Mr. Piatt’s varied practice areas include business formation, mergers and acquisitions, secured lending, corporate governance, real estate, business divorce, succession planning, and estate administration. Awarded the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s W. Edward Sell Business Lawyer Award in 2019, Mr. Piatt is a continuing legal education speaker in business law matters, and has been active with the PBA’s Business Law Section and its Title 15 Committee for more than twenty years. Mr. Piatt also represents, and often serves on boards of, a wide variety of non-profit organizations.
On a regular basis, he assists entrepreneurs in starting and organizing business organizations, including helping them choose the proper legal entity, drafting functional internal bylaws and rules, and preparing appropriate owner agreements to assure smooth management and ultimately provide means for dissolution or transfer of ownership. His clients also include areas and civic nonprofit organizations which he helps create and amend bylaws, avoid conflicts of interest and other legal liabilities, obtain charitable status for Federal Income Tax purposes, and generally protect members, directors, and officers against personal liability. In addition, he regularly assists family businesses with their succession planning and individual and corporate borrowers in lending transactions, including the issuance of opinions as principal borrower’s counsel and as Pennsylvania counsel for transactions in other states.
Mr. Piatt is a Past Chair of the Business Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and was a founding Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s former Shale Energy Law Committee. With the Business Law Section, he has been active in task forces charged with writing Pennsylvania Corporate Laws, providing standards for issuance of legal opinions, and proposing change to Pennsylvania Business Sales Tax Law. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate with highest honors of William and Mary, Mr. Piatt received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Presentations/Publications
• What’s New (or at least more prevalent) for Closely Held Businesses - New Reporting Requirements and M&A Trends for Closely Held Businesses” (co-presenter), September 2024, Wilkes University Continuing Education Seminar.
• “Back to the Drawing Board: Recent Law Changes and M&A Developments Warrant Reconsideration of Governance Documents by Closely-held Businesses” (co-presenter), 2023 PBI Business Law Institute.
• “Too Close for Comfort: Equity Offer and Governance Agreement Considerations for Closely Held Businesses in Transition” (co-presenter), 2022 PBI Business Law Institute.
• In July 2022, Lee S. Piatt presented a seminar titled “Representing Small Businesses” to an audience of practicing CPA’s and attorneys at the Woodlands Inn and Resort. The program was sponsored for professional credit purposes by Wilkes University and the Luzerne County Law and Library Association.
• Owner Agreements Post-Pandemic: After the “Great Resignation,” Are We Short on Glue? as published in Summer / Fall 2022 Newsletter for the Business Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
• Lee S. Piatt, a Partner in the Firm’s Business and Finance Department, recently moderated and presented at “Working Through the Layers of Shale”, a Pennsylvania Bar Institute Seminar. Lee is the Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Shale Energy Law Committee.
• Rushton and Piatt Participate in Acquisitions Panel Discussion
• “PA LLC Documents”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute Continuing Legal Education Program
• “Third Party Legal Opinions in Pennsylvania”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Continuing Legal Education Program
• “Family Limited Partnership (and Family LLC’s)”, Wilkes University Continuing Education Seminar for Accountants
• In June, 2013, Lee S. Piatt, Partner in the Business & Finance Department of Rosenn Jenkins & Greenwald, LLP, presented a seminar entitled, “Choice of Business Entity” as a continuing education program for both accountants and attorneys. The program was sponsored by Wilkes University and the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association.
Honors
November 2019, Mr. Piatt was awarded the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s W. Edward Sell Pennsylvania Business Lawyer award for outstanding contribution to Pennsylvania business law.
AV Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He has joined a select group of lawyers recognized for their legal ability and professional ethical standards.
Personal Interests
•Family
•Running
Reviews
“A very accomplished lawyer who has handled matters and clients I have referred to him. The clients have been completely satisfied,” -5-Star Peer Review of Lee S. Piatt on Lawyers.com
