Brian J. Lake is retired of counsel in the Corporate Department in the South Bend, Indiana, office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. His career spanned more than 30 years of experience in counseling and advising businesses to help them deal with a wide spectrum of legal issues and business transactions. He worked closely with business owners to help achieve creative legal solutions that enabled businesses to take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace and be successful from one generation to the next.

Mr. Lake worked closely with a wide range of closely held businesses. He provided advice concerning business succession planning, purchases and sales of businesses (including ESOP transactions), successful negotiations to achieve long term business relationships, as well as other legal and business related planning for such companies.

Mr. Lake has worked with a number of companies in the media industry including cable TV, television and radio stations, newspapers and outdoor advertising companies. He has handled a wide number of business transactions with media industry clients including numerous transactions involving the purchase or sale of media businesses.

Mr. Lake has provided legal representation to a large number of physician groups. Such representation has included a wide range of business/health care related transactions and contracts including the purchase and sale of numerous physician practices.

Mr. Lake advised clients on executive compensation matters, deferred compensation plans, retirement plans and related matters. He also made numerous presentations at legal seminars on these topics.

Mr. Lake has been listed in the Closely Held Business category in the Indiana Super Lawyers Magazine from 2004 until his retirement. Mr. Lake has also been listed in the Best Lawyers in America (Employee Benefits) from1987 until his retirement.