JB Koenings

Contact
Tel | 414.276.5000
jb.koenings@wilaw.com


V-card

Bio

Education

  • Marquette University Law School (magna cum laude)
  • United States Air Force Academy (B.S.)

JB Koenings

JB leads O’Neil Cannon’s Business Law Practice Group and is a United States Air Force Veteran. He works with and advises clients on a wide range of business law matters, including form of entity selection and initial capitalization, raising funds through private equity offerings, securities compliance and broker/dealer matters, mergers and acquisitions, contract preparation and negotiation, and software, technology, and IP matters.

JB Assists Clients With

  • Mergers, acquisitions, and recapitalizations of businesses
  • Private equity and venture capital financing
  • Private offerings of debt and equity securities
  • Employee equity compensation plans
  • Securities laws issues
  • Complex contractual matters and disputes
  • Software, technology, and data privacy/security matters
  • Intellectual property, proprietary rights, and confidentiality agreements
  • Shareholder, partner, and member agreements and disputes
  • Corporate governance matters
  • General business matters

Experience/Representative Client Work

JB’s start up clients have raised over $30,000,000 through private offerings.

  • Represents companies and founders raising debt and equity capital through private offerings and advises on Regulation D and other private securities offering exemptions at the state and federal levels
  • Regularly assists clients with choosing the right form of entity for their new venture
  • Advises clients on 1202 and qualified new business venture stock requirements and planning
  • Tailors his client’s governing documents to their equity and capitalization plan
  • Advises clients on equity and synthetic equity incentive compensation plans and the various tax and securities rules and regulations surrounding such plans
  • Represents investors evaluating an investment in a private company or fund offering

JB represents Buyers and Sellers in Mergers and Acquisitions across the country. 

  • Represents clients buying and selling businesses in all market sectors from software and technology to manufacturing and retail
  • Experienced in M&A deals of all sizes, ranging from small sole proprietorships to complex multi-national transactions involving both private and publicly held companies
  • Represents both minority and majority owners in sale proceedings and exits, including partial sales
  • Experienced in complex multi-state mergers and tax-based reorganizations in addition to equity and asset deals

JB regularly advises clients on complex contracts including software, technology, and custom manufacturing agreements.

  • Represents software and technology clients with all forms of license agreements, development agreements, master services agreements, work-for hire agreements, and intellectual property protection agreements
  • Negotiates and advises on complex custom manufacturing agreements with large public and private companies
  • Experienced with joint ventures both as contractual arrangements and as new business formations

JB offers advice on a multitude of general business matters.

  • Assists clients with entity formation and ongoing corporate governance matters
  • Experienced with creating multiple classes of equity in both corporations and LLCs
  • Drafts and negotiates buy-sell, voting, and other equity holder agreements such as shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, and operating agreements
  • Assists clients with resolving shareholder, partner, and member disputes

Professional Associations and Affiliations

  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
  • American Bar Association
  • Milwaukee Bar Association
  • Member, Association for Corporate Growth (AACG)
  • Meritas Lawyer Representative

Awards/Distinctions

  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® –Corporate Law, 2021–2024
  • Selected for inclusion in 2020–2023 Wisconsin Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Law and Politics and Milwaukee Magazine
  • Editor-in-Chief, Marquette Law Review


Best Lawyers Award Badge


Community Involvement

  • Chairman, Ducks Unlimited Milwaukee Chapter
  • First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa

Military Service

  • Senior Intelligence Duty Officer, Air Force Southern Command, Combined Air Operations Center, June 2007-May 2008
  • Deployed Tactical Operations Center Chief, 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, USAF, September 2006-January 2007
  • Chief of Intelligence, 55th Rescue Squadron, USAF, November 2005-June 2007
  • Deployed J2 Director of Intelligence, 716th Special Operations Group, USAF, June 2005-September 2005
  • Deployed Chief of Intelligence, 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, USAF, October 2004-February 2005
  • Chief of Operations Intelligence, 563rd Operations Support Squadron, USAF, May 2004-October 2005