Leading Private Equity, Fund Formation Lawyers Add Depth to National and International Practice; Advances Strategic Expansion of Corporate Platform in Chicago and New York
CHICAGO & NEW YORK–LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – DLA Piper has announced that Steven V. Napolitano, Richard E. Ginsberg, Brendan P. Head, Christopher P. Giordano and Jason L. Booth have joined the firm’s Corporate and Securities practice group as partners from Winston & Strawn LLP. Head, Booth and Ginsberg join the firm’s Chicago office, Giordano joins in New York, and Napolitano will maintain offices in both Chicago and New York.
Napolitano will serve as co-chair of the U.S. Private Equity group for DLA Piper, adding additional depth to a group that Private Equity Analyst already ranks as third in the world by total number of private equity deals. Ginsberg will serve as co-chair of the U.S. Fund Formation group for the firm.
The arrivals represent the latest move in the continued expansion of DLA Piper’s global Corporate and Finance practice, coming just six months after Roger Meltzer joined DLA Piper from Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP to lead an aggressive expansion of the firm’s Corporate practice globally. As global chair of the practice, Meltzer has been working to attract and manage significant engagements in New York and abroad, and to lead efforts to recruit leading corporate lawyers in major financial centers around the world.
“Continuing to expand the depth and visibility of what is already a nationally and internationally recognized Private Equity practice is a key part of our strategic plan. The experience and sophistication of Steve and Rick and the team’s work in representing major private equity funds and institutional investors enhances the quality of our platform and ability to expand client relationships globally,” said Meltzer. “Brendan, Chris and Jason are the type of experienced and dynamic transactional attorneys who are central to the continued growth and development of our Private Equity practice and the overall firm.”
“Consistent with DLA Piper’s vision to attract preeminent corporate and securities attorneys in the world’s leading financial centers, Roger continues to assemble an extraordinary team,” said DLA Piper’s Joint CEO Lee I. Miller. “The addition of this talented group is a coup for the firm and reflective of our commitment to continue to build our world-class Corporate practice.”
“Private equity plays an increasingly influential role in the global economy,” said Senator George J. Mitchell, chairman of DLA Piper. “This addition is a tremendous boost to our Private Equity practice, and further complements our growing capabilities across the sector.”
Advancing a Leading Global Corporate and Finance Practice
DLA Piper’s Corporate and Finance practice includes more than 800 attorneys worldwide and is recognized as one of the most active firms in the private equity sector. DLA Piper lawyers advise clients on public and private debt and equity securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and reorganizations, in addition to corporate governance, IT, tax, compensation and technology issues. Lawyers in the firm’s Finance practice counsel clients on syndicated loans, asset-based and cash flow loans, mezzanine and private equity investments, transportation finance and leveraged lease transactions, as well as specialty areas such as projects and infrastructure and real estate structured finance products.
DLA Piper has added a number of leading Corporate attorneys in the months since Meltzer joined:
Two new capital markets partners in Hong Kong (September)
A team of four leading corporate partners in Phoenix (September)
Top venture capital, private equity and M&A duo Khoa Do and Michael Reagan in the Palo Alto office (July)
Capital markets partner Chris Paci in the New York office (May)
Editor’s Notes: About the Lawyers
Steven V. Napolitano, co-chair of DLA Piper’s U.S. Private Equity group, previously served as co-chair of Winston & Strawn’s Private Equity practice. He represents private equity funds and corporations in connection with mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and going private transactions, as well as public and private equity, mezzanine and senior debt financings. He also has substantial experience representing private equity sponsors, corporations and senior management teams in connection with a broad range of management equity arrangements. In addition, Napolitano has particular experience with private equity transactions in the heavily regulated for-profit health care industry, where he has served as lead counsel in connection with numerous private and public transactions involving complex federal and state health care regulatory considerations.
Since 2003, Napolitano has been named in both Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as one of the foremost private equity and corporate mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the United States. Napolitano is also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Euromoney Legal Media Group and the Leading Lawyers Network as a leading practitioner in the field of private equity, mergers and acquisitions and leveraged buyouts. In October 2005, the Chicago Sun-Times profiled Mr. Napolitano as one of the top five private equity lawyers in Chicago.
Richard E. Ginsberg, co-chair of DLA Piper’s U.S. Fund Formation group, concentrates his practice on private equity fund formation, as well as venture capital financings, buyouts and other private equity transactions.
Ginsberg also has extensive experience assisting private equity sponsors in raising capital from public and private pension funds, foundations, endowments and high-net-worth individuals. He also represents institutional investors and family offices in their investment in private equity funds.
Ginsberg’s experience encompasses a wide range of fund products, including venture capital, buyout, real estate and funds of funds. His practice includes representation of individual managers or groups of managers in organizing general partner and management company entities, as well as representation of investors in secondary transfers of portfolios of limited partner interests.
Brendan P. Head is a transactional lawyer whose practice spans the full range of private equity representation from equity sponsored buyout transactions of mature companies to venture capital investments in emerging growth companies. He routinely represents equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in connection with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations. He also regularly advises portfolio companies on corporate governance, labor and other operational matters. Head’s practice includes the representation of fund principals and family offices in connection with the formation of general partner, management company and investment vehicles. In addition to his private equity practice, he has substantial experience representing issuers and underwriters in connection with public and private offerings of equity and debt securities.
Jason L. Booth is a transactional lawyer with substantial experience representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. Booth’s practice focuses on advising equity sponsors in all aspects of their various investment activities, including structuring, negotiating and executing portfolio company acquisitions, debt and equity financings and liquidity events. In addition, Booth regularly advises companies and their boards of directors on general corporate and governance matters, including SEC reporting requirements.
Christopher P. Giordano primarily focuses his practice on the representation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies. Specifically, Giordano represents funds in their various investment activities, including formation, transaction structuring, equity-sponsor buyouts, early and later fund financings, growth-equity financings and liquidity events. He also represents portfolio companies in leveraged buyouts, leveraged recapitalizations, acquisitions and divestitures. In addition, Giordano advises companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance matters and represents private equity funds in shareholder rights matters.
About DLA Piper (www.dlapiper.com)
DLA Piper has 3,400 lawyers in 25 countries and 64 offices throughout the U.S., U.K., Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. It has leading practices in corporate, finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, tax, and technology, media and communications. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.
