Our Expertise
At Manning Fulton, our attorneys recognize that today’s farmers are part of a global industry. Building a successful future in agribusiness requires business insight and specialized industry knowledge. Manning Fulton’s team of Agribusiness attorneys understand the importance of agriculture to both our regional and national economy and have the experience to help agribusiness clients develop and protect their interests.
Despite the diversity of their farming activities, our agribusiness clients share the same fundamental business challenges and concerns. Our knowledge of the industry, combined with our broad business experience, enable us to work in close partnership with our agribusiness clients on the matters vital to their day-to day success.
Manning Fulton attorneys have experience advising and assisting agribusiness clients on a wide range of transactions and issues, as well as providing litigation counsel where and when disputes arise. We have an understanding of the business issues that impact intellectual property assets and transactions, and we work closely with both domestic and international clients to help them protect their assets and achieve their business objectives in a cost-effective manner.
Building the future in the highly competitive, constantly changing agribusiness arena requires sound, practical guidance on financing sources, tax planning, human resource management, and intellectual property protection and exploitation. Our attorneys are experienced and effective partners who understand that growing companies face challenges, some of which are unique to each individual business. We work with our clients to strategically navigate them through the growth process.
Additionally, we provide a wide range of legal services to businesses ranging in size from promising emerging growth businesses to larger public and privately-held corporations. We represent private equity funds and venture capital funds as well as other financing sources for agribusiness companies. Our skills and experience help us provide our clients with ways to evolve or enhance their existing businesses as well as allow us to identify and structure arrangements to best meet our clients’ objectives.
Transactional
We are proud to provide counsel on all transactional needs of our evolving and established agribusiness clients. Manning Fulton attorneys assist with the contracts necessary to run and develop a business, as well as with the special needs of companies—mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, and strategic alliances and joint ventures.
Services provided by Manning Fulton attorneys in this practice include:
- Determining the business structure that maximizes their present and future opportunities
- Planning effective tax strategies, including the best use of research and development tax credits
- Negotiating and structuring debt and equity financing, including angel, venture capital, and private equity transactions
- Structuring, negotiating and documenting, merger and acquisition transactions
- Conducting due diligence reviews in conjunction with a wide range of transactions
- Advising on employee issues such as executive compensation plans (including incentive and restrictive stock plans and stock options) and retirement plans.
- Working with employers on employee hiring and termination, and structuring and drafting employment agreements, confidentiality and inventions agreements, noncompetition agreements, work-for-hire agreements, separation and termination agreements.
Intellectual Property
Establishing and protecting intellectual property rights, and exploiting those rights through creative business ventures are crucial elements to most agribusiness technology companies.
Services provided by Manning Fulton attorneys in this practice include:
- Establishing intellectual property rights through theuse of trademarks, copyrights and trade secret protection
- Negotiating the development and licensing of technology and intellectual property rights, including development joint ventures, licensing agreements, and distribution agreements, on behalf of both licensors and licensees
- Structuring and negotiating end-user and software distribution agreements
- Enforcing licensing and joint venture agreement provisions and arrangements
Developing and implementing internet and e-commerce strategies
