What we say about the firm's legal practice in United States
Mergers, acquisitions and buyouts
Within M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m), Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is a first tier firm,
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.