Introduction
Lacee J. Wentworth is a Partner in the Commercial Practice Group at Handler Thayer, LLP. Ms. Wentworth is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Arizona and Wisconsin. She focuses her practice on complex business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities compliance, corporate governance and a range of financing transactions. Lacee also serves as general counsel to clients who do not employ in-house counsel, advising clients on real-world legal implications affecting their businesses. Lacee provides advice to entrepreneurs, start-ups, ultra-high net worth families, family offices and established businesses from a wide variety of industries including, but not limited to, manufacturing, distribution, insurance, agri-business, craft brewing and spirits, sports and entertainment, healthcare, physical therapy, diagnostic testing services and cryptocurrency.
Mergers & Acquisitions. Lacee is an active mergers and acquisitions lawyer, representing individual companies in stock and asset purchase transactions with various transaction sizes. Lacee is available to clients throughout the entire process, from the letter of intent and drafting of the purchase agreement through closing. She has also assisted clients with pre-transaction restructuring, including the completion of F reorganizations for tax purposes.
Securities Financing & Compliance. Lacee helps entrepreneurs, start-ups and business owners navigate their securities regulation obligations and raise the capital needed to fund upcoming projects by preparing private placement memorandums and other disclosure documents, subscription agreements and investor questionnaires related to private placement offerings under Regulation D and other capital-raising exemptions. She has assisted clients with analyzing, structuring and documenting convertible note, common stock, preferred stock and other equity securities offerings.
Lacee also advises clients regarding securities compliance issues and prepares and files the required forms. She handles the reporting for clients under Regulation D during an offering and Section 13 and 16 of the Exchange Act and has extensive experience with Forms 3, 4 and 5 related to corporate insiders, Form 13F for Institutional Investment Managers, Schedule 13D and 13G related to beneficial ownership of a reporting company and Form 13H for Large Traders.
Corporate Governance. Lacee counsels clients regarding shareholder, member and manager disputes and related matters. Lacee frequently counsels directors, managers and executive officers regarding responsibilities related to removal, resignation, permitted transfers and similar events. Lacee’s experience also includes preparing written resolutions, annual and special meeting minutes, policies, equity incentive plans, stock option plans and related award agreements. In addition, she regularly drafts and reviews a range of typical contracts including those related to executive compensation, employee and independent contractor relationships, equity compensation, vendor agreements and joint venture agreements.
Entity Selection, Structuring and Formation. Lacee has experience analyzing the benefits of business structures and entity selection to empower clients to organize and maintain the legal entity and structure best suited for their particular goals or transactions. Lacee frequently prepares organizational documents including By-laws, Shareholder Agreements, Buy-Sell Agreements, complex Operating Agreements with one or more classes of membership interests and related organizational documents. Lacee also assists clients with structuring and maintaining complicated organizational structures for various purposes, including protection from liability, asset protection, tax and advanced planning and in preparation for business combination transactions.
Lacee graduated Magna Cum Laude from law school with honors in the top 10% of her class and earned course honors for the highest grades in Legal Writing & Reasoning, Legal Research, Medical Malpractice, Tax Clinic and Federal Income Tax. While in law school she was a Notewriter and an Associate Editor of the Law Review and chosen as a Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant for several legal writing classes. Prior to law school, Lacee earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Print Journalism with a minor in Political Science from the nationally-ranked Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Lacee is a widely published author with over 120 articles to her credit.