(CHICAGO) Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced today that the firm is expanding its presence in Texas with seven new partners based in Dallas. The move deepens Katten's award-winning practice that handles sophisticated corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and transactional capabilities for its clients in numerous industries across the country and overseas.
"This is an extraordinary group of attorneys whose extensive skills, leadership and experience are an ideal fit for our highly regarded transactional capabilities and well-established culture of business-mindedness," said Katten Chairman Roger P. Furey. "We intend to build around our new partners and do some exciting things in Dallas. With our lawyers in Houston and other offices we were already the go-to firm for clients in Texas and elsewhere with major Environmental and Workplace Safety needs.
"Now, as we build upon this group of exceptional lawyers with deep ties in the Dallas business and legal communities, and with the support of Katten's premier national practices in finance, financial services and private equity, we will be able to service the growing legal needs of the North Texas business community and our clients doing business there," said Furey.
The new partners, all previously with Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP in Dallas, include corporate attorney Mark S. Solomon, who served as that firm's Dallas managing partner and who will continue in that role at Katten. J. David Washburn will serve as head of the Corporate practice in Katten's Dallas office. Victor B. Zanetti, Joseph A. Hoffman, Peter Bogdanow and William L. Rivers are the other corporate partners. William J. Moore, a litigator, rounds out the new group of partners in Dallas, most of whom have practiced together for more than 20 years.
Mark Solomon has an active mergers and acquisition practice representing private equity firms and public and private companies in diverse industries in transactions of all types and sizes. He is consistently named a top dealmaker in the city, state and country, having previously served as lead counsel to General Motors Company in its $3.5 billion acquisition of AmeriCredit Corp.
David Washburn is routinely engaged by boards, senior management, investment bankers and other counsel who are tasked with managing high-stakes, complex or unusual mergers and acquisitions transactions. David has been ranked by the Best Lawyers in Americain Corporate law, and as one of the leading M&A lawyers in the United States. He was also the recipient of the Aerospace and Defense Deal of the Year award in 2012 by M&A Atlas.
Recognized among Texas' top-rated lawyers in Business and Commercial law, Vic Zanetti has wide-ranging experience in M&A transactions (for both buyers and sellers). He represents owners of professional sports franchises, private equity funds, family offices and venture capital growth funds in M&A and corporate finance transactions, and represents founders and selling owners as special M&A counsel in negotiating retained equity stakes when selling their businesses to financial buyers.
"I'm excited about the new team joining us as these attorneys will strengthen our already robust Corporate practice and help deepen our business relationships in a city that has rapidly become an economic front-runner," said Mark R. Grossmann, global head of Katten's Corporate practice.
Joe Hoffman's practice includes most areas of corporate and securities law, including mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, public and private securities offerings, federal and state securities regulation, private equity, venture capital and debt financings, consolidations, spin-offs, going private transactions, corporate governance, intellectual property ownership, protection and licensing, and distribution and supply relationships.
Representing companies in the food and beverage, health care, technology, waste and energy industries among others, Peter Bogdanow was a co-chair of the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Andrews Kurth. He has extensive experience helping clients structure, finance, negotiate and execute complex business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, minority and control investments and capital markets transactions.
Bill Rivers focuses his practice primarily on serving private funds and other investors in merger, acquisition, sale and finance transactions, including negotiating acquisition finance agreements, structuring investments and negotiating rights among investors. He also advises private funds with respect to fund formation matters. Bill's practice also includes representing real estate investors in acquisition and finance matters.
"This move deepens our ability to provide market-leading corporate services to our clients and opens the door to many new opportunities for Katten to be a business and civic leader in Dallas," said Solomon. "We look forward to adding value to a world-class practice."
Additionally, in the Litigation space, Will Moore is a trial lawyer with deep experience in the energy/oil and gas, real estate, financial services and telecommunications industries. He represents publicly traded and privately held companies, private equity firms, investor funds and high-net-worth individuals in a wide range of business lawsuits.
Katten's Corporate attorneys provide sophisticated transactional representation and counseling across a wide range of industries, including financial services, health care, pharmaceuticals, education, manufacturing, parking and transportation, publishing and media, technology and sports. Clients include public and private companies, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, boards of directors, special committees, investment funds, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations.
