
A business transaction may be the next step for a family-owned company in Charleston, a professional practice in Mount Pleasant, a manufacturing business expanding in the Upstate, or a regional buyer acquiring a company with operations across multiple markets.
At Buxton & Collie, LLC, we help business owners, buyers, sellers, investors, and closely held companies work through the legal details behind significant business transactions. Based in Mount Pleasant, our M&A work reaches throughout South Carolina and often involves clients, advisors, assets, or entities across the Southeast and beyond. Our team assists with structure, due diligence, negotiation, risk allocation, purchase documents, and closing requirements so clients can understand what they are agreeing to before the transaction moves forward.
A business purchase or sale can affect ownership, control, employees, customers, contracts, real estate, tax planning, and future liability. Addressing these details early helps protect value and reduce surprises later.
Maybe you are selling a company you have built for decades. Maybe you are acquiring a business to expand into Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, or another growing market. Maybe you are buying out a partner, selling a division, or preparing for succession inside a family business.
Buxton & Collie helps clients review the legal and practical issues tied to those decisions. We take the time to understand the business, the transaction structure, the people involved, and the broader objective behind the deal.
The structure of a business transaction can shape what happens before, during, and after closing. Asset sales, equity sales, mergers, member redemptions, shareholder buyouts, and partial divestitures can each create different legal and practical consequences.
Our attorneys help clients evaluate transaction structure, negotiate key terms, and understand how the deal may affect risk, ownership, ongoing obligations, financing, and post-closing exposure.
We also coordinate with CPAs, financial advisors, lenders, and other professionals when their input is needed. A strong transaction often depends on more than one advisor. Our role is to help keep the legal side organized and connected to the larger business picture.
Due diligence is one of the most important stages of a business sale or purchase. It gives buyers a clearer understanding of what they are acquiring and gives sellers a chance to prepare for questions before they become problems.
Due diligence involves review and scheduling disclosures of corporate records, contracts, financial materials, leases, real estate documents, intellectual property, customer relationships, employment matters, debt, licenses, and operational issues.
Buxton & Collie helps clients identify what needs to be reviewed, what questions should be asked, and what documents should be prepared or negotiated. We assist with letters of intent, purchase agreements, disclosure schedules, assignment documents, closing certificates, and other transaction materials.
“A business sale or purchase is often the result of years of effort. Our job is to help clients understand the structure, manage the process, and protect the value behind the transaction.”
- James T. H. Buxton, Founding Partner, Business Law Attorney
Not every business transaction involves an outside buyer. Many involve internal transitions, partner buyouts, family succession, or ownership changes between shareholders or members.
A business owner may be preparing to bring in the next generation. Partners may be separating ownership interests. A medical, dental, or veterinary practice may be transitioning to a new owner. A closely held company may need to restructure before a future sale.
These transactions can be personal, financially significant, and legally complex. Buxton & Collie helps clients work through ownership documents, buy-sell agreements, redemption terms, governance issues, and closing steps that support a cleaner transition.
Many business sales and purchases also involve real estate. A company may own its facility. A buyer may need to review a commercial lease. A seller may need to transfer property, assign lease rights, or address title issues before closing.
Because Buxton & Collie works in both business law and real estate law, we can help clients understand how property issues fit into the broader transaction. This can be especially important for companies with warehouses, offices, retail spaces, industrial properties, or other real estate tied to the business.
Tell us whether you are buying, selling, partially divesting, or working through an ownership transition. Share where you are in the process, whether documents have already been exchanged, and any timing, financing, due diligence, or closing details we should know from the start.
Our team reviews your information to understand the matter, identify the right internal path, and determine what follow-up makes sense.
If we’re the right fit, we’ll help you understand the next steps and begin the process with the right attorney or team.
Whether you are selling a company, buying a business, negotiating a buyout, preparing for succession, or structuring a larger transaction, Buxton & Collie can help you approach the process with practical legal guidance and a clear view of what comes next.




It is best to involve an M&A attorney before major terms are finalized. Early legal guidance can help you prepare for due diligence, review deal structure, identify risks, and understand obligations that may continue after closing. For many owners, the legal work begins before a buyer sees the full picture.
Yes, it is wise to have a lawyer review a letter of intent before signing. Even when a letter of intent is partly nonbinding, it can shape deal terms, exclusivity, timing, confidentiality, purchase price structure, and negotiation leverage. Reviewing it early can help avoid problems later.
Due diligence is the process of reviewing the business before closing. This may include looking into corporate records, contracts, leases, financial documents, liabilities, ownership records, licenses, employee matters, real estate, intellectual property, and other business materials. The goal is to understand what is being bought and what risks may exist.
Yes. Buxton & Collie assists with shareholder buyouts, member redemptions, ownership transitions, and related business agreements. These matters often involve governance documents, valuation issues, payment terms, releases, tax considerations, and future control of the business.
Yes. Buxton & Collie helps clients with mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, equity transactions, partial divestitures, and related business transition matters across South Carolina. Our work includes structure, negotiation, due diligence, transaction documents, and closing coordination.
Have questions? Get in touch with us! We look forward to hearing from you soon.