In the law of corporations, a merger is effected when one or more corporations becomes a part of, or merges, with another corporation so that one ceases to exist and the other continues to exist. In a merger, the company that continues to exist retains its name and identity and acquires the assets, liabilities, franchises, and powers of the corporation that ceases to exist. Attorneys who practice in mergers and acquisitions (sometimes called M & A) represent corporations and other business entities in strategizing, negotiating, and carrying out transactions in which two or more companies or corporations combine into a single new entity, a merger, or where one business purchases and absorbs the assets of another, an acquisition.
West Richland is a 22-square-mile (57 km) city in Benton County, Washington, United States, served by three elementary schools (Tapteal, William Wiley and White Bluffs) and a middle school (Enterprise), with an annual budget of about 30 million dollars. The population was 8,385 at the 2000 census. The city is generally included in the Tri-Cities (for purposes of counting population, etc. ), even though that technically makes four cities.