Mr Christopher Atkinson > Katten > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile
Katten Offices
525 WEST MONROE STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60661-3693
ILLINOIS
United States
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Mr Christopher Atkinson
Work Department
Corporate
Position
Christopher Atkinson gets deals done. He negotiates deals that allow his clients to grow and succeed. They include mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, equity financings and other transactions that require complex contracts and structures. Having started his career in the tech industry, Christopher brings a client mindset to his deal work for private equity firms, venture capital firms and businesses of all sizes.
As a lawyer, Christopher retains the perspective he gained when he worked for emerging tech companies and was a client himself. From that experience, he appreciates the value of a practical approach to deal-making that puts a premium on efficiency. He adeptly cuts through issues and avoids spending needless time over-lawyering highly speculative, low-risk issues. Instead, he takes his clients through transactions as quickly and painlessly as possible. As a skilled negotiator, Christopher understands his clients’ leverage (or lack thereof) and works hard to get them the best deal that he can.
Christopher advises private equity firms, venture capital firms as well as businesses ranging from founder- and family-owned entities to large public companies. His experience goes well beyond the tech industry to include education, health care, business services, parking, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, restaurants and veterinary care. His work with venture capital firms often facilitates crucial financing for start-ups and other early-stage companies. At times, his deals allow his clients to expand into new areas, as when he helped a leading provider of parking services close a $275 million acquisition that allowed it to branch out into baggage delivery and other airport-related services.
Education
JD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; BBA, University of Michigan
Lawyer Rankings
United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
Katten chiefly advises on transactions in the life sciences, sports, aviation and education sectors, with the unit’s sports expertise exemplified through its advice to an ownership group on the acquisition of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team. In Chicago, the team is helmed by global chair of the corporate department Kimberly Smith and co-chair of the M&A and private equity group Christopher Atkinson. Fellow M&A co-chair David Washburn is based in the firm’s Dallas office and is highlighted for his experience structuring and negotiating contested M&A deals. Washburn’s Dallas colleague Peter Bogdanow is frequently called upon by private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies to advise on transactions in sectors such as energy and waste management. Chicago-based Thomas Lamprecht has a proven track record in assisting private equity clients with platform acquisitions and exits. In the same office, Mark Grossmann has vast experience in handling transactions across a broad array of sectors.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Structured finance: derivatives and structured products
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Investment fund formation and management > Alternative/hedge funds
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Industry focus > Sport
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense