Tell us about your practice.
My practice is primarily transactional, with an emphasis on M&A and private equity. My experience covers a broad spectrum, including healthcare, retail, media, technology and government services, among others. In the private equity arena, I focus in particular in the middle and lower-middle buyout markets where our value and relative PE experience really set us apart. I have seen a lot of traction in the past few years in New York in particular, where the middle market PE firms are looking for cost-effective solutions without a downgrade in sophistication or responsiveness.
What is an interesting trend happening right now related to your field of practice?
This may no longer be a “new trend,” but representations and warranties insurance (RWI) is the single most dramatic change in deal practice I have seen in my almost 20 years of M&A experience. While it has helped limit deal negotiations in certain areas to the benefit of both sides, there is still a lot of nuance around the purchase agreement terms when utilizing RWI as well as the policy itself. I try to be thoughtful on both sides of the table here, as it is not as cookie cutter as some might think and there are still inevitably “gaps” to address in any given deal – in particular healthcare deals. There is an art to convincing the underwriters to assume risk in certain areas as well (particularly in healthcare deals), which I think we excel at and can be critical in getting to terms with the sellers who are expecting limited recourse these days.
Why did you choose to pursue a career in the legal field?
I wanted to do something that involved engaging with others and that required creative thinking and tangible outcomes (as I always needed a “project” or some goal to work toward). Being a deal lawyer checks those boxes and has allowed me to interact with numerous smart and interesting people around the world on a daily basis, and certainly has been intellectually stimulating. I really enjoy what I do and I still look forward to coming to work most days, which probably means I made the right choice.