Lazard Middle Market LLC is an investment banking firm that represents sellers of public and private middle-market businesses in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and recapitalizations. The services provided by the firm include mergers and acquisitions, distressed company, and private placement advisory services; and valuations and opinions services. It offers a range of domestic and cross-border transactions including sales, mergers, and partnerships and joint ventures. Goldsmith provides financial advisory services to distressed companies in both Chapter 11 court-supervised proceedings and in out-of-court workouts. Its valuation services include strategic alternative assessments; fairness opinions and analyses; equity placements; purchase price allocations and goodwill impairment opinions; management incentive compensation plans; estate and gift tax planning; and litigation support. The firm caters to various industries including consumer, food & beverage, healthcare, industrial products and manufacturing, natural resources and environment, publishing, printing, media, technology, telecom, transportation and business services.