Massachusetts non-compete enforcement and earn-out exposure
Restricted with 12-month cap and garden leave requirement. Sale-of-business exception.
"The conversation you're avoiding today becomes the lawsuit you're defending tomorrow."
Whether you are buying or selling, a business sale transaction demands experienced legal counsel. Our Lexington business sale attorneys represent both buyers and sellers in business transfers across Technology, Biotech, Professional Services, delivering the strategic guidance and personal attention that high-stakes transactions require.
Share the basics. Alex reviews every inquiry personally.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
Alex Lubyansky handles business sale transaction law work for buyers and sellers in Lexington and across the country. Here is what that looks like:
We work best with people who know what they want and are ready to move:
Tell us what you are working on. We respond within one business day.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
A structured, methodical approach to business sale transaction law
We review the proposed deal, understand your objectives (whether buying or selling), and develop a legal strategy tailored to your specific transaction and timeline.
We structure the transaction to optimize risk allocation, tax treatment, and operational continuity, whether as an asset purchase, stock purchase, or membership interest transfer.
Managing Partner Alex Lubyansky oversees legal due diligence, identifying risks and opportunities that directly inform the purchase agreement and deal terms.
We draft or negotiate the purchase agreement and all ancillary documents, ensuring every term reflects your interests and addresses the specific risks in your deal.
We manage the closing checklist, coordinate with lenders, brokers, and opposing counsel, and ensure all conditions are met for a timely and clean closing.
We don't take every matter. Here is what happens when you reach out.
Alex reviews your transaction details personally. No intake coordinators, no junior associates screening your submission.
We evaluate whether your deal aligns with our practice. Not every matter is a fit, and we will tell you directly if it is not.
If there is alignment, Alex schedules a direct call to discuss your transaction, timeline, and objectives.
Before any work begins, you receive a written engagement letter with defined scope, timeline, and fee structure. No surprises.
Alex Lubyansky handles every business sale transaction law engagement personally.
15+ years of M&A experience. Nationwide. One attorney on every deal.
We review every transaction inquiry within one business day.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
Use these before you call any firm, including ours.
At many firms, a partner sells the work and a junior associate does it. Ask for the name of the attorney who will draft and negotiate your documents.
Volume indicates current, active deal experience, not just credentials from years ago.
A $500K SBA acquisition and a $50M PE deal require different skill sets. Make sure the attorney has handled transactions similar to yours.
M&A transactions require a team. Your attorney should work with your other advisors, not in a silo.
Reps, warranties, and indemnification claims surface months after closing. Ask whether the firm handles post-closing litigation or refers it out.
Hourly, flat fee, or hybrid. Ask what factors increase legal costs so there are no surprises.
Common questions from Lexington clients
Submit your transaction details for a preliminary assessment by our managing partner
Submit Transaction DetailsSubmit transaction details and Alex will respond directly.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
Boston is the global epicenter of biotech and life sciences M&A, with Kendall Square and the Route 128 corridor housing the densest concentration of biotech companies outside San Francisco. Beyond life sciences, the region drives significant deal activity in financial technology, education technology, and defense contracting. The region's deep research university ecosystem (MIT, Harvard, Tufts) produces a steady stream of spinoff companies ripe for acquisition.
Boston's biotech-heavy deal market means acquirers often face complex IP due diligence involving university licenses, clinical trial data, and FDA regulatory considerations. Competition from large pharma strategic acquirers can push valuations higher for promising targets.
Boston's concentration of world-class research institutions and highly educated workforce creates a self-reinforcing ecosystem where acquired companies can access talent, partnerships, and capital unavailable in other markets.
Massachusetts enacted the Noncompetition Agreement Act in 2018, limiting non-competes to 12 months and requiring garden leave pay - buyers must evaluate existing employee agreements during due diligence as many pre-2018 agreements may now be unenforceable.
Local Market Context
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA · MSA population 4.9M
MSA Population (2024)
4.9M
U.S. Census Bureau
Top Industry Concentration
Boston is one of the two leading life sciences and biotechnology M&A markets in the United States, alongside the San Francisco Bay Area. The Kendall Square Cambridge corridor is among the world's densest concentrations of biotech and pharmaceutical R&D. Large pharma buyers regularly acquire Boston-area biotech companies in strategic platform acquisitions. Higher education and financial services add additional M&A dimensions to the market.
Logan International Airport serves the metro with significant international connectivity. The Port of Boston handles breakbulk and specialty cargo. The MBTA regional rail serves the dense professional services workforce.
Recent Lexington Deal Signal (2024-2025)
Biotech M&A in the Boston-Cambridge corridor remained highly active through 2024, with multiple large-cap pharma buyers completing acquisitions of clinical-stage companies valued between $1 billion and $10 billion. Novo Nordisk's acquisition of Cardior Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly's continued platform acquisitions exemplified the pattern.
Source (accessed 2026-04-27)
Massachusetts Securities Division is active in enforcement. Cambridge and Boston impose no unusual M&A-specific local rules, but Massachusetts has a non-compete statute that affects deal structure for talent-dependent transactions.
Restricted with 12-month cap and garden leave requirement. Sale-of-business exception.
Entity mergers and conversions require filing with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division. The Department of Revenue requires tax waivers for asset purchases. Professional corporations require additional filings with the relevant licensing board.
Massachusetts Bar Association. Voluntary bar. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handles attorney admission separately via the Board of Bar Overseers.
Bar association websiteFederal districts: D. Mass.
Business court: Massachusetts Superior Court Business Litigation Session (established 1999) Business Litigation Session (BLS) operates in Suffolk County (Boston); handles complex business disputes. Extended to other counties on an ad hoc basis.
Massachusetts is a major M&A market for life sciences, biotechnology, technology, and financial services, with Boston and Cambridge generating significant deal activity.
Watchpoints
These are the items we see derail business sale transaction law transactions in the Lexington market. Each one is rooted in current statutory law, recent legislative changes, or recurring patterns from the deals Alex has handled.
Restricted with 12-month cap and garden leave requirement. Sale-of-business exception.
"The conversation you're avoiding today becomes the lawsuit you're defending tomorrow."
Massachusetts Securities Division is active in enforcement. Cambridge and Boston impose no unusual M&A-specific local rules, but Massachusetts has a non-compete statute that affects deal structure for talent-dependent transactions.
Securities regulated by Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Securities Division (sec.state.ma.us). Massachusetts has one of the more active Blue Sky enforcement environments in the U.S.; merit review authority exists for certain offerings. Non-competes are subject to Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (M.G.L. ch. 149, sec. 24L) requiring salary thresholds, garden leave pay, and prior notice.
In-depth guides to help you prepare for your transaction
How legal counsel protects sellers throughout the transaction.
Read guideStrategic planning for maximizing value when selling your business.
Read guideRegulatory and transactional considerations specific to healthcare deals.
Read guideCommon deal-killers and how experienced counsel helps prevent them.
Read guideStructured exit planning from initial valuation through closing.
Read guideUse these tools to prepare for your transaction. Professional analysis at your fingertips.
Acquisition Stars represents clients across Massachusetts and nationwide. Alex Lubyansky handles every engagement personally.
Don't see your city? View all Business Sale Attorney service areas or contact us directly.
"The gap between what sophisticated sellers negotiate and what first-time founders accept is getting wider every year."
15+ years of M&A and securities transaction experience Senior counsel on every engagement Admitted in Michigan, practicing nationwide
Reviewed by Alex Lubyansky on . Read full bio
Alex Lubyansky handles every engagement personally. Tell us about your transaction and we will let you know if there is a fit.
Tell us about your deal. We review every submission and respond within one business day.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
One attorney on every deal. Nationwide. 15+ years of M&A experience.