Christine Barker

Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello P.C.

Christine Barker

Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello P.C.

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Firm Summary

Trusted Business Advisor, Deal Attorney and Business Law Counselor to Select Middle-Market Clients

My motto: Find the way to get it done. For more than two decades,  my practice has focused on middle market clients who face the same complex set of issues and challenges to business, growth and transition as their larger counterparts but without the benefit of a professional board of directors or the expansive infrastructure support enjoyed by larger enterprises. These are the clients whom I believe can most benefit from my efforts.  I have steered these middle market companies and, in some cases, their individual shareholders or founding entrepreneurs through major and defining business transactions and moments, including a multitude of stock and asset  mergers, sales and acquisitions on both buyer and seller side, simple and complex shareholder disputes, e-business launches, major and complex third party contract drafting, negotiations and terminations, business divorces, multi-generational successions and many other growing pain events  that can sometimes make or break the middle market business. I enjoy a passion for my work and a commitment to my clients that becomes quickly obvious to all who work with me. As a result, most of my clients are long term and I am frequently used as their sounding board on major corporate decisions and strategies.  I  strive to be and stay the “go to”  problem solver, deal closer and  trusted advisor for all of my clients.

My approach: thoughtful strategy and planning, close client collaboration and committed follow through on short and long term client objectives and goals. I make it my business to understand my client’s business.  I will always  place myself into my clients shoes and work hand in hand with the client and their other  professional advisors to achieve the client’s preferred business result. Whether it is a transaction that stalls due to an unexpected diligence development, a disruptive shareholder dispute interfering with a valid corporate undertaking or a complex multi-issue multi-party negotiation requiring careful diplomacy with adherence  to critical terms, my focus is to get my clients to the end zone in a legal and business practical manner. I understand the need for mindful preservation of a client’s critical business relationships during sensitive negotiations and  I am very experienced in managing and understanding the unique cultural eccentricities of multi-national business transactions. My experiences span across many industries and have involved clients and parties from across the world.

Here is a representative sampling of some of the industries and countries of party origin encountered through my transactional practice over the years:

Germany * France * Norway * China * Australia  * Netherlands * Hong Kong * England *  Mexico *  Brazil * Japan

Publishing * Technical and Non-Technical Staffing *  Catalogs * E-tailing * Data Mining * Direct Marketing and Advertising * Software * Retail – National & International * Manufacturing – Direct and OEM * Medical Devices * Health Care * Pharmaceutical * Professional Services * Lighting * Refrigeration * Wire and Cable * and many more.

I invite representation inquiries in the following practice areas: mergers & acquisitions (buyer and seller side), shareholder disputes, business divorces, business succession planning, corporate structure, equity allocation, operations and management agreements, buy sell agreements and negotiation of critical operational and business agreements and other complex trusted business and legal advisory services.

Please telephone me directly should you wish to consider representation by the firm, learn about a few of my representative transactions or make any additional inquiries. Confidential client references are available upon request.

Some interesting facts you still might not know about Christine:

• • “Christine’s first job was bailing out rowboats at Shorty Hooks on Pontiac Lake, Michigan at age 6 for five cents a boat and all the candy she could eat. She has not stopped working since, but thankfully she has stopped eating so much candy.” Anne Barker, her mother
  • “Christine typically only sleeps a few hours each night, but when she does sleep, a bomb could go off in the room and she wouldn’t wake up.” Claude Carlier, her husband
  • “Christine is the smartest and nicest person in the world. I know this because she is also my mommy.” Sabrina Carlier, age 8, her daughter.
  • “Yes, I can confirm. Christine received her Juris Doctor from Michigan State University in 1987 and an LLM in Tax Law from NYU in 1990 and she is licensed to practice law in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey”. Anonymous