Venable LLP’s thriving M&A practice forms a key part of its wider corporate offering, where it frequently represents buyers and sellers on transactions in the technology, real estate, hospitality, life sciences, and entertainment sectors, among others. Standing out for its capability in large-scale matters, including cross-border and billion-dollar deals, the team acts for a varied mix of private and public companies and private equity clients. The team benefits from a strong platform in Washington DC, which draws on high-profile corporate co-chair Frank Ciatto, whose combination of M&A and tax law expertise marks him as a popular choice for highly structured transactions. The Washington office also includes fellow department co-chair Robert Bolger, who additionally co-heads the hospitality area, and Karen Hermann, who leads the group for the Washington and Tysons region. In New York, Mark Vecchio is noted for his experience in private equity and multi-jurisdictional deals, with a focus on the technology, telecoms, and heavy industry sectors. In Baltimore, office managing partner Charles Morton Jr, cross-border M&A specialist Anthony Rosso, and corporate and commercial partner Nicholas Collevecchio are names to note.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Venable has its own style which I find to be practical, unfussy and down-to-earth. This does differentiate it from other firms where lawyers can over-complicate matters.'
  • 'Karen Hermann is our go-to partner for M&A transactions and an impressive powerhouse. Karen gets things done, is hands on and doesn't let things slip. When working on a multi-faceted deal she seems able to retain all the necessary information, work the documents and bring in colleagues as needed. I've yet to see anything faze Karen.'
  • 'A market leader in GovCon M&A legal work. Great experience with breadth of necessary specialists. Great bedside manner with entrepreneur clients as well as sophistication for PE and public clients.'

Key clients

  • Hyatt Hotels Corporation
  • FotoFinder Holding GmbH
  • Physicians Realty Trust
  • ZeroFox Holdings Inc.
  • Dechra Limited
  • GE HealthCare
  • Hersha Hospitality Trust
  • Dolby Theatre
  • Earth Resources Technology, Inc.
  • Climb Global Solutions, Inc.

Work highlights

Advised Hyatt Hotels Corporation on its acquisition of Standard International and its hotel brands, including The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels.
Acted as Maryland counsel to Physicians Realty Trust on its acquisition by Healthpeak Properties.
Represented ZeroFox Holdings in its acquisition by Haveli Investments.

Lawyers

Hall of fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Next generation partners

Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Nicholas Collevecchio

Practice head

Robert Bolger; Frank Ciatto

Other key lawyers

Karen Hermann; Mark Vecchio; Charles Morton Jr; Anthony Rosso; Nicholas Collevecchio; Michael Schiffer; Thomas Washburne