The Jersey Dealmakers of the Year Award Supplement ran in the June 18, 2018 edition of the New Jersey Law Journal.
Flaster Greenberg’s corporate practice includes Big Law alums and handles a variety of deals, some in the nine-figure range of value. In 2017, the group represented: Stockton University in its sale of the Showboat Casino property in Atlantic City; Lasko, manufacturer of portable fans, in a stock sale to two private equity firms; and Mark Systems, in its acquisition by fellow software company ECi Software Solutions.
** The responses were provided as a group by the firm’s M&A practice. **
What were some of your most satisfying successes of 2017, and why?
During 2017, Flaster Greenberg handled buy-side and sell-side M&A matters across numerous industries, in both domestic and international transactions. We enjoyed representing a publicly-traded Indian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer as they made their first major US acquisition, and we cooperated across practice areas as our deep bench was able to take a national REIT focused on environmentally and socially-conscious impact investments through its successful initial public offering.
What recent market factors have been most challenging in your practice area?
Merger and acquisition activity for our firm and across the broader economy has been robust, but the new tax law has had an effect, as parties consider new tax planning opportunities in this transaction. Fortunately for our clients, most of our transactional attorneys are also sophisticated tax attorneys who have been timely adapting plans and structures to take advantage of the new tax laws for both domestic transactions, but also international transactions, which have seen the greatest impact from the new tax laws.
In an era of increasing law practice portability, what does it mean to be an effective transactional lawyer in New Jersey?
It’s all about relationships. Our firm’s attorneys have developed, through hard work and dedication over the years, a strong reputation for excellence and integrity throughout New Jersey and the other regions we serve. We have built strong relationships with the business community, centers of influence and others, and those relationships help us further our clients’ goals. By strategically addressing the legal matters synergistically with the underlying business realities, Flaster Greenberg has developed our long-standing relationships with our clients and we leverage such relationships into new work for the firm.
A prospective client in crisis calls and asks why your team should be retained. What is your answer?
We are the unique firm that provides the breadth and expertise of a big law firm with the personal touch of a much smaller boutique firm. When a client in crisis calls, it is going to get more than an outside lawyer—it will have a trusted adviser who comes quickly to know and understand its business so as to provide actionable insights.
Dealmakers are extraordinarily busy people. What does the firm do to ensure that they remain engaged with pro bono work, their communities and their families?
It speaks volumes about our firm that we received the New Jersey Law Journal 2018 Dealmakers of the Year award in the same year NJBiz named us one of the best places to work. We take great pride in the environment we have created at Flaster Greenberg, which emphasizes collegiality, teamwork and accountability. We also think it is part of our mission to consistently try to find ways to better ourselves and our communities. We support that through a healthy mix of firm-sponsored causes and events that include pro-bono initiatives, participation and sponsoring charitable events, and family-included social and recreational events.
Technology and other factors have changed work capabilities and habits. How do you offer flexibility while also effectively managing attorneys and others professionals?
A law practice is developed through personal relationships, both with clients and with each other. Flaster Greenberg constantly upgrades its technology to provide more responsive and personalized service and to allow our attorneys to work seamlessly in the office or remotely. Yet, technology is a tool that we use to foster and grow our client relationships, allowing us to work leanly and efficiently on even the most sophisticated transactions.
Click here for a closer look at our representative client experience and successes and our approach to client service, or view our M&A practice page to see a snapshot of representative transactions.
To learn more about the firm’s Business and Corporate Department, view the list of attorneys, or contact a member of the department, click here.
Reprinted with permission from the “JUNE 18th” edition of the “NEW JERSEY LAW JOURNAL”© 2018 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.
