Detroit Business Advocacy

Our attorneys have dedicated themselves to serving as trusted advisors to Detroit business owners.  We create space for Detroit business owners to have the resources to build wealth. Our Detroit Business Advocacy (DBA) team is led by David M. Walker, Esq. who focuses on representing Detroit business owners as their general counsel on legal and business matters. He guides owners through the highs and lows of running a business. He’s more than an attorney, he’s a counselor.

Mr. Walker is licensed in Michigan and Georgia which allows him to connect business owners in Detroit and Atlanta. He regularly hosts tours of Atlanta’s business ecosystems and connects Detroit and Atlanta business leaders. His clients include Black Tech Saturdays (Detroit), Michigan Black Business Alliance (Detroit), and stakeholders at Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (Atlanta).  He also serves as the Co-Leader of the African American Partners Collective, a group of partners at Detroit’s largest law firms.

Christopher Rambus, who is a member of Bodman’s High Net Worth Practice Group, intertwines his practice with a corporate perspective, counseling large family-owned and privately held businesses located in Metro Detroit and across the Midwest in the creation and preservation of business succession planning strategies and advising on general corporate matters.

As a member of our Detroit Business Advocacy team, Aaron C. Roberson uses his experience to serve Detroit business owners on matters related to mergers and acquisitions, corporate formation and governance, and a diverse range of other commercial transactional activities. He also has experience counseling and working closely with Detroit business owners through his work as an intern with the Detroit City Council, where he also worked on initiatives to support small businesses.

Keep up-to-date on our DBA group by following Bodman PLC’s LinkedIn page and David Walker’s LinkedIn page.

Services

Our services include the following:

• Mergers & Acquisitions

  As one of Michigan’s leading M&A firms, our attorneys regularly handle all types of public and private mergers and acquisitions.  We have extensive experience on both the buy and the sell side of transactions. We specialize in getting deals done efficiently and bringing a deal to closure, with a focus on advancing our client’s business needs. Our attorneys pride themselves on being innovative and will work to further the interests of our clients, while not creating legal roadblocks to achieving their goals.

• Corporate Governance and Public Company Regulation

  We assist publicly-held corporations in complying with the full range of corporate reporting and regulatory obligations, including requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.  Our experience in these areas involves preparation and review of required periodic reports (annual, quarterly and current) and proxy materials, as well as advising clients on disclosure issues, Section 16 and Regulation FD compliance, and Sarbanes-Oxley Act corporate governance and internal controls obligations. We also advise clients regarding legal issues arising from annual shareholder meetings, shareholder inquiries and shareholder proposals. We regularly serve as counsel on matters relating to boards of directors, special and other committees, and special investigative and litigation matters.

• Venture Capital, Private Equity, Financings and Fund Formation

  We regularly advise clients (both issuers and investors) on capital-raising activities including private equity, venture capital, angel investments and other capital-raising transactions. Our lawyers have assisted clients with all aspects of financings, including structure, documentation, closings and post-closing matters.

• Joint Ventures

  We have significant experience working with joint ventures, both domestically and internationally.  Bodman attorneys provide advice on all aspects of joint ventures, including structure, business terms and legal documentation.

• Commercial Agreements

  We advise clients on all aspects of the procurement and licensing process, including development of requests for proposal, negotiating agreements with vendors, negotiating subsequent schedules, statements of work and amendments to agreements, and terminating agreements. We also assist businesses in developing standard vendor agreements for the acquisition of products, services and technology (software and hardware).

• Emerging Industries and Start-Ups

  We serve as corporate counsel to start-up and established businesses in the sectors that represent the future of Michigan’s economy, such as software, alternative energy, aerospace, biotechnology, and media. We help these companies optimize their business and tax structure, secure financing, commercialize technology, and develop strategic relationships. Whether setting up the original business entity or restructuring an existing one, we assist clients in choosing a corporate structure consistent with tax goals, capitalization and funding strategies, relationships among company founders, intellectual property realization, and plans for corporate growth.

• Closely Held Businesses

  We specialize in advising closely held corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships in all aspects of business formation and operations. Our comprehensive representation of closely held businesses often includes providing estate planning and succession planning advice to the business owners and their families.

Representative Matters