Q&A with Marian A. Kornilowicz
Our newsletter team recently sat down with the Chair of the firm’s Business Transactions Group, Marian Kornilowicz.
Tell us a little about your practice and the services you provide to your clients.
A: I joined Cohen Seglias 19 years ago as a commercial litigator. Over time, I transitioned (or as I sometimes say, evolved) to transactional work and now serve as the Chair of the firm’s Business Transactions Group. Transactional work better suits my personality in that it retains an adversarial aspect (aggressively representing my client’s interest) but it allows for a win-win conclusion–generally, to be successful, the deal has to close. More importantly, my litigation background allows me to look at a transaction or transactional document from the perspective of what can go wrong and how to minimize the risks. This approach and broad-based experience are shared by the lawyers in my group.
My group consists of about a dozen attorneys with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, trusts and estates, corporate governance, and financing matters. We provide services to clients who are buying, selling, developing, or leasing real estate; clients who are considering, preparing, or implementing a succession plan, whether it be with the next family generation, an insider, or an outside buyer; and clients who are reorganizing, buying, or selling businesses.
What types of clients do you represent?
A: Given the firm’s legacy, we represent every kind of business involved in construction from owner, contractor, subcontractor to supplier. They range from small regional shops to large multinational companies. However, today, about half of our clients are non-construction related. They include individuals, small local or regional businesses, and large companies involved in every business imaginable. For example, we are currently assisting in the purchase or sale of three restaurant/bars; the reorganization and sale of two construction businesses, one to a senior long-term key employee and the other to the next generation of the family; the formation and startup of two marijuana-related businesses; and the formation of a funding company which will be acquiring loan packages from commercial lenders.
What do you like most about your practice?
A: I love the diversity of the work I do and the clients with whom I work. Every transaction is different with varying levels of complexity. They may include the sale or acquisition of million-dollar businesses or real estate or the employee purchase of a small mom & pop company. The clients include immigrants, children of immigrants, and corporate America. What could be better?