Mergers & Acquisitions

Businesses seeking to expand through mergers and acquisitions benefit from experienced legal counsel that helps manage the risks associated with complex transactions. With offices across the United States and Canada, Dickinson Wright has a leading Mergers and Acquisitions practice representing buyers and sellers across a wide range of industries. We work closely with senior management and in-house counsel to develop practical solutions that protect our clients’ interests and support their business objectives. As a full-service law firm, we draw on the experience of attorneys across finance, real estate, employee benefits, securities, labor and employment, environmental, intellectual property, and other disciplines to support every stage of a transaction.

Recognitions

Our Mergers and Acquisitions practice is ranked in The Legal 500 United States, and many of our attorneys have also been recognized by The Legal 500 United States, Chambers USA®, Best Lawyers®, and Super Lawyers®.

Our Services

From transaction planning and due diligence through negotiation, closing, and post-closing integration, our mergers and acquisitions team guides clients through every stage of the deal. We advise buyers and sellers on matters including:

Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: Cross-border mergers and acquisitions continue to be a key growth strategy for companies expanding into new markets. Businesses pursuing international transactions benefit from legal counsel that can coordinate seamlessly across jurisdictions. With offices throughout major North American trade corridors and longstanding relationships with firms in China, Japan, and India, we advise buyers and sellers across a variety of industries. We also help clients address the issues that often accompany cross-border transactions, including intellectual property, labor and employment, post-closing integration, and regulatory compliance.

Private Equity: Private equity firms operate in a competitive and highly regulated environment. Working closely with our Private Equity team, we advise clients, sponsors, investors, and management teams on acquisitions, divestitures, fund formation, and post-acquisition integration. Our lawyers represent early-stage, growth, and mature companies across a broad range of private capital transactions and regularly counsel financial sponsors investing in technology and other growth-oriented industries.

Distressed Mergers and Acquisitions: Acquiring or selling a distressed business presents unique legal and business challenges. Our M&A attorneys work closely with our finance and bankruptcy teams to evaluate opportunities, manage risk, and guide clients through every stage of the transaction. From due diligence and purchase agreements to bankruptcy issues, employee rights, non-compete obligations, and intellectual property agreements, we help clients assess risk, preserve value, and make informed business decisions.

Representative Experience

• Counseled publicly traded and closely held buy-side and sell-side clients in mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, divestitures, spin-offs, and recapitalizations.
• Advised a rapidly growing privately held company that completed five to seven acquisitions annually over multiple years.
• Represented an agent in the acquisition financing of a major automotive manufacturer.
• Counseled a municipality on the acquisition and annexation of real estate for a significant economic development initiative.
• Served as lead counsel to privately held companies in tax-free mergers, divestitures, spin-offs, split-offs, loan syndications, mezzanine financing, venture capital transactions, and related financing matters.
• Served as lead counsel to private equity funds on fund formation, structuring, tax matters, acquisitions, and dispositions.
• Represented public and private companies in mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations across the real estate, automotive, foodservice, and utility industries.
• Represented a private equity firm in the organization and capitalization of a portfolio company and its acquisition of numerous well-known publications and signature events.
• Advised companies on Canadian and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, sales, and takeover bids for both acquirers and target companies.
• Assisted with a Canadian company’s cross-border reverse takeover of a U.S. public company structured as an exchangeable share transaction.