Joe M. Zender, JD

Capabilities

Joe serves as advisor and outside general counsel to business owners, founders, entrepreneurs, and closely held/family-owned businesses. He focuses on representing clients at all stages of the business life cycle, from formation or acquisition to exits. He regularly counsels clients on a broad range of corporate transactions, including acquisitions, sales, capital raises, minority investments, joint ventures, and equity transfers.

In addition to working with clients to navigate day-to-day legal matters and risk analysis/ mitigation, he assists clients as outside counsel with respect to shareholder and operating agreements, employment, consulting and advisory agreements, commercial contracts, equity agreements and plans, and corporate and board governance matters.

Joe also works closely with his colleagues, advising clients with respect to trust and estate planning/implementation, family office administration and governance, wealth transfer planning, asset protection planning and charitable giving. In that regard, Joe’s clients have access to the full range of private client services, with Joe serving as the point of contact.

Prior to joining the firm, Joe was a member of the private equity / mergers and acquisitions group of Paul Hastings LLP in Chicago, IL. In that role, he concentrated on corporate transactional matters with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions for private equity clients.

Admissions

Illinois State Bar

Education

University of Illinois College of Law, J.D.

University of St. Thomas, B.S., Economics