Biography
William J. O’Brien is a business lawyer who has mastered tax-wise planning of personal estates and business ventures. Bill’s tax and estate planning experience allows him to structure transactions that help clients meet their business objectives.
Bill has extensive experience in representing closely-held businesses and their owners. His practice involves all phases of legal consultation for businesses, including formation, contractual drafting and negotiations, shareholder agreements and buying, selling and merging businesses. Bill has had significant exposure to all areas of representing closely-held businesses and their owners, including family owned businesses and individuals who are ready to retire and transition out of the business. From all aspects of his involvement in the transactions, Bill brings to the table a common sense approach and strategy in an attempt to get the “deal done.”
Bill’s knowledge in the areas of estate tax and succession planning has given him the base to enable numerous clients to transition their asset holdings through complicated estate planning devices and business succession plans to assist clients in accomplishing the goals they have. He also helps them accomplish other goals which the client was not thinking about when first seeking Bill’s advice. Bill’s involvement in individual tax planning and business tax planning adds an additional level of skill to assist business owners and their families in avoiding or deferring taxes income taxes, corporate taxes and estate taxes.
Bill also serves on the Board of Directors of an upper midwest property and casualty insurance company, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Eldercare, a non-profit nursing home and assisted living organization with facilities in the Twin Cities.
Bill has been named a Minnesota “Super Lawyer” by his peers, and one of Worth’s Top 100 Attorneys of 2008-2009. Bill is also a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive).
Representative Experience
Business & Corporate Law
- Represented hundreds of individuals in the formation of closely-held businesses, including corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and general partnerships.
- Scope of representation includes representing the entity or independent owners in their various stages of formation, growth, contractual work, executive compensation agreements, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements and buy/sell agreements.
Estates & Trusts
- Represented numerous closely-held business owners in connection with avoiding, minimizing or delaying payment of estate, income and gift taxes.
- Represented numerous families in transitioning family-held businesses and real estate holdings from the first generation to the second or third generations.
Mergers & Acquisitions
- Acted as buyer’s or seller’s counsel in numerous stock and asset purchase and sale transactions.
Real Estate Law
- Assisted clients in significant developments of commercial warehouses and office buildings.
- Reviewed, negotiated and drafted numerous lease agreements representing both tenant and landlord interests.
Tax Law
- Assisted numerous entity and individual clients in structuring business transactions to avoid, minimize or delay income tax consequences associated with various types of business transactions.
Trademark & Intellectual Property Rights
- Represented numerous entities in protecting and determining availability of trademark and service mark rights.
- Assisted clients with the registration and enforcement of trademark and service mark rights.
- Drafted and negotiated distribution, licensing and royalty agreements for intellectual property rights.