Vince Sliwoski

Vince is an award-winning business lawyer, problem solver and dealmaker. His clients run the gamut from individual investors and entrepreneurs to widely held domestic and international corporations. Based in Portland, Oregon, he is Managing Partner of Harris Sliwoski and Editor of the Canna Law Blog and the Psychedelics Law Blog.

A woman at a desk reviews logistics on a laptop, with a U.S. map, business photos, graphs, and a van, suggesting business planning and distribution analysis.

Buying a Business in the U.S., Part 1: How to Find Them

Buying a Business in the U.S., Part 1: How to Find Them Welcome to the first installment in a series on buying a business in the U.S. This post explains how to find business purchase opportunities, for anyone interested in owning a small or closely-held business. In future posts, I’ll cover how small businesses are

Stylized map of the United States showing lines from a globe to several states, each marked with icons representing documents and a user profile, highlighting the State Registration process.

International Companies and U.S. State Registration Requirements

International companies and U.S. state registration requirements We regularly help foreign-based businesses access U.S. customers by establishing a local presence. At the state level, the first step is choosing a state of incorporation, or registration. See Doing Business in the U.S.: Choosing a State of Formation. The state of formation is the primary jurisdiction where

Two businesspeople stand before a colorful U.S. map with highlighted states, a shipping container ship, an open book, a globe, and a city skyline—symbolizing company formation and nationwide business opportunities.

Doing Business in the U.S.: Choosing a State of Formation

Choosing a state of formation for doing business in the U.S. We work with many international companies and entrepreneurs doing business in the United States. For anyone entering the U.S. market, choosing a state of formation is a threshold decision— one that carries significant legal and tax implications. And while a handful of states are

Gloved hands hold a sealed envelope labeled "CONFIDENTIAL: For Cross-border M & A Transaction," secured with a chain and padlock; international flags and documents appear in the background.

Attorney-Client Privilege in Cross-Border M&A: How Privilege Gets Lost During the Deal

Attorney-Client Privilege in Cross-Border M&A: How Privilege Gets Lost During the Deal Last week we wrote about how attorney-client privilege can be lost in domestic M&A when brokers, consultants, and other non-legal advisors are pulled into legal communications. See Attorney-Client Privilege in M&A: How Brokers and Other Advisors Can Create Serious Risk. Cross-border deals contain

Scales of justice, gavel, and confidential file on left; business figures labeled broker and advisor with M&A graphics on right; "Attorney-Client Privilege" text in center.

Attorney-Client Privilege in M&A: How Brokers and Other Advisors Can Create Serious Risk

Attorney-Client Privilege in M&A: How Brokers and Other Advisors Can Create Serious Risk Today let’s talk about the attorney-client privilege, how important that safeguard is in M&A transactions, and how not to mess it up. Specifically, let’s discuss this scintillating topic in the context of working with brokers and other non-legal advisors over the course

legal advice or business advice

Legal Advice or Business Advice?

Legal advice versus business advice People hire lawyers to give them legal advice. Sometimes, people also hire lawyers to give them business advice. This may introduce thorny considerations because lawyers generally should not give business advice (more on that below). However, sometimes they can, and do (more on that too). As a business lawyer who