M. Everett Peaden

M. Everett "Rett" Peaden advises business owners, family enterprises, investors, and international companies on mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, business succession matters, and other significant events throughout the life cycle of a business.

Much of Rett's practice focuses on serving as a long-term trusted advisor to closely held and family-owned businesses. He often works with clients for many years before helping them navigate a sale, recapitalization, acquisition, succession plan, or other transformational transaction. Because these transactions frequently represent the culmination of decades of work and the most significant financial event in an owner's life, Rett emphasizes practical advice, careful planning, and a deep understanding of each client's personal and business objectives.

Rett regularly represents buyers, sellers, private equity sponsors, family offices, founders, and management teams in middle-market transactions across a variety of industries. He has extensive experience negotiating and structuring mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, strategic investments, and private equity transactions.

In addition to transaction work, Rett serves as outside general counsel to numerous privately held businesses. He advises owners and executives on governance, ownership transitions, strategic planning, financing matters, executive compensation, succession planning, and day-to-day business issues. Many of these relationships span years and continue long after a transaction closes.

Rett has extensive experience representing international clients investing and acquiring businesses in the United States, particularly companies based in Europe, Canada, and Japan. He regularly advises on inbound investment structures, acquisitions, tax planning, and U.S. operational matters. His experience working across cultures and legal systems allows him to help international clients navigate complex transactions and successfully enter and expand within the U.S. market.

Rett's advanced training in taxation allows him to help clients evaluate transaction structures, ownership arrangements, succession strategies, and wealth transfer planning in a tax-efficient manner. Following major liquidity events, many clients continue to work with Rett on family office planning, trust and estate matters, charitable giving strategies, and private investment opportunities.

Rett's Practice

Representative Matters

• Representation of Japanese public company in purchase of U.S. medical device manufacturer
• Representation of German family-owned enterprise in the automotive supply chain with corporate restructuring
• Representation of a leading Southeastern infrastructure construction company in its sale to a national strategic buyer
• Representation of a physician-owned health care business in its sale to a private equity fund
• Representation of majority shareholders in $100 million merger of a software business
• Representation of a German public company in its acquisition of a U.S. national trade show
• Representation of German Mittelstand on its acquisition of a manufacturing facility from a U.S. public company
• Representation of an international private equity firm on its acquisition of a West Coast manufacturer