Our multinational Merger and Acquisition Practice's industry experience is exceptionally broad, covering virtually every significant regulated and unregulated industry in the U.S. and many abroad. Transactions have varied from a few million dollars to multiple billions in size and have included negotiated purchases and divestitures by public and private companies, tender offers, restructurings, spin-offs, leveraged buy-outs, and "going-private" transactions. We are experienced in representing sellers, buyers, investors, investment banks, commercial banks, private equity and venture capital funds, institutional lenders, independent director committees and management groups.
The group has advised on structuring various takeover defense mechanisms for many of the firm’s corporate clients, including the adoption of special charter and by-law provisions, shareholder rights plans (so-called "poison pills"), multiple classes of voting stock and similar devices.
Any sizable acquisition transaction, however structured, requires the assistance of more than business lawyers. Environmental matters, employee benefit plan and executive compensation considerations, government contracts, intellectual property rights, labor and employment matters, tax issues and regulatory concerns, as well as other specialized issues, are routinely encountered. More often than not these matters involve potentially significant liabilities which must be identified and analyzed early on, before the terms of the transaction become fixed. The breadth of the firm’s overall practice enables the group’s lawyers to call upon their colleagues in other practice groups and offices to address the various legal issues encountered in acquisitions and divestitures.