The Legal 500

A ‘cut above the rest’, Cahill Gordon & Reindel is ‘extremely responsive, experienced and knowledgeable, providing a wide range of lawyers in various practice areas to help with various aspects of a project. It provides good value for money through its efficiency, and I am made to feel as if I am its most important client’. The practice represented JPMorgan Asset Management and its global alternative asset manager, Highbridge Capital Management, in its acquisition of a majority stake in Gávea Investimentos, a leading asset management company in Brazil with approximately $6bn in assets under management, and acted as M&A counsel to Broadridge Financial Solutions in connection with the sale of Broadridge’s correspondent clearing business to Penson Worldwide, a provider of technology products and services to the financial services industry. In the upper mid-market space, the group advised Elan Corporation in connection with Johnson & Johnson’s headline $885m equity investment in Elan, and the sale to J&J of Elan’s Alzheimer’s Immunotherapy Program. The team also represented Coca-Cola Enterprises in its approximately $13bn transaction with The Coca Cola Company, in which it sold its North American operations to The Coca Cola Company, split off its European operation into a new public company and acquired the Norway and Sweden bottling operations of The Coca Cola Company. Hill Street Capital, an investment banking boutique firm, was advised in connection with the acquisition of all of its outstanding membership interests by BNP Paribas North America. Kenneth Orce is ‘one of the best and trusted advisors to senior executives and boards of directors for a variety of corporate transactions’. John Schuster is ‘a brilliant, corporate transactions lawyer. Schuster is also very practical and responsive’. Clients also report that the firm ‘lives to serve and that it shows in its attorneys’ business and legal acumen, the response times, the camaraderie and the results achieved’.

Choate, Hall & Stewart is experienced in representing acquirers, targets, financing sources and investment bankers in public and private M&A, both at domestic and international levels. The firm has a strong bench of supporting specialists in corporate, securities, private equity, finance, tax, antitrust, employment, IP, environmental and real estate law. The practice’s range of deals included acting for Airvana’s management in a $535m sale of Airvana Corp to private equity firms led by SAC Capital, advising Zystor Therapeutics in the $115m acquisition by BioMarin Pharmaceutical, and representing Wimba I in the $59.6m acquisition by Blackboard. The firm also advised Riverside Partners in a series of acquisitions and mergers that led to the formation of Alteris Renewables. Healthcare Waste Solutions was assisted in the $245m sale of Healthcare Waste Solutions to Stericycle. Fielding a US-Canada cross-border transactional practice, the team also assisted in the $640m sale of a nursing home operator to a Canadian corporation. Stephen Cohen, William Gelnaw and Robert Jahrling are well-respected attorneys.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP’s strong industry knowledge extends to a number of fields, including family-owned or other privately held companies, emerging technology companies, telecommunications, energy, health care, medical devices, food and food processing, as well as manufacturing. Work highlights have included advising Semitool in its $364m tender offer and merger with Applied Materials, acting for Rainsweet in negotiating the sale of a frozen onion business unit and developing a strategic alliance with Freeze Pack, and assisting Confirma, the creator of Cadstream, a medical device software system that automates the processing of breast magnetic resonance imaging studies, in its $22m merger with Merge Healthcare. It also represented the owners of Massif Mountain Gear Company in the sale of the company to Golden Gate Capital, and advised Starbucks in the acquisition of Cafe Hawaii Partners and Puerto Rico Coffee Partners. Additionally, the practice was counsel to West Coast Hotels in its sale to Cavanaugh’s, and in the subsequent acquisition of Red Lion Hotels from Hilton. Portland business chair Michael Phillips is recommended; Phillips has acted in cross-border M&A for Canadian and United States entities. In Seattle, business transactions chair Joseph Weinstein is especially focused on transactions involving family or closely held businesses, private equity funds and international businesses. Weinstein has substantial experience in the food-related industries and assists clients with the purchase and sale of such companies.

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP ‘is very responsive to all our requests. It also immerses itself into our business and our target’s business so as to understand the industry we operate in better and to ensure that the transaction meets our goals. The firm also has the breadth of expertise to tackle all the major areas of an acquisition, such as the purchase, ERISA, tax and commercial issues, which helps with teamwork and in streamlining the deal. Finally, the quality of service provided by the firm is equal to the quality received by the major East and West Coast firms but at a very reduced price’. Representative work includes advising Lexmark International in the $280m acquisition of all the issued and outstanding shares of Perceptive Software, a Kansas City-based software company focusing primarily in enterprise content management. This deal was executed by means of a reverse-triangular merger. The team also represented FirstGroup America, a multi-national transportation provider, in a syndicated lease finance equipment acquisition with multiple lending investors in transactions with a total value of approximately $113m, and assisted The Connor Group in the acquisitions of the assets of multiple owners and operators of apartment communities in a four-state region. Other clients include Procter & Gamble, First Group America, General Electric Company, Cincinnati Bell, Halma and The Standard Register Company. In Cincinnati, co-department head Susan Zaunbrecher is ‘a very seasoned dealmaker. She puts forth very executable strategies, ensuring that deals are closed in a very short time frame. Through her expertise, she knows exactly what the major deal issues will be and devises a plan to close these gaps. Her negotiation tactics are extremely effective’. Also in Cincinnati, Brian Judkins ‘is masterful at putting the terms of a deal together, being a subject matter expert in certain areas and pulling the entire acquisition team together to ensure all points are thoroughly considered and implemented. Brian is a tireless worker and can always be counted on to make deadlines. He is also extremely talented, hardworking and very dedicated to his clients and craft’. Co-department head Calvin Buford is another key contact. Michael DiSanto was hired from Reed Smith LLP.

Led by Matthew Knopf, Minneapolis-based law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP works with clients ranging from well-known multinationals expanding their global brands, to family-owned businesses executing exit strategies. The health care and mining sectors featured heavily on the deal list, highlights including acting as primary outside counsel to ATS Medical in its $370m sale to Medtronic and representing Mountain View Hospital in connection with the sale of a majority interest in the company to Symbion, a large healthcare company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The team also represented Collaborative Care Holdings, a private company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, in its acquisition of a 49% stake in AppleCare Medical Management, a California-based private management company that creates and maintains networks of medical providers. In the large deal space, the team represented ADC Telecommunications in its pending $1.25bn sale to Tyco Electronics, a Swiss-based global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, specialty products and subsea telecommunications systems. Uranium One, a metal and mining company, was assisted with US law matters in the sale of an equity stake interest in excess of 51% to a Russian entity.

Goodwin Procter LLP’s ‘response times are incredibly strong and the service is outstanding, with tremendous depth across a wide range of transaction types’. Fielding offices from Boston, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington DC, the practice is especially noted for M&A within a private equity context, with clients praising the lawyers’ ‘market knowledge of current M&A terms and ability to handle the opposition firmly but cooperatively’. Recent highlights include: representing American-Amicable Holdings in its $145m acquisition by IA American Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services, a Canadian life and health insurance company; advising AIG Investment Corp, the asset management division of AIG, in its sale of PineBridge Investments to Pacific Century Group; and acting for JMI Equity in its acquisition of Compusearch Holdings Company, a leading provider of enterprise software and services. Digital Sky Technologies was assisted in its $187.5m acquisition of the instant messaging company, ICQ, from AOL, and Nimsoft was represented in its $350m acquisition by Computer Associates. Boston-based John LeClaire chairs the private equity group. Seung Baik in the Washington DC office was recently promoted to partner, and Jane Greyf joined in New York as of counsel.

Offering ‘high levels of service’, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP’s corporate department works on a broad range of M&A transactions, with a focus on the middle-market. Clients praise the ‘good value for money but without quality being sacrificed’. The practice recently expanded its private equity practice with the addition of James Moriarty and Russell Pinilis from O’Melveny & Myers LLP, and has been especially active in the financial services, transportation and garment sectors. With participation from the firm’s litigation, financial services, employee benefits, tax, and IP departments, the practice handled a number of complex M&A transactions, with many of its representations either involving clients seeking to capitalize on strategic opportunities or distressed companies. Recent strategic M&A deals include representing RiskMetrics Group in its acquisition by MSCI, advising Genco Shipping & Trading in its acquisition of assets of Bourbon-Setaf, and assisting HiTouchBusiness Services in its acquisition of MyOfficeProducts. In private equity, the practice acted for Alloy, originators of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, in its acquisition by an investor group led by Zelnick Media. The team also represented Altitude Capital Partners in connection with the sale to RPX Corporation of a large patent portfolio by its portfolio company, Saxon Innovations. On the distressed side, the practice assisted Deloitte in the successful acquisition, as stalking horse, of the North American Public Services business of BearingPoint, and was counsel to the Official Unsecured Creditors Committee in the Chrysler bankruptcy, including M&A transactional work related to this representation. The practice also sees its fair share of mandates in the upper mid-market space. The ‘first-rate corporate transactional lawyer’ Howard Spilko is ‘singled out for his ability to provide top-notch legal advice in many areas but at comparably reasonable rates’. Thomas Molner is also highly regarded.

McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP provides ‘excellent service that goes beyond expectations. It out-thinks and out-performs its opponents consistently, remaining one step ahead at all times and producing remarkable results’. Fielding ‘courteous and competent counsel’, the practice has significant experience in domestic and international transactions involving publicly owned and privately held businesses in a wide variety of industries. It saw an uptick in deals during the last quarter of 2010, with recent work frequently emerging from the UK, as well as Canada. Industry Canada was assisted in connection with the court-supervised sale of a majority interest in General Motors to the US Department of Treasury, in which the Canadian government (along with the government of Ontario) provided a $9.5bn loan to the new General Motors. As part of the transaction, the government of Canada also acquired an equity investment in the new entity. The firm is noted for its strengths in the defense and aerospace sectors, as well as healthcare, biotechnology and energy. Additionally, the corporate department has an active cross-border transactions practice, with particular strength in the financial institutions and payments area. Anchored in Atlanta and Brussels, this team has focused on payment systems transactions for more than twenty years with extensive global experience, including US-trained lawyers who have had multi-year assignments in Europe while with the firm, some of whom are qualified members of the bar in England and Belgium. Other highlights for the firm included representing Just Energy in its acquisition of Hudson Energy Services, the company’s first significant acquisition in the US, and advising the Affiliated Transactions Committee and the independent directors of CCE in the sale of its North American operations to The Coca-Cola Company. The team also represented Capital City Technologies in its sale to Ernst & Young, and was counsel to Elavon Financial Services, a regulated Irish credit institution, in the acquisition of the Diners Club International merchant acquiring business from Citibank affiliates in Belgium, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. The ‘thorough’ corporate department chair Wayne Bradley is ‘responsive, intelligent and pragmatic’. Senior counsel Clay Long is ‘an absolutely great negotiator and strategic thinker.’ Long is also ‘brutally ethical and always available’. David Brown is ‘intellectually thorough, a quick learner and quietly strong’, his ‘follow-up is excellent and his research phenomenal’.

While Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP advises on a wide range of transactions, it has established a strong position in mid-market M&A deals, valued at up to $500m. This arises in large part from its significant presence in technology M&A, but the practice is also advising on a growing number of mid-market cross-border M&A transactions from the New York office. The firm has a leading practice in emerging companies, representing more than 800 companies and many of the top venture capital firms in the world, and a Silicon Valley office of more than 100 lawyers. The clean technology and renewable energy M&A practice is encompassed within the emerging companies practice and project finance group. Key matters included the representation of Apple in its acquisition of Siri, a mobile search company with a voice-activated application for the iPhone that functions as a virtual personal assistant, and acting for Italian pharmaceutical company Sigma-Tau and its US affiliate, Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, which specializes in marketing pharmaceutical products treating rare diseases, in its $327m acquisition of the specialty products division of Enzon Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded company located in New Jersey and Indiana. The firm also advised Recurrent Energy, a developer and operator of distributed solar power projects in North America and Europe, in its negotiation of a merger agreement that related to its up-to $305m acquisition by Sharp Corporation, a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of solar panels and other electronic products worldwide. The New York office led the representation of CoorsTek, a technical ceramics manufacturing company, in its $245m acquisition of Saint-Gobain, a France-based advanced ceramics business. In Menlo Park, team leader Don Keller is a widely respected practitioner.

Cleveland-based Baker Hostetler frequently advises market-leading Fortune 1000 companies and private companies within a wide spectrum of industries in implementing M&A, and counsels growing middle-market companies seeking strategic acquisitions and private companies trying to achieve liquidity through sale or merger. Key matters included advising Gruner + Jahr, Europe’s largest newspaper and magazine publisher, on sale transactions concerning its US magazine business; acting for Developers Diversified in the formation of DDR Macquarie Fund, a joint venture with a newly-formed Australian-based listed property trust; and representing The EW Scripps Company, when taking its broadcasting subsidiary private, in the sale of its cable television business, and in its acquisition of cable networks and online comparison shopping services. Fisher Scientific International was assisted in its acquisitions of Cellomics, McKesson BioServices and Lancaster Laboratories, marking important steps in its strategy to enhance product and service offerings, and Blue Point Capital Partners was advised in its acquisition of CLAD Metals Division from Texas Instruments. In the large deal space, the practice was counsel to Wendy’s in its $2.3bn merger with Triarc. New York-based Steven Goldberg co-chairs the transactions practice team. In Cleveland, Ronald Stepanovic also co-chairs the national M&A team and heads the private equity practice. Stepanovic has particular experience in the acquisition and disposition of middle-market manufacturing companies, and regularly represents equity funds in highly leveraged management-led buyout acquisitions, add-on acquisitions and dispositions and recapitalizations of portfolio companies.

Fielding ‘service-oriented and easy to work with lawyers’, Ballard Spahr LLP’s ‘overall level of service is excellent and its billing rates are competitive. The lawyers are dedicated and smart, and their experience matches up well with other firms’. The practice serves as primary outside securities counsel to Osiris Therapeutics, a leader in the development of adult stem cell therapeutics. In 2009 and 2010, the team represented Osiris in numerous day-to-day corporate matters, including advising in connection with its reincorporation from Delaware to Maryland. The team also represented Medegen Holdings in connection with the $225m sale of its subsidiary Medegen to CareFusion Solutions, a publicly traded company based in California. Other highlights included representing long-time firm client PMA Capital, a holding company whose operating subsidiaries provide insurance and fee-based services, in its $365m sale to Chicago-based Old Republic International Corporation, one of the nation’s 50 largest publicly owned insurance organizations, whose subsidiaries market, underwrite, and provide risk management services to a wide variety of coverages in the property and liability, mortgage guaranty, and title insurance fields. The group was retained to serve as Nevada counsel for Arena Resources in its proposed $1.5bn merger with a subsidiary of SandRidge Energy, the transaction essentially a merger of equals in which the stockholders of Arena Resources would own 45% of SandRidge Energy and would receive additional cash per share. Phoenix-based M&A and private equity partner-in-charge Karen McConnell is a key contact. ‘Trusted advisor’ McConnell ‘is as reliable as they get’.

Blank Rome LLP’s M&A attorneys are extremely active in the purchase, sale, and combination of a variety of business entities, both publicly and privately owned. The practice represented Sunoco in the $25m acquisition of 25 convenience store sites in the state of New York from Lehigh Gas, and advised StoneMor Partners, the second largest publicly traded cemetery company in the US, in a $1.9m acquisition of Forest Lawn Gardens, which owns and operates Forest Lawn Cemetery in McMurray, Pennsylvania. It also assisted a footwear and apparel manufacturer in a transaction involving the purchase of a leading brand of apparel and home goods for men, women, and children, the purchase price comprising $40m in cash, over four million shares of restricted stock, and an assumption of approximately $11m in debt. Other representative matters included advising a joint venture in connection with the merger of a publicly traded real estate investment trust, the plus-$1bn deal involving more than 35 shopping centers in several states. The team also assisted an independent oil refiner and marketer in the $181m acquisition of 112 convenience stores/service stations and approximately 230 supply sites in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia from the third largest integrated oil and gas company in the US. Overall, the firm has helped the oil refiner close the acquisition of 469 service station sites in 11 states, and 701 supply sites in 19 states. A publicly traded owner and operator of cemeteries was represented in the approximately $12.9m acquisition of 21 cemeteries and six funeral homes from a funeral services company, and a financial services software and technology provider was assisted in the acquisition of a provider of economic capital management software. Philadelphia-based partner Alan Zeiger acted for a late-stage venture-capital fund in connection with its investment in a health information technology company. Also in Philadelphia, the ‘deeply experienced’ Barry Genkin heads the business department.

Bryan Cave LLP is experienced in assembling multi-disciplinary teams which can be required for the successful completion of a transaction, and regularly calls upon other firm attorneys for assistance in areas such as financing, tax, human resources, IP, environmental and other regulatory matters. St Louis-based William Seabaugh leads the global transactions practice. Seabaugh’s representative deal roster includes advising Ralcorp in its $1.2bn acquisition of American Italian Pasta, acting for Emerson Electric and Monsanto in multiple acquisitions and divestitures, and assisting five privately held businesses in separate sale transactions to private equity buyers for an aggregate consideration in excess of $700m. Also in St Louis, deputy leader Steven Baumer has acted for Monsanto Company in connection with various strategic investments, and represented Anheuser-Busch Companies in connection with cross-border investment activities. Baumer has experience in a number of different industries, including agriculture, aviation, manufacturing, technology, solar energy, banking, life sciences, telecommunications, private equity and consumer goods. New York-based deputy leader Jay Dorman was counsel on the $600m sale of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers to Barnes & Noble, and assisted in the $700m acquisition by GameStop of French retailer Micromania.

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP’s ‘response times are superb. It does not care about five o’clock on a Friday, as it does whatever it takes to get the job done. It compares extremely well with the large national firms and with regards to industry knowledge, the practice is able to utilize other specialized lawyers within the firm’. Clients also ‘believe that we receive value for our money’. The firm principally focuses on the representation of mid-size companies. It recently represented Cott Beverage in the $500m acquisition of the largest private manufacturer of juice and related products in North America, making Cott one of the world’s largest manufacturers of carbonated beverages. The team also represented US Development Group, a provider of ethanol terminaling services, in the $195m sale of its ethanol handling and servicing business to Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, and assisted Vertex, a provider of corporate tax solutions, software, and consulting services, in its $2.5m investment in the Series B Offering of Avalara, a provider of sales tax and compliance-software solutions and services. Other matters involved the representation of GeneSeek, the leading commercial agricultural genetics laboratory in the US, in the $21m sale of all of its outstanding shares to Neogen Corporation, a developer, manufacturer and marketer of products dedicated to food and animal safety. Logan Circle Partners, an investment advisor, was represented in its $17m sale to Fortress Investment Group. Chicago-based Kevin Freeman is ‘exceptional as he looks at the issues as a businessperson. He doesn’t over-lawyer and this is critical when trying to run a business. Freeman is also very bright and straightforward. He always gets it done!’ In Philadelphia, Stephen Burdumy is praised for his ‘overall knowledge of contracts and business’. Additionally, Burdumy is ‘an excellent advocate for his clients’. Also in Philadelphia, contracts expert Samuel Mason is rated for his ‘deep experience’. Corporate and securities chair Robert Juelke and Princeton-based John Stoddard are both widely praised. Juelke and Stoddard will ‘personally commit to a transaction rather than letting the work be carried out by senior associates. They are also brilliant attorneys, as well as being exceedingly practical. They know how to focus on the most important issues in order to get the job done’. David Denious joined as a partner in the corporate and securities practice group in Philadelphia from Dechert LLP.

Foley Hoag LLP, based in Boston and Washington DC, advised CACI International in its negotiation of an agreement to purchase American Management System Incorporated’s Defense and Intelligence Group for $415m. Another highlight was assisting Campbell Bewley, the US holding company of Campbell Bewley and owner of Rebecca’s cafes, in its acquisition of Cucina Holdings and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Java City and Carvali Coffees, the acquisition significantly expanding Campbell Bewley’s US operations in the retail-coffee and corporate-catering areas. Boston-based co-managing partner William Kolb heads the M&A team. Kolb acted in the sale of Allaire to Macromedia, advised in connection with the purchase by PRI Automation of Promis Systems, represented the special committee of the board in the sale of Concerto Software to Melita, and was counsel in relation to the purchase by LSI Logic of IntraServer Technology. Also in Boston, Robert Birnbaum represents a number of public and private companies, with an emphasis on technology-based businesses, investment advisers and investment funds.

Because of its Midwestern roots, ‘value for money’ Foley & Lardner LLP has significant experience in mid-market deals, but it also stands out because of its coast-to-coast presence. ‘As a result, it can provide a complete team of professionals who can assist with all aspects of a corporate deal, both public and private’. Other clients report that ‘response times are good and if there are issues they are proactively addressed. It also has good attorneys who understand the utility and non-regulated energy marketing and generation businesses’. Clients are ‘particularly pleased with the associates who carry out great chunks of the work’. Recently the firm was especially active in the medical devices/healthcare sectors as well as infrastructure. The practice represented privately held Kayem Foods in the acquisition of several product lines from Tyson Foods, and advised ASA International in a going-private transaction. The team assisted First Capital, a Florida-based commercial finance company, in connection with a $139m common stock investment by HIG Capital, a private equity firm, which doubles First Capital’s common equity base, and advised Rangers Baseball Express (the Greenberg-Ryan investment group) in its ongoing acquisition of the Texas Rangers and related interests in the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and certain real estate surrounding the ballpark. Quad/Graphics was assisted in the acquisition of World Color Press and as a result of the deal, Quad/Graphics became a publicly traded company listed on the NYSE. Washington DC-based vice chair David Sanders is a widely respected lawyer. In Boston, the ‘excellent and intuitive strategist’ Paul Broude ‘has ‘superior business acumen and is very responsive’, while Milwaukee-based Patrick Quick is ‘accessible, responsive and smart’. In Jacksonville, Gardner Davis is ‘excellent for acquisitions’. Also in Milwaukee, Jay Rothman chairs the transactional and securities group and Bryan Schultz ‘possesses excellent drafting skills’. Schultz’s work focuses on acquisition and divestiture transactions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, commercial transactions and general corporate matters. ‘Deal guy’ John Klusaritz joined the Washington DC office from Bingham McCutchen LLP as partner. Klusaritz is particularly experienced in telecoms and energy matters, and ‘has excellent private equity contacts at national levels’.

Headquartered in Detroit, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP also has offices in Lansing, Oakland County, Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, Michigan. The firm is noted for its role as legal advisor to banks and thrifts in transactions. Corporate and securities chair Donald Kunz has particular expertise in the representation of publicly traded corporations, his representative clients including Handleman Company, Taubman Centers, and Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, as well as privately held businesses, real estate investment trusts, and technology companies.

Fielding a 12-partner M&A team, Kaye Scholer LLP is especially strong in pharmaceuticals, defense and private equity matters. Recently the team represented long-time client JW Childs Associates, BAML Capital Partners and Advantage Sales & Marketing in connection with the proposed sale of Advantage Sales & Marketing to Apax Partners, advised American Securities in its significant investment in Advanced Drainage Systems, a leading manufacturer of corrugated high-density polyethylene pipe, and acted for Arlington Capital Partners in its investment in Compusearch Systems, a provider of enterprise software and services that automate mandated business rules for public sector organizations with authority to spend, grant, or move funds. The team also represented The InterFlex Group, an international flexible packaging company, in its acquisition of C&H Packaging Company. Stephen Koval, Emanuel Cherney and Joel Greenberg are respected practitioners. Co-corporate and finance chair Adam Golden also heads the life sciences transactions practice.

The ‘excellent’ Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton is a ‘highly responsive and innovative law firm’. In Atlanta, ‘business-oriented and objective’ Ben Barkley represented EyeWonder in its merger with Limelight Networks, a publicly traded content delivery network provider, the acquisition value being approximately $110m plus earnout. Appreciated for his ‘fantastic negotiation skills’, Gregory Cinnamon represented AGL Resources in the $71.5m disposition of its dark-fiber telecommunications business to Colorado-based Zayo Group, a private equity-backed company. The firm also represented American Tower International in its purchase and leaseback of 140 cell phone towers from VTR Globalcom, a Chilean subsidiary of Liberty Global. The transaction was the first signed deal using the lease of infrastructure model in the Chilean wireless sector. Oldcastle Materials, a vertically integrated supplier of aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and paving services, was represented in nine completed acquisitions between October 2009 and July 2010, valued at approximately $275m. Practice leader Rich Cicchillo in Atlanta ‘is fantastic. He provides incredible response times and understands clients’ business’.

Loeb & Loeb LLP runs offices from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Nashville, Washington DC, as well as a representative office in Beijing. New York-based Andrew Ross and Mitchell Nussbaum lead a team described as ‘first rate, smart, experienced, creative, responsive, and having exactly the right mix of toughness and flexibility’. Clients also find the firm’s rates to be ‘good value for money, and can be creatively structured to drive efficiency gains for the client’. The M&A team handles the full range of M&A activities for public and private companies, from very large to small transactions. With a new presence in Beijing, which draws upon the larger firm’s multidisciplinary strengths, the practice is now well situated to advise US and multinational clients in complex, cross-border transactions in China and Asia, as well as providing side-by-side, on-the-ground service to Chinese clients on their acquisitions in the US. Recently, the firm represented the shareholders of privately held Hong Kong Mandefu Holding (CME) in a business combination with TM Entertainment and Media, a special purpose acquisition corporation. CME is China’s largest television advertising operator on intercity express buses. China Holdings Acquisition was assisted in its purchase of Jinjiang Hengda Ceramics and related re-domestication merger with its wholly owned subsidiary to form China Ceramics. The practice also counseled Spring Creek Acquisition in its $68m acquisition of AutoChina Group, and represented BBV Vietnam SEA Acquisition Corp in a $69m SPAC acquisition by Migami to form Pharmanite Holdings. In other M&A matters, it acted for the Welspun family of companies in the acquisition of certain assets of KOJO Worldwide, involved in designing and manufacturing soft goods for the hospitality industry. Another significant transaction was the representation of Bank of New York in its $2.31bn acquisition of PNC’s Global Investment Servicing business, a provider of custody, fund accounting, transfer agency and outsourcing solutions for asset managers and financial advisors. As part of the firm’s cross-collaboration strength, it provided transactional representation, as entertainment counsel, in the following matters: representing ARC Music Corporation in its sale to Fuji Media Holdings subsidiary Fuji Entertainment America for an undisclosed amount, and advising Saban Capital Group in the sale of its music catalogs. New York managing partner and chair David Schaefer is one client’s ‘highest recommendation for mid-market M&A’.

With nearly 100 M&A attorneys working from 17 offices across the US and in China, Perkins Coie LLP represents public and private companies in a full range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including strategic acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, leveraged buyouts and going-private transactions. The practice is especially noted for its advice to the media, energy and telecommunication industries, and advises emerging growth companies in their exit sales to strategic buyers. Representative experience includes acting on the sale of TicketsNow, the world’s largest online inventory of secondary market tickets, to Ticketmaster for approximately $300m, and serving as corporate counsel to TechCrunch, a leading online technology media property, in its acquisition by AOL. Seattle-based Stewart Landefeld, who chairs the firm’s business practice, is ‘one smart attorney’.

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey’s recently completed combination with Hammonds LLP is expected to enhance the firm’s capability in complex cross-border transactions. The practice has a large and diverse client base and advises listed companies, privately owned companies, management, entrepreneurs, private equity houses and institutions on national and cross-border M&A (including takeovers) and disposals. The firm’s experience includes representing a global provider of outsourced data processing services in its $50m acquisition of a software development house and serving as counsel to the acquirer, a US-based producer of specialty materials for industry, in the $130m acquisition of a polymer modifiers business with plants in New Jersey, Wales and Belgium. The team also acted for a publicly traded, Japan-based global printing and printing products company, in its $650m acquisition of the stock of one of the leading worldwide producers of photo masks that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors. In Cleveland, Dynda Thomas is the deputy practice leader of the corporate transactions, finance and governance practice group. Thomas’ representative experience includes assisting multiple prospective purchasers in various auction bid processes for manufacturers, electric generation facilities and industrial companies, advising on the $265m purchase of a 500 MW power gas-fired, electric generating plant in Texas, and serving as counsel to an aerospace infrastructure manufacturer in the $163m auction purchase of an optical systems business unit, including engineering, IP and government contracts.

Co-led by Eric Fenichel in Atlanta and Washington DC-based Cynthia Krus, financial services industry-focused Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP has a particularly strong record in the acquisition of publicly held companies, where it has represented buyers, sellers and special committees of independent directors, and is especially recommended for business development and life insurance-related M&A deals. It has also acted in financial restructurings that have involved asset spin-offs to stockholders, recapitalizations, stock-for-debt swaps and debt-for-debt swaps. The practice represented Allied Capital Corporation in its $850m acquisition by Ares Capital Corporation, marking the largest merger ever in the business development company industry. The team also served as lead outside counsel to First Data Corporation in the formation of Bank of America Merchant Services, a multibillion-dollar joint venture between First Data and Bank of America, which became the largest US processor of credit card transactions for merchants. Spectrum Brands was advised in its merger with Russell Hobbs to form a new global consumer products company with an estimated $3bn in annual revenue, the new company’s home appliance business unit featuring, in addition to Russell Hobbs, a variety of well-known consumer brands, including George Foreman, Black & Decker and Toastmaster. Patriot Capital Funding was assisted in connection with its merger with Prospect Capital Corporation. Clients praise the firm’s ‘overall very good service and its industry knowledge that exceeds expectations’.

With US offices run from Austin, Houston, Dallas, Washington DC and The Woodlands, Andrews Kurth LLP’s lawyers handle deals of all sizes, ranging from less than $1m to more than $15bn, and encompassing all major methods of buying and selling companies and assets, such as negotiated stock purchases, cash transactions, tender offers, going private and management buyout transactions, exchange offers, auctions, spinoffs, restructurings and divestitures. The practice has a pre-eminent reputation for handling asset purchases and sales for businesses that explore, develop, produce, store, market, transport and process energy resources. It advises on the ownership transfer of highly specialized assets, including producing properties, pipelines, power plants and cogeneration facilities, in the US and other countries. The firm also has significant M&A experience in the finance, manufacturing, technology, hospitality and real estate sectors. Houston-based David Buck recently represented the acquirer in an $8bn merger with Enterprise GP Holdings. Buck is particularly experienced in domestic and international energy, maritime transportation, aviation and the death care industries. Also in Houston, Michael O’Leary is co-chair of the corporate and securities practice. O’Leary was counsel to Hilcorp Energy in connection with an Eagle Ford joint venture with KKR and affiliated funds, and advised BJ Services Company in connection with its merger with Baker-Hughes.

Dickstein Shapiro’s M&A practice excels at handling middle-market deals involving corporations from Fortune 50s to startups. Clients ‘receive tremendous service. It is a valued and trusted partner and there are many instances where we are asking for very fast turn-around times on documents in order to meet the timing of an acquisition process. The firm has the talent and depth of experience to meet these very fast time frames’. The firm serves clients in the energy, post-secondary education, government contracts, technology, real estate, insurance, broadcast, and manufacturing industries, both in the US and abroad. In late 2010, the group expanded its national M&A and private equity practices with the arrival of five partners and seven associates. Working both from New York City and the firm’s newly launched Stamford, Connecticut office, the group includes Christopher Cerrito, Martin Clarke, John Flaherty, Thomas Freed, and Evan Seideman from Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP. Recent deals include acting for Harbour Group Investments IV in negotiating the $1bn sale of Lincoln Holdings Enterprises, a leading lubricating systems company, by Harbour Group Investments IV. The same client was assisted in its $140m acquisition of Fleetgistics Holdings, which operates a number of specialized same day logistics services businesses, primarily serving the eastern half of the US. Gladstone Investment was represented in several acquisitions and sales this year, including the sale of its stake in A Stucki Corporation and its investment in Venyu Solutions. Other clients include Branch Banking and Trust Company, CPV Renewable Energy, Federated Funds, Greenfield Industries, Liberty National Gas, National Consumer Cooperative Bank, Poseidon Water, Silver Point Capital and Tyson Foods. Washington DC-based Kenneth Morrow is ‘extremely talented at structuring and understanding complex transactions. He does not dig in on issues and continually works to find solutions that facilitate the deal but protect our interests’. Also in Washington DC, Howard Jatlow is ‘an excellent attorney who gives great counsel and significant value for services rendered’. Emanuel Faust is also recommended.

Clients like the face that the ‘very responsive and knowledgeable’ firm Fowler White Boggs P.A. is ‘conveniently located in major cities throughout the state of Florida’. The firm expanded its corporate M&A practice in the past year through lateral hires, such as Jason Campbell and ‘extraordinary’ corporate practice co-head Daniel Nunn Jr in Jacksonville joining from McGuireWoods LLP, who is ‘extremely intelligent and able to assess a situation in a thorough but practical manner. I would recommend Nunn for any M&A activity’. In addition, Arnold Zipper joined the Fort Lauderdale office as a shareholder from Hodgson Russ LLP. The practice is known for its expertise within the financial institutions, energy and life sciences sectors, its sweet spot being the $5-25m range, but its recent highlights include serving as Florida counsel to MPS Group in connection with its $1.3bn Merger with Adecco, and advising a privately held corporation that has bought and sold different aircraft in transactions having a total value of approximately $100m. The firm also served as counsel to the special committee of the board of directors of Steel Vault Corporation in connection with its merger with VeriChip Corporation, and advised the purchaser of a franchised motor vehicle sales and service dealership. The practice has capabilities within the healthcare sector space and acted for the seller in the disposition of a health care business. Jacksonville-based corporate practice co-head Thomas Gibbs is ‘an excellent practitioner’. Healthcare specialists Linda Robison and Mark Folk left the firm, joining Shutts & Bowen LLP in Fort Lauderdale.

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP’s M&A attorneys assist clients in structuring, negotiating and implementing M&A transactions in the US and abroad. The practice’s work involves both hostile and friendly transactions and includes the representation of public and private companies, acquirers, targets, boards of directors, independent director committees, management buyout groups, subordinated lenders and equity participants. Especially known for media and publishing industry-related deals, the practice’s experience in fact covers a broad range of industries including industrial companies, media companies, pharmaceutical companies, airlines, utilities, apparel and other consumer products companies, financial services entities and accounting firms. Highlights included representing entertainment and telecommunications company Cablevision Systems in its acquisition of Newsday, one of the nation’s largest daily newspapers, serving Long Island and New York City, from the Tribune through to the formation of a partnership. The team also represented Rockwood Holdings in the acquisition of the global color pigments business of Elementis, and Viacom was assisted in its acquisition of Babunga.com, a network of parenting sites aimed at mothers-to-be. In New York, Candace Beinecke and James Modlin remain widely respected key figures. New York-based co-corporate chair Kenneth Lefkowitz is recommended.

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP’s corporate and M&A team is backed by a strong finance practice, spanning all aspects of bank finance and capital market transactions. Recently, the firm has been especially focused on assisting clients with the restructuring of capital structures. Additionally, it has provided assistance to a number of financial institutions in restructuring troubled loans and asset holdings. Key industry sectors for the team include IT & outsourcing, financial, healthcare, restructuring and real estate. Timothy Lavender has represented both privately and publicly held clients in all types of M&A work, both asset and stock, as well as liquidations in all industries. Thomas Ferguson’s M&A experience ranges from small asset deals to multimillion-dollar transactions, including providing strategic counsel and conducting primary negotiations. Ferguson is also noted for traditional private equity and buy-out transactions. He advised a group of high-net-worth investors in connection with a multimillion-dollar investment in a medical device company, and assisted a domestic and long distance telecom service company in connection with the sale of a majority ownership percentage of the company. Andrew Pillsbury acted for a management group in management-led buyout of a division of a publicly traded parent company.

For complex M&A transactions, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP regularly draws upon the experience of attorneys in many other practice areas, including antitrust, environmental, IP, labour, tax, executive compensation and employee benefits. The practice represented the audit committee of the board of directors of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals in its $80m acquisition of Sucampo, a Swiss-based patent-holding company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Sucampo AG Japan, a patent maintenance company, from the cofounders and majority shareholders of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals. It also advised Cerberus Capital Management in its $875m purchase of Caritas Christi Health System, one of New England’s largest non-profit hospital systems. BMG Rights Management was assisted in its acquisition of Chrysalis, a leading independent music publisher, and its 100,000-song catalog, which includes songs by David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Cee Lo Green, Sheryl Crow, and Blondie. Both peers and clients recommend Los Angeles and New York-based M&A chair David Grinberg.

Munger, Tolles & Olson has delivered results in transactional matters for many years, including creating the first-ever security with negative interest for Berkshire Hathaway, taking Oaktree Capital public in a first-ever transaction, structuring the charitable gift of Warren Buffett to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, advising Yahoo! on corporate governance issues in the midst of public scrutiny, and advising Universal Music Group on its combination with BMG Music Publishing. Recently, the firm represented Berkshire Hathaway in its acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation for cash and stock, the deal being the largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway history. The Yucaipa Companies and Americold Realty Trust were assisted in the $2bn restructuring of Hf Eimskipafelag Islands and related acquisition by Yucaipa of a 49% stake in Canada’s Versacold International Corporation. The firm also advised Hugh Hefner in his recent bid to take the iconic brand, Playboy Enterprises, private. Other active clients include KB Home, Edison International and Wasserman Media Group. Robert Knauss in Los Angeles leads the team. Also in Los Angeles, Brett Rodda is a key contact. Clients praise the team’s ‘timely responses, professional skills and appropriate advice of all team members’.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has market-leading strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors. Clients find the practice ‘outstanding in every regard. It is attentive without running up the bills, it has good bench strength in the relevant subject areas, and avoids hand wringing and ambiguous advice whenever possible’. For some clients, both Los Angeles and Silicon Valley-based partner Jorge del Calvo and Allison Leopold Tilley ‘exemplify all of the above’. The firm recently represented Axiom Microdevices in its acquisition by Skyworks Solutions, acted for Opexa Therapeutics in the $50m sale of its Stem Cell program to Novartis, and represented Atheros Communications in its $244m purchase of Intellion Corporation. The practice also assisted Clearwater Paper Corporation in its $502m acquisition of Cellu Tissue. In Washington DC, Robert Robbins ‘is one of the smartest attorneys I have ever dealt with. He has excellent business judgment and is always available. Robbins is an extension of our team and is always looking for ways to get deals done’. Silicon Valley counsel Noelle Matteson is ‘an outstanding contributor in the M&A context’. San Francisco-based partner Nathaniel Cartmell III is the firm-wide section leader.

Schiff Hardin LLP advises US and multinational businesses in structuring, negotiating and completing domestic and international M&A, and divestitures. The transactions vary in size and scope, ranging from small private acquisitions to multibillion-dollar business combinations. Recent mandates include representing Kraft Foods in its acquisition of General Mills’ breadcrumb manufacturing facility and business located in Federalsburg, Maryland. The team also represented Iron Data, a developer and manager of proprietary data processing systems on behalf of governmental and commercial clients, in its acquisition of Versa Systems of Toronto. In Chicago, Stephen Dragich led teams representing Emaar, a Dubai-based developer and one of the world’s largest real estate companies, in closing its first US acquisition, and acting for Laidlaw, a Canadian-based transportation company in its purchases of ambulance, school bus, and passenger bus companies. Dragich also represented World’s Finest Chocolate, a Chicago-based candy company, in the purchase of a leading business in a segment of the industry. Also Chicago-based Robert Minkus advised NiSource in its acquisition of Columbia Energy Group and the subsequent dispositions of several non-core businesses.

Leading Pacific Northwest law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt regularly advises publicly-traded corporations, closely held and family-owned businesses, private equity firms, investment bankers, and other participants in the full spectrum of M&A transactions. Portland shareholder Carmen Calzacorta is the general business group practice leader and co-practice group leader of the corporate finance and securities group. Calzacorta serves as outside corporate counsel to public and private companies, including Columbia Forest Products and Evraz Oregon Steel Mills. Kevin Brannon is noted for his M&A advice and strategic transactional experience for mid-market and growing companies.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP’s ‘level of service is exceptional, it is very responsive and in many circumstances anticipates clients’ needs before they develop. The M&A team is very strong and the advice and direction received is both knowledgeable and practical’. The firm recently welcomed Jon Atzen to the Los Angeles/Downtown office from DLA Piper. Atzen advises leading entrepreneurs and innovators, as well as emerging and established companies, primarily in the southern California region in technology sectors such as life sciences, semiconductors, wireless communications, internet, software and alternative energy technologies. Highlights included representing Banijay Entertainment in connection with its acquisition of Bunim-Murray Productions, advising Carolina Precision Plastics in its acquisition of ATP Health & Beauty Care, a privately-held company, in a cash-for-assets transaction, and assisting Fidelity National Financial in the sale of Fidelity National Capital to Winthrop Resources Corporation, a subsidiary of TCF Financial Corporation. The practice also represented Kapp Insurance in its sale to Ascension Insurance, a national insurance broker and advised Mars Air Systems and its equity holders in the management buyout of the assets of Mars Sales Company in a cash-for-assets transaction. Larry Braun, David Sands and practice group co-chair Jon Newby in Los Angeles, Tom Hopkins in Santa Barbara and Washington DC-based Luca Salvi are all recommended. Overall, clients report that the firm’s attorneys ‘each have an understanding of clients’ needs and know their business. We have never felt, as we do with some other law firms, that they are working us for bills’.

Stoel Rives LLP has an extensive practice in the acquisition, sale, reorganization and restructuring of corporations, partnerships and other business entities, with attorneys working out of 11 offices in seven states. Representative clients include financial institutions, public and private utilities, energy and renewable energy companies, developers, manufacturers, retailers, hospitals, universities, agribusinesses, software companies, food and beverage companies, charitable foundations, telecommunications and forestry companies. In energy deals, the team represented affiliates of AEGON in connection with an equity investment in Invenergy Wind Finance Company, a portfolio holding company that indirectly owns and constructs wind-powered generation facilities. Altra was assisted in the purchase of a Greenfield fuel ethanol production plant in Coshocton, Ohio, from the original developer, including the purchase and sale agreement and related due diligence. Portland-based Ruth Beyer has considerable experience in financial sector-related M&A. Beyer also represented the purchaser in the acquisition of a materials business headquartered in Scotland, and advised the purchaser in the acquisition of a family-owned manufacturing business located in New Jersey.

‘Excellent on all accounts’, Sullivan & Worcester LLP is ‘more flexible and price- efficient than some of the larger firms’. The corporate department consists of approximately 50 attorneys in Massachusetts and New York, with almost 30 of these attorneys spending significant time on M&A matters. A number of the attorneys also focus on securities and corporate finance. The firm has an active practice representing angel and venture-backed technology companies. Recently, the practice has been active in strategic M&A, often emanating from the UK within the $5-$250m spot. The practice manages a substantial amount of legal work for Israeli companies and US companies with Israeli interests. Highlights included representing Iron Mountain, an information management services company, in a $112m acquisition of Mimosa Systems, a specialist in enterprise-class content archiving solutions, the transaction involving a multidisciplinary team of lawyers from the M&A, tax, benefits and employment groups. American Tower Corporation was assisted in the acquisition of over 70 wireless communications towers and related assets. Boston-based head of department Susan Barnard is frequently praised. Also in Boston, the ‘efficient’ Carol Wolff is ‘insightful and experienced, as well as being an excellent negotiator’.

For some clients, Vedder Price’s ‘overall level of service is the best in class. It continually impresses with its ability to assist clients in securing transactions on favorable terms in a practical and efficient manner, but without over-lawyering the process’. Other clients report that the attorneys ‘combine a strong understanding of the market with abundant legal acumen and broad expertise. Whether the issue of the day is negotiating strategy, tax planning, document preparation or any of the other areas of practice needed to close the sale of a business, an experienced and resourceful firm attorney is available and involved. Attorneys are extremely responsive, their counsel is invariably sound, and fees are reasonable’. The practice is known for M&A and private equity transactions for public and private companies, particularly in regulated industries such as financial institutions, health care, construction, gaming, aerospace and investment services. Recent deals have covered both the strategic and distressed side of M&A. Representative work included advising Trausch Industries and The Edgewater Funds in the sale of Trausch Industries to Anthony International, assisting Chicago Growth Partners in the acquisition of Reliance Communications, and acting for Allscripts in various matters relating to the merger with Eclipsys, the buyback of Misys stock and other related corporate matters. In Chicago, chair of the firm’s finance and transactions practice group, Michael Nemeroff is recommended. Also in Chicago, the ‘fast and thorough’ Jack Obiala ‘gives clients a competitive advantage in negotiations’. William Bettman ‘has exceptional skills and is a very good negotiator. He is able to convince opposing counsel to make critical changes to a contract without resorting to confrontational tactics’. Guy Snyder is ‘smart, seasoned and hard working. His levelheaded and professional demeanor contributes a great deal to the tenor and progress of negotiations, his advice both well grounded in the law and creative. Snyder also delegates well, while maintaining a firm grasp on the details of the transaction. His insights and energy are critical to closing a transaction’. Associate David Borkon, now located in the New York office, is strongly commended for ‘his tremendous contribution.’ Chicago-based shareholder Lane Moyer also ‘does an excellent job’.

Venable LLP offers ‘flawless execution of its responsibilities and meticulous attention to detail’. Clients particularly appreciate ‘the formula that allows for lean staffing, without having to sacrifice responsiveness and quality of work. This makes the team of great value to us, while the work is practical and pragmatic’. Recent highlights include representing Redwood Capital in its $365m purchase of Erickson Retirement Communities, which owned and managed 20 continuing care retirement communities in various stages of development around the country. The practice also advised Zachry Hastings Infrastructure Partners in its $311m purchase of a 55% stake in a Houston-area liquefied natural gas terminal, operated by Freeport LNG Development, represented Segovia, a company providing mixed satellite and terrestrial networks and services to the US military and government agencies, in its $110m sale to Inmarsat, a UK-based company, and advised Harding Security Associates in its sale to Six3 Systems. In large deals, the firm served as Maryland corporate counsel to the Stanley Works in its $4.5bn acquisition of Black & Decker and has been instructed in sophisticated distressed M&A deals. Baltimore and Washington DC-based Charles Morton co-chairs the business transactions practice, and Thomas Washburne focuses on technology providers in the defense and intelligence community, banks and financial institutions and biotechnology, as well as software companies. Michael Baader is the partner-in-charge of the Baltimore office. Baader’s practice has a focus on representing technology and growth oriented companies. Tysons Corner partner Joseph Schmelter is ‘singled out as one of the best M&A lawyers in the industry. He is practical, efficient, attentive and responsive, and has a fantastic demeanor on both friendly and sometimes caustic deals. Schmelter has a commanding presence in the deal room, but never has to take unnecessarily aggressive tactics to get the respect of everyone in the room. In other words, he wins without ever yelling, which seems to be rare in the M&A world’.

For some clients, Arent Fox LLP’s ‘level of business acumen and industry knowledge is second to none, and this has made it a go-to firm. The quality of the advice takes into account practical limitations and is always delivered in a user-friendly format that allows me to share it with my management team with the confidence that it will be exactly what we were looking for when we sought the advice. This is very high praise, but it is well-deserved.’ The practice has built a large and comprehensive corporate practice in the Washington DC area, with a client base that ranges from mid-market private businesses to Fortune 500 companies. The team is well versed in transactions with regional, national and international scope. In addition, the firm has developed a strong reputation in several industry sectors including technology, manufacturing, sports and entertainment, leisure and hospitality, healthcare and government contracts. Recent highlights include representing RLJ on the sale of a controlling stake in the Charlotte Bobcats NBA basketball team to Michael Jordan’s company, MJ Basketball Holdings, a deal that valued the Bobcats at $275m. The practice also acted for Globe on its $52m cash acquisition of Core Metals Group, one of North America’s largest producers and marketers of high-purity ferrosilicon and other specialty steel ingredients, and advised WSI on its approximately $55m acquisition of Champions of the West, a facilities management and base operations support company providing services to the US Government. Washington DC-based Jay Halpern heads the corporate practice. Also in Washington DC, Jeffrey Jordan, Richard Gale and Carter Strong are recommended. Clients find the firm to be ‘prompt and thorough on all matters it deals with’, singling out Gale as performing ‘an outstanding job. He is always available and very knowledgeable. I would recommend him to anyone’.

Fielding Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis offices, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC’s typical experience includes the negotiation of mergers, stock and asset purchases and divestitures, both tax-free and taxable, structuring spin-offs, recapitalizations, management buyouts and other going-private transactions, tender offers, tender offer defenses and proxy contests. The practice represented Intergraph, a leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software, in connection with its definitive agreement to be acquired by Hexagon, a leading global measurement technology company, in a transaction valued at approximately $2.1bn. Emdeon, a leading provider of revenue and payment cycle management solutions, was assisted when it acquired eRx Network, a premier provider of electronic pharmacy healthcare solutions, for $75m in cash and 1.85m units of Emdeon membership interests. The team represented First Health Services in its sale to Magellan Health Services for $110m in cash for the stock of First Health Services as well as certain other assets related to the operation of the First Health Services business. Nashville-based Page Davidson focuses on M&A of both public and private companies, as well as strategic relationships, such as joint ventures and corporate partnerships. Also in Nashville, James Cheek III has acted for public companies in successful joint ventures, spin offs and complex corporate reorganization matters.

At West Mountain-based law practice Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, the M&A group works with both private and public companies in a variety of transactional contexts, its mandates ranging from small, negotiated asset transfers to leveraged buy-outs, large-scale acquisitions and dispositions, and corporate reorganizations. Working with the firm’s other corporate and business practice groups, the practice provides counsel for bankruptcy and restructuring issues, and regularly coordinates with the private equity group to offer a full range of transactional law services. With a strong government relations practice, the firm also frequently acts in government-related matters. Denver-based Kevin Cudney co-chairs the corporate and business group. Cudney represented Graham Packaging, a portfolio company of Blackstone Capital Group and a world leader in customized consumer product packaging solutions, in its $568m acquisition of Liquid Container, a leading producer of food packaging, and acted for Western Liberty Bancorp in its $20m acquisition of Service1st Bank of Nevada. Cudney also advised Denver-based Classic Sport Companies in the $15.5m sale of its business to Kever Sports Acquisition Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of New Jersey-based Sportcraft. Daniel Jablonsky joined the Denver office as shareholder in its corporate and business group from Flextronics International, a Global Fortune 400 electronics manufacturing services provider, and where he was interim co-general counsel.

Carlton Fields is one of Florida’s largest full-service law firms. The M&A practice’s experience includes advising in the $80m acquisition by a manufacturer of aircraft simulators and operator of simulation training centers for the military, acting as corporate counsel in the $117m sale of an NHL hockey team franchise and sports entertainment arena, and advising in connection with a temporary staffing company’s merger. The team also assisted with the $80m sale of a tobacco and candy wholesaler, and acted in connection with the $85m sale of hospitals in Brooksville. Miami shareholder Dennis Olle leads the corporate, securities and tax practice group. Atlanta shareholder James Andros acts for numerous domestic and foreign companies in various industries such as business services, technology, life sciences, transportation, manufacturing, real estate, telecommunications, and energy. In Tampa, Richard Denmon is also a key contact.

Based in Denver, Holme Roberts & Owen has six other domestic offices, including Boulder, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix; as well as international offices in London and Dublin. Led by Gino Maurelli in Denver, the M&A practice is firmly focused on the mid-market space. Maurelli’s experience spans a variety of industries, including software and technology, healthcare, cable and telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing and consumer products. Los Angeles-based Carol Osborne was recently elected as chair of the 40-lawyer corporate department, her corporate practice focusing on complex transactional matters for public and private companies with an emphasis on the consumer products and professional services industries. Osborne advised the principals of LECG in a management buyout from Navigant Consulting, including associated debt and equity financing, and represented a waste collection and processing company in the acquisition of the assets of US Liquids. Former global managing partner of the corporate and M&A groups, Hendrik Jordaan, left for Morrison & Foerster LLP’s Denver corporate group office as partner.

Holland & Hart LLP is ‘an excellent sounding board for a variety of issues, and service is fabulous’. The largest firm in the Mountain West region, the M&A practice is ‘extremely responsive to inquiries and effective in dealing with unusual and complicated matters. It is also very generous in its approach and willing to explore various alternatives so as to resolve business issues successfully’. The team represented Admiral Beverage Corporation, a 30-year client of the firm, in its acquisition of the Maloof families’ beverage distribution business in New Mexico. The transaction was the largest in Admiral’s history, and included a debt financing by Admiral with a syndicate of lenders, led by Wells Fargo. The ‘creative and knowledgeable’ practice also advised atebits and its founder, Loren Brichter, in its acquisition by Twitter. Associated Content was assisted in its acquisition by Yahoo! and Renewable Energy Systems Americas was advised in the sale of its 250 MW Cedar Point Wind Energy Project in Colorado to Enbridge Energy Company. Colorado-based Scott Berdan is a key contact. When Cheyenne-based Teresa Buffington ‘takes on an assignment’, clients are ‘confident that it will be completed’. Buffington is also ‘a pleasure to work with and offers thoughtful and well reasoned positions’.

Ice Miller is one of the largest law firms in Indianapolis. Its M&A practice represents both acquiring and acquired businesses in all forms of mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances. Clients served in M&A situations include companies in the manufacturing, services, life sciences and technology sectors, as well as banks and bank holding companies, insurance companies and insurance holding companies, sports organizations and sports-related businesses. Indianapolis-based Steve Humke concentrates his practice in advising owners of high growth companies. Humke represented ExactTarget in the purchase of Co-Tweet, and advised Boston private equity fund, Lineage Capital, in the acquisition of MudPie, an Atlanta consumer collectibles company. He also assisted the owners of Advanced Physical Therapy in the sale of an 80% interest to a private equity fund. Additional offices are run from Chicago, Washington DC and DuPage County, Illinois.

Irell & Manella LLP has offices in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. The practice has experience representing companies in technology, computer hardware and software, communications, cable, entertainment, healthcare, biosciences, retail, manufacturing, energy, gaming, real estate development and finance. The group’s experience includes representing an international media company in connection with its sale of Miramax Films to Filmyard Holdings, advising the majority owners of the National Football League’s St Louis Rams in the sale of their interests in the team, and assisting Metropolitan West Asset Management in the acquisition of its business by the TCW Group. Los Angeles-based Eric Webber represented a privately-held national healthcare company in connection with the dispositions of its interests in several major hospital joint ventures for approximately $50m, and was counsel to a privately-held Southern California electronics company in connection with three major acquisitions in one year, totaling approximately $125m.

On the East Coast, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. has offices in New York, Boston, Stamford and Washington DC, while its West Coast presence is run from Los Angeles, Palo Alto and San Diego. The firm also boasts an Israeli liaison office. The practice has an established track record in the following sectors: life sciences/biotechnology; energy; telecommunications and media; financial services and insurance; health care; real estate and construction; and retail and consumer products. Boston member Jonathan Kravetz advises high technology, emerging biotechnology and medical device companies in numerous contractual and strategic matters. New York member Joel Papernik frequently guides acquisitions in the biotechnology field. Recent highlights include a cross-disciplinary team of attorneys advising Velocity Technology Solutions in its $56m cash acquisition of the Lawson and Kronos hosting business, formerly NetASPx, from NaviSite. The New York office represented NewLead Holdings, an international shipping company, in its drop-down acquisition of five dry bulk vessels, including two new builds with long-term quality time charters attached and the right of first refusal for three additional new builds from Grandunion. The practice also closed the acquisition of a seven-strong VLCC tanker fleet from a Hong Kong-based shipping company for an aggregate purchase price of $587m on behalf of Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, an owner and operator of tanker vessels focusing on the transportation of petroleum products.

With multiple offices in the US, Nixon Peabody LLP is experienced in representing institutional and entrepreneurial clients in transactions of all sizes, ranging from a few million to billions of dollars. The practice recently advised Dimdim, a Massachusetts-based provider of web conferencing services such as presence, messaging, and screen sharing, in its sale to Salesforce.com, advised Boston Acoustics in its acquisition by D&M Holdings US for $74m, and assisted Gannett in its acquisition of the internet advertising firm PointRoll. Other highlights included acting for Alliance Bancorp of New England in its $77m acquisition by New Alliance Bancshares, representing Strategic Investments & Holdings in its acquisition of Topps Meat Company of New Jersey, and advising Barnes Group in its $78.5m acquisition of Kar Products and A & H Bolt & Nut Company. Boston-based David Martland leads the global business and transactions practice group. Clients say Martland is ‘an attorney I am always happy to have advising me’.

Seward & Kissel LLP’s transactional practice is particularly well recognized within the two industries where the firm has an international reputation for excellence, namely investment management and shipping. The firm ‘knows the middle-market and its odd nuances very well,’ say clients, ‘but it is equally comfortable and able in transactions involving corporate and financial buyers. It offers great value for a New York City-based firm and its industry knowledge in the investment management space for an M&A deal is unparalleled’. For other clients, the practice’s ‘dedication to the client is what makes the difference’. The team advised Atalanta Sosnoff Capital, a New York-based registered investment adviser, which manages more than $10bn of assets for institutional, high-net-worth and broker-advised clients, when it sold a 49% economic interest in Atalanta Sosnoff for approximately $69m in cash to Evercore Partners. The team also acted for Judlau Contracting, a New York-based heavy construction company that acts as general contractor for major public works projects, when Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish-based construction company, acquired 50.1% of Judlau for a consideration consisting of payments amounting to $72.5m, with additional consideration to be paid based on post-closing performance. Co-business transactions group leader Craig Sklar ‘has earned my trust and confidence. From my perspective, the highest compliment that a lawyer can receive is to be viewed as practical, not tangled in theory, but caring about the client’s objectives, understanding where they fit in relation to the law, and achieving a working union between the two. Craig is that kind of lawyer, one that I would, and have, recommended to colleagues and friends’. Co-business transactions group leader Jim Abbott is ‘very helpful with the overall strategic advice and guidance he provides. Jim gets actively engaged in the entire process, providing superior service, and not only is he personable and affable, but he can subtly drive a very hard bargain’. Associate Nick Katsanos ‘is very effective at guiding us through issues that arise and crafting potential resolutions’.

Atlanta-based practice Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP also has offices in Jacksonville, New York and Washington DC. Recent experience for the M&A group includes assisting Given Imaging in finalizing the $20m acquisition of the Bravo(R) pH monitoring business for the diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease from Medtronic, and advising AirTran Holdings in connection with AirTran’s attempted $445m acquisition of Midwest Air Group, the public company parent of Midwest Airlines. Atlanta-centered Arthur Jay Schwartz has extensive M&A experience of working with technology companies. In Jacksonville, Adam Buss has handled transactions in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas pipelines, alternative energy, construction, security and information technology, as well as the insurance and medical sectors.

With US offices in Ohio, Washington DC and New York, Thompson Hine LLP acts for emerging, middle-market and large established businesses, both public and private, as well as a variety of investment funds and professionals. Atlanta and New York-based Peter Smith was counsel to KITN Media, in connection with its sale to Adknowledge, a privately held online advertising company, and represented Halyard Capital, a private equity firm specializing in middle-market LBOs, growth equity and structured equity investments in communications and media and other companies, in connection with its acquisition of the cable assets of Newnan Utilities, a municipally owned utility. In New York, John Clapp has extensive experience in the energy, telecommunications, transportation and heavy industry sectors. Clapp was counsel to a Mexican seller in a $450m real estate portfolio sale.

Thompson & Knight LLP has expanded its M&A capabilities, with Lawrence Hall joining the corporate and securities practice group in Dallas. Hall focuses his practice on corporate, energy, finance, and general business representation. Hunter White joined the oil and gas practice group in Houston. White is noted for oil and gas, energy, and real estate transactions. Recent highlights at the firm include representing the board of directors of Allied Technology in conjunction with the $700m merger/roll-up of five separate companies – Forum Oilfield Technologies, Triton Group, Subsea Services International, Global Flow Technologies, and Allied Technology – to form Forum Energy Technologies. The practice also advised Cardinal Midstream in the acquisition of midstream assets located in the Woodford Shale area of the Arkoma Basin in Oklahoma from Antero Resources for approximately $268m, acted for Boots & Coots in its sale to Halliburton for $235m, and assisted Eagle Rock Energy Partners in the $174m-plus sale of its fee mineral and royalty interests business to an affiliate of Black Stone Minerals Company. In Dallas, corporate and securities practice group leader Fred Fulton is a key contact.

Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP has offices located in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Princeton, New Jersey, and Wheeling, West Virginia. Pittsburgh-based Kimberly Ward Burns’s representative experience includes acting as counsel with respect to the sales of a large steel tubing company with operations in the US, Canada and the UK, and advising the seller in the purchase, by way of a management buyout, of a bimettallic wire company and in the subsequent sale of the bimetallic wire company to a Chinese manufacturer of bimettalic composite wire products. Douglas Gilbert currently serves as the corporate department head. Gilbert was counsel to the principal investor in connection with the purchase of a majority interest in a bank holding company located in Ohio, and assisted the sellers in the $220m disposition of a large amusement park enterprise, with facilities in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Hampshire, to a publicly held Spanish corporation.

Troutman Sanders’ ‘impressive and dedicated’ practice group assists clients in structuring, negotiating and implementing business transactions in the US, Europe and Asia. The practice acted in the acquisition of selected operations of the nation’s largest convention center telecommunications company by a South Carolina-based telecommunications provider, advised in the $202.5m acquisition of a North Texas electric utility company by a New Mexico energy holding company, and represented a New Mexico utility in its sale of its natural gas operations to a utility holding company with natural gas operations in Alaska and Michigan. Virginia Beach-based James Wheaton regularly advises private equity firms in middle-market acquisitions. Wheaton has also advised a Scandinavian public company in the divestiture of a major subsidiary to a US public company, assisted a public company in a going-private transaction involving multiple stockholder classes, and acted in both the sale and acquisition of network affiliate television stations. In Richmond, Mason Bayler represented a public utility company in connection with its $867m sale to a private equity firm.

Atlanta-based legal practice Arnall Golden Gregory LLP is especially focused on the middle-market. The firm advises a wide array of Atlanta’s top 150 public companies and fast-tech 50 companies, as well as Georgia’s top 50 private companies. Highlights included advising Lynk Systems, during its acquisition by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Practice leaders Adam Skorecki and Jonathan Golden are principal contacts. Skorecki has extensive experience in the acquisition, sale and financing of nursing homes and other related types of healthcare facilities. Donald Hackney chairs the firm’s telecommunications practice team. Hackney has represented Contel in its acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions.

From its beginnings in Huntsville, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC has expanded to five states in the southeastern US, in addition to an office in Washington DC. Nashville-based Jason Epstein chairs the business and technology group. He has extensive experience in business and technology negotiations from both the vendor and buyer perspectives. Epstein acts for the procurement department of a Fortune 200 company in various purchasing and technology transactions, was counsel to the largest internet hardware and services provider in selling VoIP and related hardware, software and services to a Fortune 50 company, and represented a hospital chain in the acquisition of an electronic medical records software system. Also in the Nashville office, Steven Eisen is noted for corporate transactions with an emphasis in banking and financial institution law.

Especially strong in the Midwest, Barnes & Thornburg has also grown at nationwide levels. From offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington DC, the firm’s business practice is complemented by dedicated industry service teams focused on industries such as life sciences, IT, e-commerce, healthcare, telecommunications, financial institutions, construction, energy, transportation, global logistics, associations and foundations, aviation, media and utilities. Indianapolis-based David Millard chairs the business department. ‘Reliable attorney’ Millard assisted TrustBearer Labs in its sale to VeriSign, the acquisition combining VeriSign, a PKI provider, with TrustBearer, which provides solutions for rapid deployment of PKI applications and strong authentication across all major web browsers and platforms, and acted for ANGEL Learning in its $95m acquisition by educational software provider Blackboard.

Butzel Long is one of the oldest firms in Michigan. Representative experience includes assisting Lakeshore Engineering Services in its acquisition of Toltest, creating Lakeshore Toltest, one of the largest federal and municipal contracting companies in the Midwest, and advising an infrastructure investment fund with the acquisition of port facilities and in proposals to acquire other infrastructure assets. Additionally, the team was counsel to a publicly held utility holding company in its acquisition by private equity investors. Robert Hudson is a shareholder based in the firm’s Detroit office, and serves as chair of the firm’s corporate department. He regularly assists foreign-based companies in connection with US and cross-border transactions, joint ventures, distribution and sale arrangements and trade matters. Also in Detroit, Justin Klimko is a key contact.

Cozen O’Connor has extensive experience in representing purchasers, target companies and financial advisors. The practice’s typical experience includes acting as US acquisition counsel for a London-based market research company, that is listed on the London Stock Exchange, in a series of acquisitions valued in excess of $100m, representing a network integration, consulting, maintenance and support company in its acquisitions, and advising a pharmacy benefit management company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in a $500m merger. Philadelphia-based Larry Laubach chairs the corporate law group.

With US offices in Washington DC, California and New York, Crowell & Moring LLP’s clients include major defense contractors, health care businesses, financial institutions, aviation, aerospace, pharmaceutical, telecom and technology companies, entrepreneurs and trade associations. Highlights included advising in the $100m asset purchase of an aerospace manufacturing division, the $200m purchase of a pharmacy division by a NYSE-listed insurer, and a $200m Schedule 13E-3 buyout of a NASDAQ-listed online recruiting company. Washington DC-based Mitchell Rabinowitz is noted for his representation of the financial services industry, including consortium transactions and electronic trading platforms. Goldman Sachs, ICAP, NYSE Euronext, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan are clients.

Based in Pittsburgh, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC has offices throughout the Eastern US. Noted for its integrated approach, projects are staffed with attorneys from the firm’s corporate, tax, employee benefits, labor, antitrust, environmental, litigation and other practice areas on an as-needs basis. The team advised a major publicly owned entertainment company in several transactions, involving aggregate consideration and financing totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, and assisted a private investment firm in the acquisition and divestiture of various food products and manufacturing companies, with an aggregate consideration in excess of $300m. It has also acted in the acquisition and merger of over 100 retail drug stores, with an approximate consideration of $60m. Furthermore, the firm serves as US counsel to many foreign corporations, including companies headquartered in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada and Africa. In Philadelphia, ‘smart operator’ Gary Miller has significant experience in M&A-related private investment transactions.

Frost Brown Todd LLC operates throughout nine offices in five states, including Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and West Virginia. The practice regularly counsels Fortune 500 companies, insurance businesses, financial services firms, manufacturers, media companies, insurance providers, minority businesses, and entrepreneurs. Clients include AK Steel, Chase Bank, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Turner Construction Company and United Parcel Service. In Kentucky, co-M&A chair Edward Glasscock is recommended.

Gardere Wynne Sewell is ‘very responsive and worth the dollars charged’. Key matters included assisting Precision Pipeline, a pipeline construction pipeline company, in its sale to MasTec; the practice has represented Ennis Paint for numerous years. Recently, Ennis was assisted in the acquisition of Pervo Paint Company and all of the stock of GT Industries. The team also represented Brazos Equity Partners in the purchase of certain assets of Flint Trading, and acted for Trican Well Service in its purchase of certain assets of Vanguard Stimulation Services. Houston co-M&A chair Daniel Cohen is the reason some clients uses the firm. ‘Cohen has the ability to understand both sides of the negotiations and to know when something is worthy of a fight or not. Additionally, he is good with our counterparts’ attorneys, and he understands our needs and factors them into his service’.

Fielding US offices from New York, Portland, Seattle, Washington DC and Portland, Garvey, Schubert & Barer has an active M&A practice, both at domestic and international levels, and across a range of industries, from fishing and maritime, to clean technology, services and consumer goods. In Seattle, co-business chair Brent Jones has represented Saltchuk Resources and affiliated entities in several acquisition transactions, including the acquisitions of Delta Western and Constellation Tug Company, and has advised Kibble & Prentice Holding Company and USI in several brokerage acquisitions. Also in Seattle, Bruce Robertson represented Nautilus in connection with the acquisition of Pearl Izumi USA.

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.’s practice has a broad range of industry experience including aviation, distribution, all forms of traditional and alternative energy, equipment leasing, financial services, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, retail, sports and entertainment, technology, telecommunications, transportation and waste management industries. Highlights included assisting Royal Dutch Shell in the sale of its downstream businesses in Panama and Costa Rica to Petroleos Delta, a Panamanian fuel distributor, and acting in the $285m sale of the 660 Madison Avenue office tower, the largest single-asset transaction completed in the US during 2010. The team also represented Wingate Partners in its acquisition of Preferred Compounding, a supplier of proprietary and custom mixed rubber compounds, and advised Adea, a technology consultancy with global operations, in the acquisition of its assets by Valtech. In Houston, Steven Buxbaum represented Trident Global Communications and Subsidiaries in a distressed merger transaction. Dallas-based Gregory Samuel is also recommended. Samuel recently acted in the acquisition of a public finance investment-banking firm, and in the purchase of a publicly traded restaurant chain.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP handles complex domestic and international transactions for publicly and privately held companies, financial institutions, and private equity and investment funds and their portfolio companies. New York-based co-M&A chair David Landau represented a special committee of independent directors of Covansys Corporation in connection with the company’s acquisition by Computer Sciences Corporation, advised Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation in its acquisition of the assets of Superba, and acted for Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation in its acquisition of Calvin Klein. From Chicago, Jefftrey Patt also co-chairs the M&A practice. Patt has represented several financial and strategic buyers in transactions that have involved varying forms of consideration and tax structures, and has served as special committee counsel in connection with a number of going-private transactions.

Based in Georgia, with additional offices in North Carolina, New Jersey, and Washington DC, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP is rated by clients for its ‘excellent experience in the technology sector’. The firm handles negotiated purchases and divestitures by public and private companies, tender offers, restructurings, spin-offs, leveraged buy-outs, and going-private transactions. Georgia-based Jeffrey Schulte is a senior partner in the corporate and securities practice. Schulte acted in the sale of Hospital Affiliates International by INA Corporation to HCA, the combination of Connecticut General and INA to form CIGNA, and the acquisition by Pfizer of Angiomedics.

At New York-based firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, the M&A and joint ventures practice group consists of 45 attorneys. The group is involved in the acquisition and disposition of businesses through mergers, acquisitions of assets or stock, leveraged buyouts, friendly and contested tender offers, and proxy contests on behalf of both target companies and acquirers. A complementary antitrust litigation group consists of 13 attorneys based in the New York office. Richard Madris and Martin Neidell, as well as attorneys from the tax, employee benefits and executive compensation and environmental law practice groups, represented Veolia Environment in the sale of its North American waste-to-energy business to Covanta Holding Corporation for approximately $450m in cash. The practice also advised the Commodities Group of Goldman Sachs in connection with its acquisition of Metro International Trade Services and its affiliates for an undisclosed purchase price. Also, after successfully representing Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance in connection with an unsolicited takeover bid from Hallmark Financial Services and a subsequent proxy contest, the firm acted for this client in its merger with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tower Group.