Overview
Lauren McKnight routinely advises and represents start-ups, non-profits, small business owners and multi-million dollar private and publicly traded companies, providing experienced counsel on general business operations, best practices, ethics and compliance matters, contracts, risk management, real estate and employment matters. She also serves as external general counsel for several privately held companies in the energy, trucking, transportation, construction, oil and gas, manufacturing and real estate development industries – a role which enables her to assist these clients in matters touching on many areas of their business.
Lauren’s practice is broad, as she routinely counsels business owners on:
- Business formation (choice of entity)
- Corporate governance, including operating and management agreements
- Corporate compliance
- Reorganizations
- Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures
- Joint ventures
- Due diligence reviews
- Buy-sell agreements
- Asset purchases
- Software and technology licenses
- Supplier and vendor contracts
- Master service agreements
- Confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements
- Employment contracts
- Commercial leases
Lauren takes a strategic and future-focused approach to her clients’ success, as she helps them develop long term strategic plans and navigate changing markets. She works with clients to prepare corporate succession plans and ensure smooth transitions and continued operations.
In addition to advising on corporate matters, Lauren has a thriving commercial litigation practice, representing clients in the energy, transportation, construction and oil and gas sectors. To avoid conflicts in the first place, she helps clients devise the comprehensive strategies that lead to reduced risk and exposure to litigation. She has long experience performing risk assessments, developing corporate compliance plans, and providing training for employees and vendors. This approach provides clients a broad view of their specific industry, daily operations and general risk – crucial for success and profitability while avoiding business conflicts. But, when litigation is either unavoidable or the best course, Lauren has successfully tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts, advocated for clients in state and federal courts of appeals, and achieved favorable decisions in various arbitration forums.
Before joining Lugenbuhl, Lauren served as General Counsel for JC Fodale Energy Services and Senior Counsel at FFC Capital Advisors.
Outside the Office
Because a balanced attorney does more than practice law, Lauren dedicates a significant amount of time to community involvement and volunteer activities. She volunteers at local schools, assists at several shelters for victims of domestic violence, mentors high school students and recent graduates interested in the legal profession, raises funds for various non-profits, and serves as a resource promoting diversity in the legal profession and business community.
- Represented the owner of a privately held company in an arbitration proceeding alleging breach of contract arising from the exchange, division and separation of various subsidiaries and joint venture projects. Lauren secured her client’s full release from over $10M in personally guaranteed debt with lenders without payment or relinquishing security or collateral.
- Successfully negotiated the cancellation of an SAP license and service agreement valued at approximately $20 million. Following 11 months of negotiations and threatened litigation, the company paid $150,000 to cancel the transaction and return the SAP license at no additional cost.
- Defended a transportation company in a $25M claim for wrongful death arising from a single vehicle rollover accident involving an employee with allegations of failure to maintain the vehicle and various DOT violations. Following a lengthy investigation and our firm’s interaction with multiple agencies, state and federal investigators determined no fault by the company and compliance with all regulations. The family’s recovery was limited to workers’ compensation death benefits.
- Successfully negotiated a technology transfer licensing agreement between the University of Mississippi and a local start-up company for the development and construction of a commercialized waste-to-energy prototype condenser.
- Represented an energy company with leases on 10,000 acres for the production of oil, gas and other minerals in Northern Louisiana’s Cotton Valley Formation in creating a joint venture with another company that held leases for a deeper formation on the same 10,000 acres. With shared land management and administrative services, the joint venture increased production at a lower cost and drilled new wells without additional bonus payments. The joint venture also raised capital by admitting a limited number of additional investors on a per-well basis, avoiding securities considerations.
Professional
- Louisiana State Bar Association (Board of Governors 2020-2021, House of Delegates 2018-2020)
- Leadership LSBA Class 2009-2010
- National Bar Association
- New Orleans Bar Association
- The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Society, Inc.
- LSBA Pro Bono Century Award Recipient (2010)
- LSBA Pro Bono Publico Award Recipient (2010)
