Jennifer has been practicing law at Manning Fulton since 2003. Her experience in the areas of corporate law, employment law, mergers and acquisitions, and a historical practice in estate planning allows Jennifer to bring a unique perspective to business owners throughout the life cycle of a business, from start-up to growth to sale or transition.
Jennifer enjoys a practice focused on general corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, business succession planning and employment law. With a practice that straddles Manning Fulton’s Raleigh and Durham offices, and living in Durham, Jennifer enjoys working with clients throughout the Triangle and the state.
Jennifer’s clients are typically closely-held or family-owned businesses, ranging from start-ups and mom-and-pop businesses with fewer than ten employees up to large companies with several hundred employees. They include medical practices, engineering and professional services firms, retail and wholesale sales organization, manufacturers, technology companies, restaurants, property management and real estate development companies, and even a few other law firms.
Corporate Practice: In her corporate practice, Jennifer counsels clients on the tax and business implications related to the formation, operation, conversion and termination of S-corps, limited liability companies, joint ventures and partnerships. She serves as counsel to companies with regard to ongoing corporate and business matters, including drafting and negotiating contracts and licenses. The transition of a business, either through merger/acquisition or through estate planning, can be uncertain and stressful. With an eye toward the end goal, Jennifer guides clients through the initial stages of LOIs and term sheets, through the due diligence process and negotiates on their behalf to a closed transaction. Jennifer also works with business owners to structure wealth and business transfers, including business succession planning, family limited partnerships, and limited liability companies, focusing on seamless transitions from one generation to the next in the event that business owners have decided to transition businesses to employees or children.
Employment Law Practice: Understanding that employers vest considerable resources in their employees, as well as their proprietary information, trade secrets, and customer relationships, Jennifer helps her clients with a proactive focus. She believes that good planning on the front end will alleviate myriad problems on the back end and protect an employer’s valuable investments. A clear and solid hiring process is the first step. A well-drafted handbook follows, in step with well-drafted employment, nondisclosure, non-competition, non-solicitation, and severance agreements. She also works with employers to reduce the risks of using independent contractors by helping them negotiate and draft their agreements with those service providers.
Using her experience in corporate transactions and employment law, Jennifer is able to help clients anticipate and address employment-related issues in corporate transactions, including conducting employment-related due-diligence, negotiating executive employment and noncompetition agreements, and assisting with post-closing workforce integration.
