Across the globe and in countless industries, clients of Katten’s Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and Private Equity (PE) practice are at the forefront of market dynamics with business-minded counsel that draws on decades of experience in a full range of strategic transactions, including leveraged buyouts (LBOs) and other acquisitions, dispositions, equity and debt financings, restructurings, and recapitalizations.
Our diverse team of more than 100 attorneys plays a pivotal role in transactions. We operate from a network of locations coast-to-coast and in London and Shanghai, focusing on M&A and PE. Our deal teams advise PE funds, strategic acquirers, family offices, independent sponsors and other acquirers, partnering with clients to handle billions of dollars in business combinations annually.
Our practice recently has expanded with the arrival of additional attorneys whose talents build on our leading ability to meet complex investment needs. These attorneys add skills and experience in M&A, PE, tax, executive compensation, commercial finance and bankruptcy that further strengthen our ability to tackle client concerns and navigate deals across the finish line.
Kenneth Miller, co-head of Katten’s M&A/PE practice, stated, “Our growing roster of talent expands our ability to provide cutting-edge advice to our clients while moving transactions forward in a timely and efficient manner.”
The following are the newest members of Katten’s M&A/PE team:
Bret T. Diskin, an M&A/PE partner based in Chicago who was formerly with Sidley Austin LLP, has broad-based transaction experience in public and private M&A and PE transactions, joint ventures, venture capital investments, and capital markets transactions, as well as corporate governance matters. Bret has significant cross-border transaction experience, having practiced in London for two years. He is involved in all aspects of corporate transactions, handling deal structuring, negotiations, the drafting of transaction documents and supervising due diligence.
Joshua A. Feiger and Andrew S. Herrington-Gilmore, M&A/PE associates based in Chicago, with Josh joining from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Andrew from Paul Hastings LLP.
Josh has developed a diverse skillset for corporate transactions since he began practicing in 2013. He has represented both public and private companies on all aspects of domestic and international M&A, dispositions, equity financings, restructurings, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. Josh also advises clients on general corporate matters, including securities law and regulatory compliance, shareholder activism, and corporate governance matters.
For nearly six years, Andrew has concentrated his practice on corporate transactional matters, with a particular emphasis on M&A. He has experience representing PE funds as well as entrepreneur and family-owned businesses in a variety of corporate matters, including M&A, sales, dispositions, joint ventures, minority investments, restructurings, recapitalizations and other day-to-day corporate matters.
Todd Hatcher, a Transactional Tax Planning partner based in New York who formerly was with Paul, Weiss, focuses on the US federal income tax laws involved in transactional matters. He represents publicly traded and privately held companies in both domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, negotiating PE fund agreements and reviewing capital-market debt and equity offering material as well as overseeing tax planning on bankruptcy and insolvency restructurings. He has significant experience guiding PE fund managers through the tax issues that arise in the formation and capital-raising process and has been involved in many significant portfolio company transactions on behalf of leading PE managers. Todd has worked with companies needing tax planning guidance in many industries and at different stages of the economic cycle. He also has experience in bankruptcy and “distressed” situations and has helped debtors navigate the complex tax issues that can arise in challenging economic times.
Mitchel C. Pahl, an Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation partner based in New York who formerly was with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, has played a role in many high-profile corporate transactions, representing public companies, financial institutions, PE firms and high-net-worth individuals around the world in a number of industries. He concentrates on the employee benefits and executive compensation aspects of private and public company M&A as well as lending, financing and other corporate transactions, and PE management compensation. Mitchel also counsels clients on the design and operation of qualified retirement plans, equity incentive plans and other nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, and the negotiation of executive employment agreements and separation packages. Mitch brings decades of experience with highly complex and cutting-edge transactions and compliance matters, including those involving Employee Stock Ownership Plans and asset-backed securities and other securitization vehicles.
Kirby Chin and Brian Stern, Commercial Finance partners, with Kirby joining in New York from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and Brian joining in Los Angeles from Milbank LLP.
Kirby has nearly 25 years of experience in a wide variety of financing transactions and has worked extensively on deals that involve challenging and complex financing facilities. He has advised PE sponsors and their portfolio companies in acquisition financings and other leverage facilities for buyouts, add-ons, carve-outs and other control position transactions. Additionally, he has worked with investment funds on subscription and capital call facilities. Kirby regularly advises investment funds with control positions for special situation companies in restructurings, refinancing and workouts. Representing finance companies, investment funds, business development companies, insurance companies and other asset managers, he advises clients on structuring and executing multilayered financing transactions across a dynamic mix of industries, many of which involve complex intercreditor or inter-lender arrangements.
Brian represents borrowers, issuers, agents and lenders in structuring and documenting secured and unsecured financing transactions, including bankruptcy financing transactions. His experience spans more than 16 years and includes representing lenders and agents in acquisition financing and borrowers in subscription line financings.
Charles R. Gibbs and James V. Drew, Insolvency and Restructuring partners, with Chuck joining in Dallas from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and James joining in New York from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP.
Chuck has many years of experience handling complex financial restructurings across multiple industries, both in Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. He focuses his practice on public and private companies. His restructuring engagements often involve multijurisdictional and cross-border matters for debtors, secured creditors, official and ad hoc creditors’ committees, equity committees, and asset buyers. Chuck counsels distressed companies as well as secured lenders, servicers of commercial mortgage securitized trusts, bondholders and trade creditors, and acquirers of distressed assets.
James has more than 15 years of experience advising clients in a wide variety of insolvency-related matters, across a range of industries. His work has focused in particular on investigations or litigation of claims and causes of action on behalf of debtors as well as representations of secured and unsecured creditors and indenture trustees, often as members of an official committee of unsecured creditors. James has served as lead counsel on behalf of debtors, lenders and other financial creditors, equity holders, contract counterparties, asset purchasers, liquidators, and defendants in avoidance actions and other bankruptcy litigation.
