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B17 · Category · For Buyers

Legal Architecture of an Agency M&A Deal.

The legal-document architecture — preliminary documents, purchase agreements, IRS Form 8594, risk-management provisions, internal post-close agreements, contractual safety nets. The legal stack from NDA to escrow release.

38pieces

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6sub-topics

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8min avg

Reading time

B17 · Flagship pillar

Legal Architecture of an Agency M&A Deal: The Document Stack

The seven-document M&A stack — NDA, IOI, LOI, APA or SPA, R&Ws, indemnification, restrictive covenants — and what each protective layer does.

Pillar16 min read

Contractual Safety Nets

B171099 vs. W-2 agreement structures for retained sellerstactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min B17Earnouts, holdbacks, and escrow — the integrated packagetactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min B17Financial and tax architecture for post-close cash flowtactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min B17Human capital retention — the contractual retention toolstactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min B17Indemnification clauses — the buyer's negotiation disciplinetactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min B17Representations as a safety net — buyer deploymenttactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min B17Transition service agreements — the stability premiumtactical · Contractual Safety Nets8 min

Internal Post Close Agreements

B17The certificate of agreed-upon value in agency buy-sellstactical · Internal Post Close Agreements8 min B17The contingent buy-sell — death, disability, divorcetactical · Internal Post Close Agreements8 min B17Exit agreements and internal perpetuation for ownerstactical · Internal Post Close Agreements8 min B17The insurance policy escrow agreement — operational custodytactical · Internal Post Close Agreements8 min B17Producer employment and non-piracy agreements for buyerstactical · Internal Post Close Agreements8 min B17Shareholders' and operating agreements in agency M&Atactical · Internal Post Close Agreements8 min

Irs Form 8594

B17Buyer tax implications — amortization and the shieldtactical · Irs Form 85948 min B17Filing IRS Form 8594 — mechanics, timing, matchingtactical · Irs Form 85948 min B17Form 8594 Part III — post-closing allocation amendmentstactical · Irs Form 85948 min B17The seven asset classes under Section 1060 allocationtactical · Irs Form 85948 min

Preliminary Documents

B17IOI vs. LOI in an agency sale — what binds and whentactical · Preliminary Documents8 min B17The NDA in an agency sale — the buyer's first signaturetactical · Preliminary Documents8 min B17Structuring the letter of intent in an agency dealtactical · Preliminary Documents8 min

Purchase Agreements

B17The asset purchase agreement — buyer-side structuretactical · Purchase Agreements8 min B17Asset sale vs. stock sale — which structure protects youtactical · Purchase Agreements8 min B17The stock purchase agreement — a liability analysistactical · Purchase Agreements8 min

Risk Management Provisions

B17Dispute resolution and termination rights for buyerstactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17Drafting the earnout provision — the legal-clause viewtactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17E&O coverage through the transition — closing the gaptactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17Holdback and escrow clauses — the buyer's recoverytactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17Indemnification — caps, baskets, and survival periodstactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17Purchase-price adjustment vs. locked box in agency dealstactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17Representations and warranties — the buyer's seatbelttactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min B17Restrictive covenants — non-compete vs. non-piracytactical · Risk Management Provisions8 min