Mr. Abel represents clients in matters involving mergers and acquisitions, securities, venture capital, Maryland corporation law, real estate, private funds and investment advisers, and general business needs. He has earned respect among colleagues and recognition from premier legal publications.
Mr. Abel serves as outside general counsel to numerous emerging growth, later stage and mature companies, where he provides his extensive experience negotiating and/or drafting merger and acquisition transaction documents (e.g., asset purchase agreement and merger agreements), private offering documents, limited liability and limited partnership agreements, stockholder agreements, venture capital financing agreements, loan agreements, employment arrangements (including equity compensation for employees), and business contracts.
Mr. Abel regularly serves as primary counsel involving acquisitions, dispositions, financing, and management of assisted living and independent living facilities. He advises private funds, family offices and investment advisers on formation and compliance matters and investment transactions. Mr. Abel also counsels investors in connection with their investment decisions in privately held companies, including venture capital investments. Recently, this has included investments in cannabis and hemp related companies.
Mr. Abel advises Maryland corporations, including open and closed-end investment companies and real estate investment trusts incorporated in Maryland and acquirers of these corporations, including activist investors, on matters of Maryland corporation law, including corporate governance matters, and matters related to hostile takeovers and takeover defenses.
Mr. Abel is the former chair of the Maryland State Bar Association's Business Law Section, is the current chair of its Unincorporated Associations (LLC) Committee, is an active member of its Corporation Law Committee and is a former chair of its Securities Law Committee. He has testified extensively before the Maryland General Assembly on legislation affecting business in Maryland. He is the author of two Bloomberg BNA publications on Maryland corporation law. Mr. Abel served as a member of the Special Joint Committee of the Section of Business Law and the Section of Real Property, Planning and Zoning of the Maryland State Bar Association, which prepared the Maryland Report on Lawyers' Opinions in Business Transactions.