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Noël Goudreau

Partner

Ms. Goudreau concentrates her practice in the areas of business law and commercial transactions. She has extensive experience counseling clients across a wide range of organizational and transactional matters. Ms. Goudreau concentrates on complex business issues, including corporate governance, compliance matters, mergers and acquisitions, securities, and the preparation and negotiation of various complex commercial agreements, such as joint ventures, and sale and distributorship agreements. She has experience counseling owners of closely-held businesses with regard to their management relations, owner disputes, and ownership agreements, such as shareholder agreements and limited liability company agreements.  Ms. Goudreau also advises clients with regard to their business succession planning.  \nMs. Goudreau's practice includes representing investment advisory firms in all aspects of their organization, registration and compliance. She has experience drafting Form ADVs, investment management agreements, codes of ethics, compliance manuals and other documentation necessary in the operation of an advisory firm, as well as counseling firms with regard thereto.  She also advises firm owners as to their ownership relationship, restrictions on transfers of ownership and buy-sell agreements. Ms. Goudreau represents both buyers and sellers of advisory firms in their merger and acquisition activity, and advises clients with regard to regulatory restrictions and pitfalls regarding the same. She also advises advisory firms on their ongoing corporate governance and compliance issues.     \nMs. Goudreau also has extensive experience in the areas of employment law and employee relations. She regularly counsels clients with regard to their human resources matters, and advises management regarding the hiring, discipline and termination of employees. Ms. Goudreau has conducted employment audits and participated in employee training, focusing on educating management regarding employee policies and procedures. Ms. Goudreau also has significant experience in drafting and advising on employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements. She also has experience drafting employee handbooks, including FMLA procedures, and in employee benefits matters.     \nMs. Goudreau has state, federal and appellate litigation experience in the areas of commercial contracts and other business matters, including shareholder disputes and oppression, estates and trusts, fiduciary responsibility, employment law and employee benefits, and class actions.\n \n Professional Associations & Affiliations\n Ms. Goudreau is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She is admitted to practice before all state courts in Illinois, as well as the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.\n \n Education\/Work History \n J.D., Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 1996 (Graduated cum laude. Recipient of multiple American Jurisprudence Awards. Honors scholarship recipient.)\n \n B.S., Psychology, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991 (Graduated with honors. Inducted into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Honors scholarship recipient.)\nMs. Goudreau joined Kubasiak, Fylstra, Thorpe & Rotunno, P.C. in 1997. She became a shareholder in the firm in 2006. Prior to joining the firm, she worked for Childress & Zdeb, Ltd.\nSpeaking Engagements\n Ms. Goudreau participates as a speaker at seminars, round table discussions and symposiums addressing business and regulatory issues. Topics on which she has presented include business succession planning, closely-held business arrangements, employee relations and social media, and the securities regulatory environment.\n