Virginia’s Go To Lawyers for Business Law 2022 — Chris Ambrosio

Chris Ambrosio
Partner, Vandeventer Black LLP
Norfolk

Your specialty:

Formation and reorganization of business entities and general corporate matters; business finance; mergers and acquisitions.

Signature case, deal or transaction:

The sale of the U.S. subsidiary of a foreign manufacturing company with locations in multiple states and Canada.

Working with clients:

I think of myself as a business person who happens to practice law. To me, achieving the client’s goals as efficiently as possible is my primary focus. I never take any position or impose any requirement simply because it is on a checklist, or because it is “industry standard.”

Advice:

Early in my career, a client told me, “When I ask you what time it is, don’t tell me how a watch works.” He was (mostly) joking, but his point resonated.

Outlook for 2022:

The Corporate Transparency Act will cause a substantial change in the way lawyers and clients conduct business. Formation of new business entities, which used to be very simple and inexpensive, will require significant planning and disclosure. Significant time and expense will be added to what used to be routine transactions.