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Business and Corporate

For over a century, Varnum attorneys have served leading and emerging businesses with a full lineup of corporate services and specialties

Whatever the nature of your company – publicly traded or privately held, multinational or local, corporation or sole proprietorship – our attorneys provide business-focused legal services that help you achieve your goals.

With strengths in a wide range of areas, our legal team is diverse and well rounded. We focus on getting to know you, working hard for you and earning your trust. And since we take a multidisciplinary team approach, we can tap the talents of any attorney whose experience fits your situation.

Our corporate attorneys work daily on a variety of contract matters, including supplier contracts, licensing, procurement, sales contracts and contract administration.

Varnum attorneys serve our business clients’ needs in complex transactions governed by the Uniform Commercial Code, which includes Article 2 (Sales of Goods) and Article 9 (Secured Transactions). We have deep experience in all facets of commercial sales, including drafting of purchase orders, quotes and acknowledgments to protect the rights of buyers and sellers respectively.

Varnum attorneys have extensive experience in representing corporate and business clients in financing transactions of various types. We represent manufacturers, retailers, real estate developers, hospitality businesses, automotive suppliers and other corporate and business clients in negotiating and closing financing transactions, including syndicated loans, working capital financings, asset-based loans, mezzanine financings, private debt placements and securitized sales of accounts receivable.

eBusiness Services

At Varnum, we have developed a solid eBusiness interdisciplinary team of attorneys with broad experience in a growing number of legal and strategic issues facing online businesses. These include:

  • Online contracting
  • Online payment structures, methods and disputes
  • Digital signatures
  • Shrink-wrap and click-through licenses
  • Website audits and compliance
  • Privacy issues
  • Domain name registrations and disputes
  • Website development and hosting agreements
  • Corporate policies on employee internet and email use
  • Website terms of use
  • Copyrights and trademarks
  • Business method patents
  • Internet alliances and link agreements
  • Content licensing
  • Online contests
  • Electronic banking
  • Capital funding, securities and financing

Our attorneys have experience with state and federal courts, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Federal Communications Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the World Intellectual Property Organization and other regulatory agencies (local, state, federal and international) with which our clients have dealings.

International Business Law

The international business law practice at Varnum is uniquely suited to serve the varied interests of the firm’s clients. Drawing on the multidisciplinary experience of attorneys specializing in corporate, tax and intellectual property law, many of the firm’s attorneys understand the intricacies of international business transactions and apply that knowledge to help clients resolve complex legal matters efficiently and cost-effectively.

The practice is rooted in an appreciation of the structure of foreign laws, sensitivity to cultural and communication differences, and awareness of changing trade and business environments.

Clients facing challenges or opportunities in global markets count on us to connect them with local representation in foreign jurisdictions that will provide the high-quality service and responsiveness they experience with Varnum. Through our membership in Ally Law, a prestigious network of business-oriented law firms, our clients have access to swift and effective legal advice in 41-plus countries. With Ally Law’s 61-plus member firms, international work can easily be coordinated by Varnum, or if it best suits a client’s needs, the client can work directly with an Ally Law member firm. In addition, Ally Law members share best practices in the areas of technology, process improvement and client service. Quality evaluations are ongoing to ensure that client satisfaction remains high.

In addition to Ally Law, Varnum’s close affiliation with numerous professional associations and practicing attorneys worldwide ensures we remain in the forefront of developments in the international business community.

Varnum conducts seminars and symposiums while maintaining a comprehensive library of resource materials to better serve client needs. Varnum provides counsel and representation in areas such as:

  • Commercial contracts
  • Agent and distributor marketing and sales agreements
  • Patent, trademark and technology licensing
  • Joint ventures and strategic alliances
  • Foreign acquisitions
  • Immigration and visa processing
  • Import and export planning

Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise

Government and big business are increasingly requiring first-tier suppliers to show that they draw on a diverse supply base. The result is a heightened role for certified small, minority-owned or woman-owned businesses in the U.S. economy.

Varnum is a local leader in the formation and certification of these businesses. We have helped dozens of suppliers to the government and to the automotive, office furniture and transportation industries obtain and maintain their desired designation or certification – Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) or Women Business Enterprise (WBE).

Our specialty is giving practical advice on the issues examined by certifying bodies such as:

  • The Federal Small Business Administration
  • Federal and state administrative agencies
  • Local minority purchasing councils affiliated with the National Minority Supplier Development Council and Michigan Minority Business Development Council

We also provide counsel on the formation, structure and financing of startup entities, joint ventures and strategic alliances. You have the vision; Varnum can help you achieve it.

“Varnum provides us a wide and a comprehensive array of services and has scaled its resources to meet those needs very effectively. They are a true business partner we rely on every day.”

CFO, insurance brokerage

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