Advising Opteon on a Key Strategic Partnership in the U.S.

Nossaman has advised Australia and New Zealand’s largest independent valuation professional services firm, Opteon, on its strategic partnership with Apex Appraisal Service, Inc. (“Apex”).

Apex is a U.S.-based appraisal management company operating across all 50 U.S. states.  Nossaman assisted Opteon with regulatory and corporate/contractual due diligence, as well as the preparation and negotiation of strategic agreements and ancillary documents.  The matter involved a wide variety of complex legal issues, including corporate, employment, regulatory, intellectual property and ERISA.

This transaction was Opteon’s first foray into the U.S. market, and marks another milestone in a period of significant growth for the company.  As a result of the strategic partnership, Apex will now reside under the Opteon umbrella but will continue operating as “Apex Appraisal Service”, maintain full operational control in the Americas, retain existing leadership and key people while enabling Opteon to carry out its strategic goal of international growth.