Caroline Rice is an associate in the firm’s Business, Acquisitions, and Securities practice group. She advises clients across a broad range of industries on commercial transactions and day-to-day business matters, including corporate governance, entity formation, and strategic business planning. Caroline has significant experience supporting all stages of transactions, from structuring and due diligence through drafting and negotiating key agreements, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) transactions, and complex commercial transactions. She also advises clients on strategic growth initiatives, ownership structuring, and transition planning.
Her practice focuses on negotiating and drafting commercial agreements tailored to clients’ operational needs, including master services agreements, consulting agreements, supply and distribution agreements, software development and licensing agreements, and other technology and services contracts. She regularly assists clients operating in logistics and cross-border trade, supply chain and distribution, manufacturing and supplier relationships, healthcare and pharmacy services, and the automotive sector, with particular experience advising on vehicle regulatory compliance and freight operations. Caroline also routinely drafts and negotiates nondisclosure agreements, letters of intent, and other foundational transaction documents, and advises clients in digital and emerging spaces, including influencer marketing, online platforms, artificial intelligence, and software, on related commercial agreements and data privacy matters.
Caroline maintains a robust sports and entertainment practice, drawing on significant prior experience in the sports industry serving as a long-time beat writer and reporter covering Ohio State football and basketball for over a decade. Leveraging this unique blend of legal and industry knowledge, she advises athletes, coaches, sports organizations, and businesses operating in the broader sports and sports gaming industries on a wide range of legal and business matters. Her experience allows her to provide a holistic and practical approach to achieving client goals, including drafting and negotiating agent agreements, marketing and endorsement contracts, media and intellectual property licensing arrangements, and advising on personal branding, foundations and not-for-profit organizations, and rights related to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
Caroline also earned a Medical Cannabis Comprehensive Certificate from the Cleveland School of Cannabis. She leverages this background to counsel clients in the hemp, cannabis, and medical marijuana industries, including cultivators, processors, and dispensary applicants and license holders, on regulatory compliance, licensing, and operational matters, as well as growth strategies, strategic planning, and business development initiatives.
