J. Riley Atwood

Riley Atwood chairs the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard, where he represents buyers, sellers, founders, and growing companies in their most important transactions.

In more than a decade of practice, Riley has represented clients in mergers and acquisitions ranging from founder-led companies changing hands to deals in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and the transactions he has handled over his career total more than $1 billion in value. He structures and negotiates stock and asset purchases, mergers, and recapitalizations on both the buy side and the sell side, and he stays involved from the first term sheet through diligence, the definitive agreements, and closing. Owners also turn to him when it is time to sell or transition a business, whether that means passing it to the next generation, moving it to its employees, or selling outright.

Riley works with startups and emerging companies from formation onward, handling entity setup, founder and ownership arrangements, and the agreements a young company needs to raise capital and grow. For established businesses, he serves as ongoing corporate counsel, advising on governance, operating and shareholder agreements, and the ownership and contract questions that come with running a company. In addition to his corporate practice, he advises companies on the legal questions surrounding artificial intelligence, from adopting AI tools responsibly to the contract, data, and intellectual property issues they raise.

Riley’s clients span founders, growing companies, and established regional and national businesses, and his connection to entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses is personal. His wife owns a small business in Bethalto, Illinois, and Riley has spent years around small business himself, so he understands the pressures owners carry and explains their options in plain terms rather than legalese.

Outside his practice, Riley is active in his community and volunteers with several local organizations.

To discuss a transaction or corporate matter, please contact Riley directly.