Briana K. Wright is the Firm’s Professional Development and Diversity Officer. In this role, she works closely with the Firm’s Executive Committee to support and develop equitable and inclusive programming and a culture 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 provides resources and facilitates training initiatives for attorneys and staff to grow their relevant legal, professional and business development skills. She assists in efforts to attract, develop, strengthen, retain, promote and advance diverse individuals within the Firm, and is an integral part of the summer associate program as well as the Firm’s women’s initiative.
Additionally, Ms. Wright practices law in the Corporate, Startup & Emerging Business and Healthcare practices. 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 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 also assists and advises healthcare for-profit and not-for-profit clients with maintaining internal governance documents, bylaws and corporate records; creating new entities, including captives, and dissolving existing entities; implementing joint ventures, affiliations, mergers, sales and acquisitions; interpreting and overseeing compliance with internal governance, rules and procedures; operationalizing and implementing NYS Non-Profit Revitalization Act (NPRA) requirements; negotiating contracts; applying for and obtaining NYS agencies’ and regulatory bodies’ approvals; complying with patient privacy laws under HIPAA and HITECH and business associate agreements; complying with Stark and Anti-Kickback laws as they relate to physician practice acquisitions; 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.
She advises start-ups and small businesses with creating new entities; drafting initial internal 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.
