Skip to main content
Top Button
Joe Keglewitsch handles complex corporate and business law issues for both private and public companies, with a focus on and extensive experience in the following areas: mergers and acquisitions, general corporate counsel, complex commercial relationships and entrepreneurial legal issues.

Outside GC CTA

Mergers and Acquisitions
Joe has handled buy and sell side M&A transactions in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, professional services, retail, financial services and high technology. He has worked with clients ranging from family-owned businesses to private equity firms to public companies.

General Corporate Counsel
Joe routinely acts as outside counsel for middle market businesses, addressing matters ranging from reorganizations and recapitalizations to governance and compliance issues. He has regularly counseled clients with respect to trade secret protection matters and restrictive covenant concerns. Keglewitsch's role as an outside general counsel has extended to many closely-held businesses in a variety of contexts, ranging from formation and management issues, to day-to-day operational concerns and succession planning.
 
Complex Commercial Relationships
Joe has extensive experience in negotiating and documenting complex commercial relationships. He has represented clients in connection with joint ventures, product development arrangements, supply and distribution agreements and intellectual property licensing. Keglewitsch has also assisted businesses with establishing franchising systems. Although he has focused largely on the high technology and manufacturing businesses, particularly plastic molders and rubber product manufacturers, his work in this area has spanned a wide variety of industries. Joe is also active in the firm's additive manufacturing and 3D printing initiative and in supporting Ice Miller's clients operating in that industry.

Entrepreneurial Legal Issues
Joe represents emerging and high-growth companies on such matters as entity formation, capitalization, capital raising, intellectual property rights and protection and growth and exit strategies. He also has extensive experience in assisting investors in connection with structuring their investment relationships with new and emerging ventures.

Joe graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1993 with his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. In 1996, he earned his juris doctor from Case Western Reserve University, cum laude, and was on the Executive Committee of Law Review.
Representative Transactions
  • Represented a multinational corporation in connection with its domestic acquisition of multiple businesses in the building products, food processing and agribusiness industries.
  • Acted in the role of outside in-house counsel for a plastics manufacturer with multiple divisions, including day-to-day business law matters and representation in connection with its divesture of non-core businesses.
  • Represented multiple advertising and marketing businesses in both buy-side and sell-side transactions in excess of $500 million in aggregate purchase price.
  • Counseled clients and documented numerous joint ventures in a variety of industries, including construction, automotive parts, real estate, aerospace and advanced materials.
  • Assisted start-up ventures with software, human resources and consumer products business concepts with formation and capital raising issues.
  • Assisted family-owned manufacturing business in navigating and documenting succession plan.
  • Represented professional services firm in connection with numerous acquisitions and ancillary business investments.
  • Guided national retailer through divesture of non-core business assets.
  • Represented manufacturing business in its sale to a European purchaser and its retention of minority equity ownership in going-forward business.
  • Represented mezzanine fund in connection with fund formation and resulting mezzanine financings.
  • Counseled angel investment fund with respect to numerous preferred equity, warrant and convertible note investments in start-up technology businesses.
  • Represented client with respect to investment in start-up technology venture, including structuring debt and equity investments and addressing technology licensing issues.
  • Counseled businesses in connection with its acquisition of foreign processing facility and its subsequent sale.
  • Provided on-going commercial law representation to dozens of businesses in the plastics and rubber products industries, on matters that include terms and conditions of sale, the development of form contracts, joint ventures, distribution arrangements, intellectual property licenses and protection, customer disputes and high-dollar supply and vendor relationships.
News
Published In
  • Contracting In a New World, Inside Rubber, May 2023
  • Product Liability in Component Manufacturing, Inside Robber, January 2022
  • Six Critical Controls to Strengthen Business Transactions, Columbus, Ohio, October 2019
  • Seven Steps to Avoid Mistakes in Business Sales, Plastics Business ENews, March 7, 2012
  • Terms and Conditions: Contracting for Economic Certainty, Plastics Business, Spring 2009
  • Why Some Joint Ventures Fail, Midwest In-House, April 2006
  • Trade Secret Protection Helps Retain Legal Rights, Business First, Dec. 9, 2005
  • The M&A Process: A Practical Guide for the Business Lawyer, Negotiated Acquisitions Committee, Task Force Member, American Bar Association, July 2005
Speaking Engagements
  • "Attracting and Retaining Employees with Equity Incentives", MAPP/ARPM Finance and Accounting Forum, November 18, 2022
  • "The Legal Implications of Reshoring" - Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers and Manufacturers' Association of Plastic Processors, April 7, 2022
  • "ABC's of Corporate Governance" - Manufacturers' Association of Plastic Processors, Ocober 21, 2021
  • "Supply Chain Issues and Force Majeure" - Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers, April 6, 2021
  • "Covid's Impact on Commercial Contracts, Benchmarking Conference" - Manufacturers' Association of Plastic Processors and Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers, October of 2020
  • “10 Legal Mistakes Most Businesses Make,” Manufacturers' Association of Plastic Processors and Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers,' June 2, 2020
  • “NDAs: So Common and Yet So Commonly Misused,” Manufacturers Association of Plastic Processors and Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers, August 21, 2019
  • “Building Human Capital: Strategies to Attract and Retain Employees,” Panel Discussion, April 24, 2019
  • "Strategic Steps to Maximize Business Value: What Makes One Company More Valuable Than Another," panelist; MAPP Benchmarking Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 11, 2018
  • “Growing Through Acquisition and Planning to Sell Your Business,” Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 5, 2018
  • "Leveling the Playing Field: Contracting Pitfalls and Opportunities," Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers, Manufacturers Association of Plastic Processors and American Mold Builder Association, June 28, 2018
  • "Incentive Compensation: Developing Effective Programs," Canal Holdings Annual Meeting - Twinsburg, Ohio, May 1, 2017
  • "Protecting Intellectual Property Doing Business Abroad," Tiger Talk at New Albany Innovation Center, Nov. 18, 2016
  • "Succession Planning:  Preserving What You Have Built," Manufacturers' Association of Plastic Processors, Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers and American Mold Builder's Association, Columbus, Ohio May 18, 2016
  • "Building the Legal Infrastructure for Effective Growth" at Ice Miller's Managing Success: Strategies for Growing Business Series, Columbus, Ohio March 2, 2016
  • Regular presenter at Rev1 Bootcamp events regarding business issues and planning for start-up ventures
  • "3D Printing: Exploring the Potential and Avoiding the Risks of Additive Manufacturing," Illinois Manufacturers' Association, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, March 11, 2015
  • "Implied Warranties: Hidden Risks for Manufacturers," Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors and Association for Rubber Product Manufacturers, Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 16, 2014
  • "Building Relationships: Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances," Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council, June 3, 2014
  • "Rewarding Key Employees While Retaining Equity" Entrepreneurs' Organization, May 30, 2013
  • “Joint Ventures: A Growth Alternative,” Ohio Polymer Summit, June 6, 2012
  • “Filling In Gaps in M&A Financing,” Ohio Polymer Summit, June 6, 2012
  • Joint Ventures: Avenues for Growth,” Dublin Entrepreneurial Center, Oct. 20, 2011
  • “Succession Planning: Now Is The Time To Develop A Plan,” Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors webinar, Sept. 15, 2011
  • “New Trends in Protecting Your Business - Terms and Conditions,” Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference, Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors, Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 21, 2010
  • “Keeping Secrets: Understanding the Importance of Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreements,” Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors CEO Forum Webinar, Dec. 9, 2009
  • “The Changing Customer - A Lawyer’s Perspective,” Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors, Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 29, 2009
  • “Maximizing Your Company's Future Value: M&A Perspectives,” Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference, Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors, Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 17, 2008
  • “Joint Ventures: A Flexible Growth Alternative,” Podcast with Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors, May 13, 2008
  • “Mergers and Acquisitions Update: Gun-Jumping,” Central Ohio Chapter of The Association of Corporate Counsel, May 17, 2006
  • "Lessons Learned from Online and Technology Businesses," Schottenstein Zox & Dunn, May 2001
  • "Buying and Selling a Business in Ohio," Lorman Education Services, July 1999 and July 2000
View Full Site View Mobile Optimized