A legal due diligence review is more than the legal equivalent of kicking the tires of the car. It is a thorough investigation using lawyers and CPAs to confirm select the best data room for due diligence documentation and evidence. It involves the examination of a broad range of focus areas, including an analysis of legality of contracts as well as litigation liabilities, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, corporate documents as well as financial reviews of accounting policies and financial statements and tax returns. It also involves a thorough review of the management, organizational structure and products, services and sales, as well as marketing facilities and equipment.
Legal due diligence can be a lengthy process, depending on the level of complexity of the company as well as the amount of money involved in the transaction. This is particularly relevant for large public businesses that have virtual piles information that lawyers must sort through. A lot of legal departments are making use of technology to streamline the process. For example, a document review platform integrated with AI tools.
Before starting the legal due diligence process, you must establish a framework and goal for the investigation. It is beneficial to create an outline of the areas to investigate and have the legal team agree on a plan of attack with the business owners. It is also crucial to prioritize which areas require expert input from the firm. For instance legal due diligence review of an IP holding company could include questions from an intellectual property specialist to determine whether the company has any significant patents or other intellectual property rights, and whether there are any infringement proceedings that are pending or threatened.