Briana K. Wright practices law in the Corporate, Family Business Succession Planning, Startup & Emerging Business and Nonprofit practices.
She handles all facets of complex multi-million dollar acquisitions and sales involving both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including:
- participating in the due diligence process;
- drafting, reviewing and negotiating all transaction documents;
- ensuring compliance with all relevant laws; and
- closing the transaction
Ms. Wright advises start-ups, small businesses and family-owned businesses with:
- creating new entities;
- drafting initial governance documents, including bylaws and shareholders, operating, employment, equity incentive and confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements;
- implementing joint ventures, affiliations, mergers, sales and acquisitions;
- structuring governance and complying with internal rules and procedures;
- dissolving entities;
- tax planning;
- taking on additional owners;
- interpreting and operationalizing buy/sell arrangements;
- succession structuring and planning;
- maintaining general corporate compliance; and
- drafting, reviewing and negotiating all contracts
She has significant experience with assisting women and minority-owned businesses with respect to the NYS Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Participation Program certification, procurement and appeal process.
She also assists and advises not-for-profit clients with:
- maintaining internal governance documents, bylaws and corporate records;
- creating new entities and dissolving existing entities;
- interpreting and overseeing compliance with internal governance, rules and procedures;
- negotiating contracts;
- addressing tax and tax-exemption issues under the IRC;
- applying for tax-exemption with the IRS, registering with the Charities Bureau with the NYS AG’s Office and applying for sales and franchise tax exemption with NYS
Additionally, Ms. Wright is the Firm’s Hiring Partner and Professional Development and Diversity Officer. In this role, she works closely with the Firm’s Executive Committee to support the Firm’s recruiting process, summer associate program and assists in developing equitable and inclusive programming that respects and leverages diversity throughout the Firm. She is actively involved in the Firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, hiring and recruitment and professional and business development.
Ms. Wright resides in Syracuse with her husband, also an attorney, and three children. She is an avid runner and enjoys competing in races around central New York, including the Mountain Goat and Seneca 7.
