Joseph M. Campos

Joe Campos is Co-Chair of Dickinson Wright’s Corporate, Private Equity, and M&A practice. He focuses on ownership-side sports transactions and middle-market M&A and financings, advising owners, ownership groups, and professional clubs on the purchase and sale of franchises, majority-owner and minority-group structuring, and related capital raises, while also representing companies and investors in corporate acquisitions, private placements, and fund formation.

His sports work spans MLS, MLB (including Minor League Baseball), the NHL, and La Liga (Spain). Representative matters include counseling the majority owner of the Seattle Sounders on the acquisition of equity from co-founding owner Joe Roth and on subsequent equity and debt transactions for the ownership group, including a $58 million private placement and a multi-million-dollar credit facility with Goldman Sachs; representing the owners of the Visalia Rawhide in the club’s sale to OnDeck Partners/Avenue Capital and the owners of the Fresno Grizzlies in the club’s sale to Diamond Baseball Holdings; representing BRS Sports in connection with its work with The Show Vancouver, selected as preferred partner for MLB expansion; and representing the owners of PRO Sports Club in its $130 million sale to Bay Clubs.

Joe also has a substantial practice in real estate syndication and property management. He advises sponsors and operators on the formation and ongoing representation of syndicated multifamily and commercial real estate offerings, private placements and related financings, and the corporate, securities, and transactional matters that accompany portfolio acquisitions and dispositions. Representative clients include Investors Capital Group, a Seattle-based multifamily investment firm, and Avenue5 Residential, a national multifamily property management company.

Joe advises sponsors on the formation and structuring of private equity funds for real estate debt and equity strategies. His experience includes formation of private equity and private equity real estate funds in high technology, sports and real estate contexts, and he counsels clients on fund structuring, private placement offerings, securities compliance, and the related corporate and transactional matters that accompany fund formation and ongoing fund operations.

Joe also maintains an aviation and aerospace practice. He advises manufacturers on Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) matters under 14 CFR Part 21, including OEM licensing and sales of PMA businesses, and represents clients in business-aircraft acquisitions and sales, financing and leasing transactions structured for FAR Part 91 and Part 135, and related FAA compliance matters.

Joe is also an experienced entrepreneur. He co-founded a digital media company and led it through a $10 million acquisition by a Seattle-based company, where he later served as VP of Corporate Development and General Counsel. That firsthand business experience shapes the practical, solutions-oriented advice he provides clients today.

Outside of his legal work, Joe is Executive Director of the Valencia C.F. Academy (Seattle), a non-profit organization and official extension of the Valencia C.F. Academy (Spain), focused on developing top American youth soccer talent.

Sports Transactions

• Represented the majority owner of the Seattle Sounders in the acquisition of equity from co-founding owner Joe Roth.
• Represented the majority owner of the Seattle Sounders in a $58 million private placement offering.
• Represented the majority owner of the Seattle Sounders in a multi-million-dollar credit facility with Goldman Sachs.
• Represented the owners of the Visalia Rawhide in the sale of the club to OnDeck Partners/Avenue Capital.
• Represented the owners of the Fresno Grizzlies in the sale of the club to Diamond Baseball Holdings.
• Represented BRS Sports in connection with its work with The Show Vancouver, selected as preferred partner for MLB expansion.
• Represented the owners of PRO Sports Club in a $130 million sale to Bay Clubs.

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Represented buyer in a $10 million acquisition of an operating division from a global glass manufacturer.
• Represented a member in the sale of a professional services firm to a national consulting company.
• Represented seller in the acquisition of a digital media platform by a global e-commerce company.
• Advised on the sale of a property management company to a regional service provider.
• Represented an investment entity in the sale of a specialty retail company to a private equity firm.
• Advised on the acquisition of a regional IT services provider by a consolidating technology company.

Private Placements & Financing

• Advised on private placement financings ranging from $670,000 to $4.375 million for commercial real estate projects and startup ventures.
• Structured and negotiated a $170 million debt and equity financing for a real estate development.
• Represented an investment entity in a $12 million equity investment into a retail business.
• Led a $3.8 million financing round for a multi-family housing investment firm.
• Advised on private placements for multi-family and Class A commercial property acquisitions totaling over $600 million.
• Structured and closed multiple Series A preferred stock financings for early-stage companies, including rounds of $900,000, $2.56 million, and $4.5 million.

Fund Formation

• Structured and launched a $130 million private equity real estate fund focused on residential and mixed-use development.

Real Estate Syndication & Property Management

• For over 20 years represented Investors Capital Group in connection with syndicated multifamily real estate offerings, private placements, and related corporate and securities matters.
• For over 10 years, represented Avenue5 Residential from its initial formation and organization in 2015 and in connection with corporate, transactional, and securities matters related to its property management platform.

Aviation/Aerospace Law

• Advising manufacturers on obtaining and maintaining Parts Manufacturer Approval under 14 CFR Part 21.
• Represented an aircraft parts manufacturer (PMA holder) in the sale of the company to another aircraft parts manufacturer (PMA holder).
• Advised an aircraft parts manufacturer on PMA licensing from an OEM manufacturer.
• Representation of entities in the acquisition and sale of aircraft.
• Advising private aircraft owners regarding dry leasing.