Thomas B. Parent

Tom’s experience is wide and deep. A former litigator with extensive commercial transaction experience and a strong commitment to individual clients, Tom is a sought-after collaborator for businesses, higher education institutions, and families facing a range of complex decisions and problems.

The core of his practice is representing flagship clients in complex business and real estate matters, including Purdue University, the Purdue Research Foundation, Franciscan Alliance, Kirby Risk Corporation, and The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-Indiana.

As legal counsel for Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation, Tom has had a lead role in the negotiation of numerous enterprise-critical business transactions, including the groundbreaking Purdue University-Kaplan University transaction, the ERP implementation agreements with SAP and BearingPoint for the OnePurdue project, and the novel Amazon student agreement. He has further advised Purdue in strategic transactions related to the university’s intellectual property portfolio, including the sale of substantial pharmaceutical assets. Tom also represents Purdue in business, trademark, and copyright matters more generally.

His representation of other key clients in landmark transactions has included the negotiation of the merger of St. Elizabeth and Home Hospitals, the sale of North Central Health Services’ interest in Greater Lafayette Health Services to Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, and acting as lead counsel in a number of significant business acquisitions and sales. As a member of the Google Steering Committee and lead negotiator for the organization now known as the Big Ten Alliance, Tom secured a cutting-edge agreement with Google that enables library materials from Purdue and other universities to be more widely accessible and discoverable in digital form.

“It’s my intention to provide every client with top-flight, prompt, ethical representation.”

Tom’s work is not confined to major transactions for large institutional clients: he also relishes the opportunity to use his experience to help guide smaller business entities, start-ups of all types, and individuals. As a direct outgrowth of his extensive business and community activities, Tom spends significant time working one-on-one with individuals to help them with estate planning and charitable gift issues as well as estate administration. This includes practical guidance for families just starting out as well as sophisticated planning work for those with more complex needs, including the transition of family-owned businesses and transfers of agricultural land and other significant property.

His experience working with both smaller businesses and individuals makes him a popular presenter at seminars on issues ranging from entity choice and structure to intellectual property and estate planning. He is regular speaker at Lafayette Small Business Development Center and Lafayette Entrepreneurship Academy programs, among others.

Tom is one of Stuart & Branigin’s most active community leaders. He has served on the boards and committees of more than 15 nonprofit organizations focused on church, education, and community. He has also served as a board member to several for-profit entities, and assumed significant management roles at Stuart & Branigin. In his free time, Tom enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid skier, biker, disc golfer, runner, handyman, and traveler.

Areas of

Experience

Education & Achievements

Education

Indiana University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
- Administrative editor, Indiana Law Journal
- Order of the Coif
- Recipient of two American Jurisprudence Awards
- Recipient, Forrest E. Jump Scholarship
Purdue University, B.S., with highest distinction
- Member, Beta Gamma Sigma honor society
- Recipient, President’s Top 500 Award

Professional Appointments

The Trustees of Purdue University

Assistant Legal Counsel (2001-2012, 2013-2015)
Legal Counsel (2012-2013)

Committee on Institutional Cooperation (Big Ten Academic Alliance)

Member, Chief Legal Counsel Group (2012-13)
Member, Google Settlement Negotiation Team (2008-2011)

General Counsel, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, Inc.

Director, Old National Bank Regional Advisory Board (NSDQ: ONB), (2015-2019)

Director, LSB Financial Corp (NSDQ: LSBI), Lafayette Savings Bank, FSB, LSB Service Corporation, and Lafayette Insurance and Investments, Inc. (2011-2014)

Director, AC Engineering, Inc. (2001)

Member, Franciscan Alliance Western Indiana Board of Directors

Member, Franciscan Alliance Western Indiana Region MSAQI Committee

Memberships

National Association of College and University Attorneys
American Health Lawyers Association
National Diocesan Attorneys Association
American Bar Association
Indiana State Bar Association
Tippecanoe County Bar Association
Greater Lafayette Estate Planning Council

Bar Admissions

Indiana

Recognitions

Rated as AV “Preeminent” and endorsed for “High Ethical Standing” in Martindale-Hubbell, a leading peer review survey

Community Leaderships

Tom has a long track record of involvement with area nonprofit organizations. Current roles include:

Franciscan Alliance Western Indiana Board of Directors
Franciscan Alliance Western Indiana Region MSAQI Committee Member
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, Inc.
- Diocesan finance council member
- Planned giving advisory council member
- Lafayette Diocesan Foundation director
Member, Lafayette Community Council

His prior community leadership roles include:

Franciscan Alliance Foundation, Inc. – Western Indiana Regional Board
- Chairman
- Director
- Former chair, Feasibility Study Advisory Committee
Old National Bank Regional Advisory Board
Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, Inc.
- Chairman (2009-2010)
- Director (2005-2010)
Lafayette Area Catholic Schools
- Investment committee member (2000-2010)
- Development committee member (1997-2007)
- One-In-The-Spirit advisory board member (1995-2007) and chairman (1996-1998)
Director, United Way of Greater Lafayette (2009-2010)
Coach to various youth baseball, basketball, and soccer teams (1994-2009)
Lafayette Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.
- Director (1989-2006)
- President (1994-1997)
Director and president, Kids Konnected of Greater Lafayette, Inc. (2003-2006)
Steering committee member, Employers’ Health Law Forum of Lafayette (2005-2006)
Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
- Small business committee (1995-2005)
- Agricultural business committee (1995-1996)
Member, Greater Lafayette Venture Club Steering Committee (1999-2005)
Lafayette Small Business Development Center Advisory Board
- Director (1994-2003)
- Chairman (1995-2000)
Member, Purdue Research Foundation’s TRASK Pre-Seed Fund Advisory Committee (2001-2003)
Director, St. Thomas Aquinas Educational Foundation (1992-1999)
Advisory board member, Purdue Friends of Convocations

Representative Transactions

Negotiated multiple enterprise-critical business transactions for Purdue University, including comprehensive software implementation contracts with SAP and BearingPoint, the innovative Amazon Student agreement, and the acquisition of Kaplan University assets.
Represented Purdue Research Foundation in various high-profile transactions related to divestiture and acquisition of important pharmaceutical assets, the licensing and transfer of intellectual property, etc.
Outside counsel to leading regional health center – Franciscan Alliance – in connection with major corporate transactions, including mergers, divestitures, alliances, membership transfer agreements, and real estate transactions
Represented the Big Ten Alliance (formerly known as the CIC), in the negotiation of a cutting-edge agreement with Google to digitize and increase access to Alliance members’ library materials
Routinely handle major business transactions involving the sale or acquisition of assets, securities, etc.
Wealth and business succession planning for owners of significant assets, businesses, and farmland, including the formation and ongoing representation of business entities with multi-generational ownership
Represent several legal entities in connection with complex business, tax and securities issues
Advise clients regularly in connection with complex estate planning, gifting and tax issues, including the creation of charitable gifting vehicles such as charitable remainder trusts as well as in connection with other significant gifts to charitable organizations
Provide wide-ranging counsel to management of start-up legal entities, including matters relating to securities, intellectual property, trademark, and copyright issues

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