William B. Gwyn, Jr., is a member of the firm’s corporate practice. Bill has over thirty years of experience counseling and serving clients in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, private equity, international transactions, joint ventures, licensing and commercial transactions. His industry experience includes software, biotechnology, communications, electronics, financial institutions, agribusiness, distribution and manufacturing, among others. He has represented Fortune 1000 companies as well as privately-held businesses in both domestic and international transactions.
Active in the business and legal communities, Bill has served (i) on the Board of the Directors of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), (ii) as Chair of the Business Law Section, Co-chair of the Legal Opinions Committee, and on the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association, (ii) on the Alumni Council of the Wake Forest University Babcock Graduate School of Management. Bill has also served as an Elder at the White Memorial Presbyterian Church, among other community activities.
Bill has been listed in Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite (2006, 2009-2018) in the area of Business, The Best Lawyers in America© (2007-2017) for Corporate Law, and North Carolina Super Lawyers (2009-2017). He regularly publishes articles and lectures on a variety of legal topics. Bill is AV-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating for attorneys.
Specific Matters- Sale of US based veterinary products company to US public company
- Sale of US based construction services company to US public company
- European distribution agreements for a North Carolina manufacturing company
- Worldwide software distribution agreement for a North Carolina software developer
- Merger of a privately-held robotics company with US based public company
- Formation of a China-based subsidiary for US company
- Formation of a Romania-based subsidiary for US company
- Acquisition of a robotics distribution company with operations in the U.S. and Europe
- Formation of a US joint venture for international agribusiness company
- Representation of a “white knight” in a hostile takeover of a publicly-traded North Carolina company
- Sale of a distribution company with 300 shareholders, including counseling the board of directors on negotiations with multiple buyers and preparation of proxy statement
- Merger of a North Carolina electronics company with United Kingdom corporation
- North Carolina counsel on merger of a NYSE-traded North Carolina corporation with a NYSE-traded competitor