Lesley Bennett

Wilson Ratledge, PLLC

Lesley Bennett

Wilson Ratledge, PLLC

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Firm Summary

Bio

Lesley Bennett is a seasoned business attorney, and has been with Wilson Ratledge, PLLC since the firm was formed in 2001.  She works with a diverse collection of closely-held business from start-up to exit and everything in between, including buy-sell agreements, joint ventures, leases, and all manner of contracts, as well as mergers and acquisitions and sophisticated estate and succession/exit planning.  Ms. Bennett has also worked extensively in 1031 like-kind exchanges and other commercial real estate transactions. Ms. Bennett is a member of the Business Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Ms. Bennett was born and raised in North Carolina, except for about two years when she lived outside of Chicago, which was great, she says, except for the cold!  Prior to entering law school at Chapel Hill, Ms. Bennett acquired a business, marketing and accounting background through undergraduate and graduate study, and by working through the ranks with a multi-property hospitality management company.

Ms. Bennett and her husband are charter members of All Saints UMC, are also members of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and volunteer with Children’s Flight of Hope, but are most proud of their two children who have recently flown the coop and are spreading their wings.  Ms. Bennett is the former Director of Communications for the Carolina Dance Foundation and enjoys all things dance, travel, walking with her dog, hiking, camping, biking, reading, cooking, nutrition and general health and wellness activities of all kinds.

Areas of Practice

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Start-up
• Reorganizations
• Joint Ventures
• General Business and Corporate Law
• Contracts
• Commercial Real Estate and 1031 Like Kind Exchanges
• Sophisticated Estate Planning

Representative Recent Transactions for Ms. Bennett and the Wilson Ratledge business team:

• Lead sell-side counsel in >$22 million med-tech asset sale to private equity purchaser.
• Lead sell-side counsel in >$79 million equity sale and rollover investment of financial sales/services business to private equity purchaser.
• Lead sell-side counsel in >$22 million sale of air quality services business to private equity purchaser.
• Co-Lead sell-side counsel for >$200 million sale and rollover investment of majority stakeholder’s equity interest in a manufacturing business.
• Lead counsel in >$20 million sale of chemical business.
• Advised and implemented transfer to second generation of >$10 million construction business.

Education

• J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997
• B.S., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, cum laude, 1991

Bar Admissions

• North Carolina, 1997

Professional Activities

• North Carolina Bar Association
• Wake County Bar Association