Lou Katz is a Shareholder of the firm. His practice is focused on business law, complex commercial transactions and commercial real estate transactions. He regularly handles mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions, entity planning, shareholder matters, joint ventures, license arrangements, business disputes and succession planning for closely held companies.
Mr. Katz is the founder of the firm's Hospitality and Retail Services Group. This group represents distributors, manufacturers, retailers and restaurants in all aspects of commercial law including mergers and acquisitions, equity and bank financing, commercial real estate purchases and leases, trademark and branding, license agreements, employment matters, shareholder matters, business disputes and reorganizations and succession planning.
Mr. Katz is a co-founder of Restaurant Trends Seminar. Formed in 1993, Restaurant Trends presents annual seminars for the restaurant industry and serves as an important resource for restaurant owners and operators.
Mr. Katz is formerly a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia and Washington, D.C. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Katz practiced accounting for Arthur Andersen & Co. in its Washington, D.C. office. He has served as a commercial arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and has also served as a private mediator for commercial disputes.
Mr. Katz is a member of the firm's Cannabis Practice Group. He represents retailers and landlords in cannabis-related business and leasing matters.
ASSOCIATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS
- American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants
- American, Boston and Massachusetts Bar Association
COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE INVOLVEMENT
- Children's Friend, Former Board Member and Chairman of the Board
- Lawyers Clearinghouse for Affordable Housing
- Board of Advisor on numerous client company boards
HONORS & AWARDS
- 2004 Massachusetts Super Lawyer Award Winner
- Featured in Outside the Box - Boston Business Journal
- Quoted, Restaurants Become Anchor Tenant of Choice, Bisnow
- Quoted, Job growth on the menu for restaurants, Boston Business Journal
- Quoted, Inc. Magazine on family business matters
- Quoted, Boston Globe on numerous business matters
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Numerous presentations on merger and acquisition topics for the Association for Corporate Growth, Boston, MA
- Moderator, Power of Ideas “Restaurant Evolution”, Boston, MA, October 27, 2015
- Frequent Speaker, Restaurant Finance Monitor’s Restaurant Finance & Development Conference, Las Vegas (View Presentation)
- Moderator, Bisnow's Boston Restaurant Development Summit, Boston, MA, February 25, 2015
- Frequent Speaker, National Retail Tenant Association’s annual conferences
- Co-Founder and frequent speaker at Restaurant Trends Seminar, Boston MA (1992-present)