Individuals & Closely Held Companies
High Net worth individuals
Our office works with individuals who have created or are creating, substantial value in their investment portfolios. These portfolios oftentimes are heavily weighted in alternative assets and illiquid holdings that are difficult to value and administrate. And the resulting complexity of these investments requires advisors who understand the unique legal and non-financial risks presented. They need advisors who can develop strategies to mitigate the erosive effects on their portfolios from exposures to tax, regulatory, litigation, geopolitical, criminal, and environmental risks.
Business Owners
Running a profitable business requires one’s complete and unwavering attention. Owners must bring labor, capital, and real estate together to resource and execute their business plan. And in doing so, they have to understand the market they serve and the pent-up demand they seek to unlock. There is a significant risk. But when properly managed, there is a commensurate reward.Â
Whether it is an established line of business such as real estate development or the commercialization of a novel technology, or the delivery of goods and services cross-border or into an emerging commercial sector burdened by conflicting regulations, the basic rules of business apply. Organizational hierarchy, efficiency in execution, and adequate capitalization all must be aligned with the owner’s model. Smart owners seek guidance and counsel from experienced hands to facilitate the management of their model and mitigate risks. We have that experience. A core foundation of our practice is our work for owners. We serve business clients all over the United States and abroad, supporting the execution of their model.
Private Equity
Individuals and small balance investment funds making secured loans and providing equity to business owners and real estate developers are faced with significant challenges both in evaluating new opportunities and securing their rights in those opportunities once an investment decision has been made. Assets are difficult to value, and often times associated liabilities are ill-defined. Private equity investors need to maintain an efficient underwriting and diligence capability, and for those opportunities they wish to commit to, they must set up their investment relationships with a clearly defined exit scenario. Facilitating diligence, underwriting, and securing the rights of the investor with the proper agreements, is work regularly undertaken by our office. We represent the interests of private equity investors in South Carolina and in other jurisdictions, both domestic and international.
Entrepreneurs
For some people, once an idea takes hold, there is no choice but to bring it forth. People with this predilection, who also have a commercial bent to their worldview, are called Entrepreneurs. They were the founders. Their idea might involve the invention of a novel technology, or it might involve a novel use of an existing technology. Sometimes it manifests as a willingness to take an outsized risk to serve an emerging or regulatoryly opaque market with an existing product or service. In all cases, entrepreneurs need help and support designing and building the organizational systems and business processes to give form and shape to the entrepreneurial idea, or more accurately, vision. They operate at the beginning of the business life cycle and are the catalyst for all innovation and value creation. We work with entrepreneurs to bring their vision to life, stewarding the resulting asset as it matures and transitions to professional management and, hopefully, a significant liquidity event for the founder.