Dechert’s corporate and securities team advises national and multinational corporations, financial sponsors, regulated investment companies and investment banking firms on the entire range of corporate and general business law matters. We represent clients in domestic and international mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; private equity, including fund formation, investments and portfolio company transactions; initial and other public offerings and private placements of equity and debt; leveraged finance transactions and debt restructurings; and securities compliance, corporate governance and general corporate matters.
Our practices have been top ranked by leading legal directories, including Chambers and The Legal 500. Chambers USA described Dechert as a “first-class law firm” and a “leader in the corporate, M&A and private equity field, headlining cutting-edge, sophisticated transactions for a variety of high-profile clients.”
Mergers and Acquisitions
Ranked among the top M&A law firms in Corporate Control Alert, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg and mergermarket, we represent buyers, sellers and advisers in planning, negotiating and executing mergers and acquisitions around the globe. Whether the deal is domestic or international, public or private, negotiated or hostile, our commitment to achieving our clients’ business imperatives remains consistent: structure financeable deals, focus on speed-to-market execution and protect our clients’ interests. Our lawyers advise clients engaged in mergers, tender and exchange offers, leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, going-private transactions, strategic alliances, collaborations and joint ventures, acquisitions, divestitures, proxy contests and special committee assignments.
Private Equity
Private equity investors around the world rely on our global team of more than 200 lawyers to provide creative solutions to the most complex issues in evaluating, structuring, negotiating and consummating private equity transactions. Recognized as one of the top ten law firms for private equity buyouts by The American Lawyer’s “Corporate Scorecard” and among the “most active law firms” for both private equity fund formation and investments by Private Equity Analyst, our private equity group advises clients at every phase of the investment cycle. We form funds on behalf of private equity sponsors and institutional investors, structure domestic and cross-border investments for private equity funds and represent the portfolio companies of our private equity clients in a variety of transactions, including add-on acquisitions, initial public offerings, recapitalizations, dispositions, spin-offs and institutional and bank financings.
Corporate Finance
Top ranked by Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Chambers and The Legal 500, our corporate finance group structures and implements complex corporate finance transactions worldwide. We represent U.S., UK, European, Asian and Latin American issuers, underwriters, placement agents, sponsors, investors and selling shareholders in all types of public and private issuances of equity, debt and hybrid securities across a wide range of industries. From IPO and 144A high-yield debt issuances to registered closed-end funds, our global team of more than 100 securities transaction lawyers advises clients on market-leading corporate finance transactions and products.
Leveraged Finance
With leveraged finance lawyers in the United States, the UK, continental Europe and Asia, Dechert advises clients around the world in a wide range of leveraged finance transactions and debt restructurings. We have significant experience advising borrowers, lenders, issuers, equity investors, sponsors, financial advisors and agents in all layers of the capital structure, including senior credit facilities, first lien/second lien financings, subordinated/mezzanine debt, structured equity, workouts/restructurings, recapitalizations, Rule 144A and Regulation S offerings.
Securities Compliance and Corporate Governance
We assist emerging public companies and established Fortune 500 and FTSE companies with their ongoing compliance obligations under securities laws in the United States, Europe and Asia. Our lawyers keep clients informed of proposed changes in SEC, FINRA, London Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange regulations as well as those of other major securities exchanges, and we participate in the comment process for these changes to advocate on behalf of our clients’ interests.
We also counsel and help negotiate on a wide range of corporate governance issues, including board governance practices and procedures, board composition, compensation, management succession and continuity and management evaluation. We have extensive experience advising company management, boards, regular and special committees, shareholders and other stakeholders and are recognized for our representation of these constituencies in leading legal directories like Chambers and Practical Law Company. Additionally, we actively assist audit and compensation committees in acquitting their responsibilities in the areas of greatest shareholder and regulatory focus. We counsel boards of directors and special committees of public and private companies and financial institutions in connection with interested-party transactions and issues requiring special investigations and disclosures. Because the activities of boards and committees involve their desire to address the concerns of shareholders who may become activist, our representation of institutional investors and hedge funds makes us uniquely positioned to help directors and management understand the perspective of shareholders and vice versa (particularly in adversarial situations) and enables us to address issues in a proactive manner.