RICHARD C. BRUDER

Richard’s practice includes helping venture capitalists, angel investors, and entrepreneurs negotiate and close funding rounds; representing buyers and sellers in merger and acquisition transactions; creating advisory boards for entrepreneurial clients; providing strategic legal advice; and helping family-owned businesses survive and thrive.

Richard’s ideal clients include:

1. High-potential entrepreneurs with a “change the world” business who need a sophisticated, efficient deal lawyer to help them navigate stages of growth.

2. Successful business leaders presented with the opportunity for a “great deal” but who are unsure where to begin to get the deal done.

3. Power users of legal services—second-stage entrepreneurs whose business models often require frequent use of a lawyer—who can experience lower fees and higher-quality legal services through a relationship-based, fixed-fee pricing model.

Richard has handled hundreds of early-stage companies and funding rounds during his 35-plus years of practice. In the past six years, he has completed 38 funding rounds since joining Kemp Klein—averaging about one every other month. Because a funding round typically takes 60–90 days to close, there has seldom been a time when he hasn’t been working on at least one funding deal during this period—often two or more simultaneously.

Richard says, “This work is the most satisfying work that I do. The investors and entrepreneurs I represent literally change the world through the products and services they bring to market.”

Richard serves as counsel to Plymouth Venture Partners I, LLC (a $20 million early-stage investment fund), Plymouth Venture Partners II, LP (a $40 million venture fund), Plymouth Venture Partners III, LP (a $60 million venture fund), and Plymouth Growth Partners IV (a $40 million venture fund). He has also served as counsel to two funds from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business: The Frankel Fund, led by Professor Tom Porter, and the Social Venture Fund, led by Gautam Kaul, Ph.D.

Prior to joining the Kemp Klein Law Firm, Richard founded and served for seven years as managing partner of his own firm, Enterprise Law Partners, PLLC. Before that, he spent 20 years as a senior partner at a prominent business law firm in the metro Detroit area, where he was a member of the corporate practice group, advising clients primarily on corporate finance transactions and mergers and acquisitions. His areas of specialization included traditional bank financing, mezzanine lending, venture capital, seed and start-up financing, mergers, stock and asset deals, and leveraged recapitalizations of family-owned businesses.

In his earlier years, Richard practiced law for five years at one of the largest law firms in downtown Detroit, where he engaged in general practice and represented clients including the Detroit Lions, the Ford Family Foundation, Comerica Bank, and various other business entities.

Richard Bruder has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 in the fields of Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), and Venture Capital Law.

Mr. Bruder was also named Lawyer of the Year (2026) by Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Business Law. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® since 2022.

DBusiness Magazine recognized Mr. Bruder as a 2025 DBusiness Top Lawyer for his work in Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

Mr. Bruder holds an “AV” peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory—the highest possible peer review rating for attorneys—and maintains a 10.0 Superb Top Attorney score with Martindale-Avvo.

Richard has negotiated and closed the following multi-million dollar transactions:

The sale of a family-owned business in a $26 million leveraged recapitalization and sale to a private equity fund, which included tax planning, Hart-Scott-Rodino filings, $11 million of commercial bank financing, and executive employment agreements/real estate leases for the founding family members;

$14.2 million asset sale of an advertising agency specializing in the sale and marketing of “elevator music” including advertising spots to one of the largest competitors in the field;

$21 million stock sale of a family-owned metal stamper to a Chicago based financial buyer including a reinvestment of a portion of the sales proceeds by the founder’s sons;

$40 million asset sale of a video duplicating house to one of the world’s largest video producers; the transaction involved a careful balancing of the asset sale, with a fulfillment/servicing contract between the seller’s affiliate and the buyer, and a complex negotiation of a software license from a third party software vendor;

$20 million sale of a nationwide amusement business to a west coast firm undertaking a rollup of similar businesses;

Multiple angel financing rounds in the $750,000 to $3 million range, in a variety of high-tech, software, and consumer products for emerging growth companies as well as many other transactions involving venture investing, stock and asset sales, and real estate purchase/financing in the $1 million to $10 million range.

Fly fisherman on the Au Sable, Boardman and Jordan Rivers in northern Michigan, as well as the Huron and Clinton Rivers closer to home; beekeeper; sailor; instrument-rated private pilot and flies a Cessna Skylane out of Oakland Troy Airport; mindfulness meditation and yoga practitioner (working on touching his toes)

Tow-Truck Driver or Wingman? How to Get the Most Value From Your Lawyer; Commentator, Summer 2020

Six Legal Issues That Founders Must Get Right; Commentator, Summer 2016

Reg. D – Rule 506 – The Other White Meat; Commentator, Summer 2015

Advisory Boards – The Power of Focus; Commentator, Spring 2015