Selling a business you built, buying one to grow, or parting ways with a co-owner are among the largest financial events of an owner’s life. The terms negotiated in a few weeks determine what you keep, what you owe, and what risks follow you for years. Reams Law represents buyers, sellers, and owners in business sales and acquisitions and in owner disputes and buyouts. Call (405) 285-6878.

Buying or selling a business

• Deal structure. Asset sale or equity sale, and what that means for taxes, liabilities, contracts, licenses, and employees.
• Letters of intent. The price, structure, exclusivity, and confidentiality terms that set the course of the deal — and which parts are binding.
• Due diligence. Contracts, leases, liens, litigation, employment matters, licenses, and title to the assets being sold.
• Purchase agreements. Representations and warranties, indemnification, escrows and holdbacks, earn-outs, and working capital adjustments.
• Seller financing. Promissory notes, security agreements, guaranties, and remedies if the buyer defaults.
• Non-competes tied to the sale. Oklahoma voids most employee non-competes but permits reasonable restrictions on a seller of business goodwill. We draft them to be enforceable.
• Closing and transition. Lease assignments, consents, employment and consulting agreements, and post-closing obligations.

Owner disputes and buyouts

When partners, members, or shareholders no longer agree, the business itself is at risk. We advise on:

• Rights under the operating agreement, bylaws, or partnership agreement — or under Oklahoma’s default rules when there is no agreement;
• Negotiated buyouts, redemptions, and valuation;
• Deadlock between equal owners;
• Access to books and records and concerns about self-dealing;
• Departures triggered by death, disability, divorce, or retirement;
• Buy-sell agreements that prevent the next dispute.

Most owner disputes are resolved by negotiation when each side understands its rights and its exposure. When litigation cannot be avoided, we handle that too.

Who we help

Owners preparing to sell or retire, buyers acquiring a first or an additional business, key employees buying in, and co-owners who need a clean separation.

Related services

See Business Services, Commercial Litigation, and our articles on LLC mistakes and non-compete agreements in Oklahoma.

Talk to Reams Law

Call (405) 285-6878 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

This page provides general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not make anyone a client of this firm. Laws change, and the right approach depends on the specific facts.