business advisors. Most important, we know how to put our legal and business knowledge to work to help companies like yours both build and sustain a thriving organization.

Clients appreciate our proactive approach, which allows us not only to develop and implement a plan based on the company’s objectives and concerns, but also to recognize potential problems before they become disruptive or expensive.

Working with Leonard, Street and Deinard, you will have access to all the legal specialty areas that your company may need. Many of our privately held and family business clients like their primary partner to serve as a quarterback of sorts. That lawyer can draw upon the experience of lawyers in specialty areas throughout our firm as needed, such as business structuring, finance, federal and state taxation, estate planning, employment law and employee benefits, and environmental law.

Helping You Grow Your Business

Privately held and family business clients routinely use our firm for counsel in areas such as:

Determining the most advantageous ways to set up your company and your relationships with other owners
Helping you with business and tax planning, management and governance issues
Identifying the best methods to obtain financing for your business, including IPOs and leveraged recapitalizations
Helping you grow your company through new distribution arrangements, licensing, development, joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions
Protecting your intellectual property and other company assets through non-compete and trade secret agreements
Assisting you in utilizing e-commerce as a tool for your business
Determining the best ways to preserve or transition your business and your personal wealth through estate and succession planning
Establishing methods to help you attract and retain key employees through stock options, compensation and retirement plans, and benefits
Helping you comply with myriad legal and regulatory issues, including employee issues and concerns and product regulation
Assisting with disputes that arise during the course of business

Wide-ranging Capabilities

Our Private Business Group attorneys counsel clients from a wide variety of industries including:

Community Banking. Leonard, Street and Deinard’s Community Banking practice provides a full range of legal services to community banks throughout the Upper Midwest. We regularly advise community bank owners, bank and holding company boards, senior management, commercial loan officers and compliance personnel on all aspects of bank operations.
Auto and Truck Dealership. Our practice group is well connected to the auto industry and we understand the unique needs of auto and truck dealerships. Services offered range from acting as general counsel for dealerships and their principals to representation on specific matters. Our attorneys are experienced in succession planning, motor vehicle franchise law, dealership sales and acquisitions, real estate transactions and valuation, federal and state regulatory matters, employment law, banking and financing, dispute resolution and litigation and compensation and benefits.
Sports and Entertainment Business. The attorneys in our Sports and Entertainment Business practice group are poised to provide legal counsel to development groups, business owners, franchisees, sports leagues and teams in the development, financing, management and operation of sports franchises, leagues and facilities. In addition, we provide employment and advisory services to individuals negotiating and obtaining key management, coaching and ownership/employment positions with sports franchises, leagues and facilities, and entertainment businesses.
Agribusiness. From the firm’s earliest days until today, Leonard, Street and Deinard has been a trusted legal partner serving many of the most respected names in agribusiness in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and Wisconsin. We proudly represent farm entities and owners, suppliers, land owners and producers in every aspect of their legal needs, helping them grow and protect their business assets.