Due diligence can be an expensive process when you consider the amount of time you will be spending as well as all of the attorney and accounting fees. Parties experienced in M&A know that the more "casual" due diligence done before the LOI is helpful to everyone. It increases the probability of a successful closing and it saves a great deal of time and fees in post-LOI due diligence.

Due diligence generally involves providing the buyer with a lot of sensitive information:

• Customer lists
• Supplier lists
• Balance sheets, P&Ls, general ledgers, etc.
• Corporate documents
• Agreements
• Employee information

Understanding how to present these details and what information is necessary can be crucial in making sure the deal closes and with the least cost.