Charles J. Piechota

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- CJP@sutinfirm.com
- Phone: (505) 883-3310
- Fax: (505) 855-9582
- Albuquerque Office
CHARLES J. PIECHOTA is a firm shareholder who practices primarily in the areas of business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, state and federal taxation, intellectual property, liquor licensing, and estate planning and probate. Mr. Piechota represents businesses, including nonprofit organizations, of all kinds in reorganizations, private offerings, corporate governance and contract negotiation. Mr. Piechota advises businesses, artists and inventors with regard to intellectual property protection and licensing and with trademark and copyright registrations. He also represents businesses in the purchase, sale and lease of liquor licenses and with state and federal liquor regulation compliance. Mr. Piechota's estate planning practice focuses on tax, gift and business succession planning, estate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships.
Mr. Piechota has lectured widely on subjects including mergers and acquisitions, business entity selection and estate planning.
Before beginning his legal career, Mr. Piechota worked as a research assistant in Colorado State University's Mycobacterium Research Lab.

Admissions
- New Mexico, 2007
- Supreme Court of New Mexico, 2007
- Colorado, 2016
Education
- University of Colorado School of Law, 2007, J.D.
- Colorado State University, 2004, B.S. Microbiology, Honors Scholar
Publications & Speeches
- "Buying and Selling a Business, Mastering the Basics," June 2008, Albuquerque, NM, sponsored by Sterling Education Services
- "Business Entities for Small Business Owners," December 2008, Albuquerque, NM, sponsored by the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
Recognitions
- Martindale-Hubbell Rating: AV Preeminent
- Top Corporate Attorney, Albuquerque Journal Readers' Choice Awards, 2019
- Top Corporate Attorney, Albuquerque Journal Readers' Choice Awards, 2018
- Leadership Albuquerque, Class of 2012
- University of Colorado Law Review
- Member of Winning Team, University of Colorado Rothgerber Moot Court Competition, 2007
Professional & Community Involvement
- State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyers Division Mentoring Program
- American Bar Association
Representative Experience
Mr. Piechota's representative clients include private clients, Southwest regional retailers, real estate brokerages, restaurant chains, hotel management companies, high technology firms, and automobile dealerships. Among other matters, he has:
- Acted as board counsel to regional nonprofit organizations.
- Assisted owners with the purchase and sale of their businesses, as well as with their branding, succession planning, and corporate governance matters.
- Acted as local counsel to national hospitality management companies and liquor distribution companies.
- Represented a client in the sale of its 20-store restaurant operation.
- Represented a multistate client in the spin-off of one of its business divisions.
- Helped a local startup secure angel investment financing.
- Helped two local startups realize buyout exit strategies.
- Assisted with the purchase and development of a new shopping center.
- Assisted with the reorganization of a multistate real estate conglomerate.
- Assisted with succession planning for a multinational manufacturing and distribution firm.
- Managed the sophisticated, complicated administration and preservation of a $30 million estate, a representation that included closely held business disputes, multistate third-party creditor claims, a compromise with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service regarding the income tax treatment of several million dollars' worth of dividends and loans, compliance with multistate regulatory agencies, and resistance from disparate stakeholders over a number of years.