Steve Suneson

Steve Suneson is a Partner in the Corporate & Transactional and International practices with more than two decades of experience in the areas of business law and commercial transactions, cross-border and international transactions, commercial contracts, secured transactions, general counsel services, along with corporate structure and governance. Mr. Suneson has substantial cross-border and international experience assisting foreign companies, particularly Canadian, Australian, British, Swedish and other European companies, who are doing business in the U.S. He routinely represents companies in the Fortune 500 and the Global 500.

Mr. Suneson’s international transactions practice focuses on the following sectors: technology, software development and licensing, manufacturing, distribution, retail, apparel, energy, services and construction. He routinely deals with complex cross-border issues such as U.S.-foreign nation income tax treaties, U.S. withholding tax on payments to foreign ownership, intercompany cross-border agreements, and transfer pricing agreements as well as other complex cross-border legal and tax issues. Mr. Suneson also works with Colorado and U.S. business owners who want to sell or buy their businesses, need financing, want to expand abroad, or complete other complex business transactions abroad. His experience in this regard includes export control review, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), country of origin marking, technology transfer, foreign corporate structure and other U.S.-foreign legal matters.

Mr. Suneson has extensive experience in both domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, and corporate reorganizations. This experience includes a variety of M&A transactions, such as contested and negotiated acquisitions and tender offers, takeover defenses, leveraged buyouts, corporate spin-offs, corporate auctions, international M&A transactions, and strategic acquisition and divestiture transactions.

Mr. Suneson represents clients in the managed services, software, and telecommunications businesses. His technology practice includes agreements for telecommunications and information technology (IT) services, internet and mobile-app content creation, hosting and access, technology licensing, e-commerce, broadband and streaming media, cyber-center operations, managed services, ASP, xSP, and SaaS businesses, on-line collaboration, and interactive media services. He assists his clients in identification, realization and protection of intellectual property. He also counsels clients on protection and registration of U.S. trademarks.

Mr. Suneson began practicing in corporate law and private equity at a large international corporate law firm in New York City. He expanded his practice to commercial transactions, M&A, and international-U.S. cross-border and Canada practice for over a decade as an attorney at a boutique corporate law firm in New York. Mr. Suneson continued as an international transactions, corporate and M&A attorney at a Colorado-based law firm. Mr. Suneson is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Ratings. He was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and is fluent in Swedish.

Representative Experience

• Represented European aerospace company in post-litigation settlement, license and supply agreement against American aerospace company valued at approximately $1 billion.
• Represented foreign company in connection with U.S.-foreign stock for stock complex corporate reorganization involving multiple entities.
• Represented foreign investor in connection with foreign stock sale and a related U.S. entity secured transaction.
• Represented European technology company in connection with an acquisition of assets of U.S. target.
• Represented private equity fund in connection with an investment of a round of convertible preferred equity into software-related portfolio company.
• Represented foreign buyer in connection with acquisition of stock (taxable as an asset sale under section 338(h)(10)) of target involved in supplying equipment in oil and gas sector.
• Engaged in numerous other international commercial transactions, M&A, commercial contracts, and general corporate advice.
• Engaged in numerous complex commercial contracts (such as SaaS, distribution, license, service, transfer pricing).