We understand the needs of Kentucky businesses. At Cook & Watkins, PLC, our attorneys have thorough knowledge of the legal issues facing businesses in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, real estate, sales, services and transportation.
We Know Commercial Lending
Mr. Cook began his practice in a large firm doing only commercial lending for large regional banks. Commercial lending (and associated litigation and bankruptcy practice) has been a large part of his practice for more than 35 years.
In our view, expertise in this area is essential for any law firm that wants to represent businesses and business people. We have developed a proprietary software package that lets us prepare virtually all the loan documents necessary in a commercial loan by answering a series of questions about the loan (most often taken from a loan committee write-up). With this software we can develop a set of loan documents (in Microsoft Word format) within 30-45 minutes. We are licensing this software to our clients and use it extensively in our practice.
We Know Venture Capital
We have represented a number of organizations in the venture capital business. We have addressed the legal issues associated with raising venture funds and have drafted all the contracts necessary in connection with our clients’ investments in other businesses.
We Know the Legal Issues Facing Closely Held Companies
In addition to our lending expertise and our unique experience in contract drafting and litigation, we have addressed multiple times in multiple ways most of the legal issues facing closely held businesses.
We have represented clients in their sales of mining companies and mining properties, retail businesses, manufacturing businesses, communications businesses, healthcare and other service businesses. And we have represented clients in their acquisitions of businesses and assets in the same broad categories. We have drafted and litigated most of the major kinds of contracts which a closely held business will enter into, including:
Shareholder agreements
Employment contracts
Manufacturing agreements
Supply agreements
Buyout agreements
Licensing agreements
Leases for real estate and equipment
Forbearance agreements
Participation agreements
Operating agreements
Partnership agreements
Voting trust agreements
Contracts for business insurance
We have litigated to successful conclusion cases involving:
Business valuations
Attempts to pierce the corporate veil
Insurance coverage
Breach of fiduciary duty
Fraud
Professional malpractice
Trespass
Conversion
Lien priority
Property divisions
Competency to contract and nearly every kind of contract breach
While we don’t profess to be experts in every field, we understand special problems when they are presented to us and bring in other experts when necessary.