Winston & Strawn Further Expands Corporate Practice with Addition of Leading Private Equity Group in Chicago

CHICAGO – Winston & Strawn LLP is pleased to announce the addition of seven partners to its corporate and tax practice in the Chicago office. The group joins from Jenner & Block LLP and brings significant experience in the areas of private equity, M&A, fund formation, investment fund management, and tax.  

The team’s transactional lawyers add significant depth to Winston’s leading national middle-market private equity and M&A practices. The group, which includes Mark Harris, formerly chair of Jenner’s Private Equity Practice, is highly regarded for their representation of financial sponsors as well as public and private companies and management teams in connection with leveraged buyouts, strategic M&A, recapitalizations and joint ventures as well as general corporate matters and related commercial transactions.   

The nationally recognized team of investment fund partners, led by Alan Roth, concentrates on advising general partners on fund formation, raising capital, regulatory compliance, and ongoing operational matters. They represent private equity, mezzanine, and venture capital funds in all stages of operations, and have particular expertise representing small business investment companies (SBICs) licensing.

“The addition of these partners to our Transactions Department directly aligns with our strategic goal of building out premiere practices with market leading capabilities,” says Winston Chair Tom Fitzgerald. “Adding such a highly credentialed and talented group exemplifies the caliber of individuals and practices Winston strives to attract. We are excited to welcome them to the firm.”

“Expansion of our private equity practice is a cornerstone of our growth strategy,” said Dominick DeChiara, chair of Winston’s Transactions Department. “This group’s client base and practice is a natural fit for our platform and deepens our M&A, fund formation, and tax capabilities.”

Members of the group are consistently ranked as leading lawyers by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 U.S., and Leading Lawyers Network, among others, for work across multiple practice areas, including middle market mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate, securities and venture finance, and closely and privately held businesses.

The new group of Winston partners are widely recognized as leading attorneys in their respective areas:

• Mark Harris, who chaired his former firm’s Private Equity Practice Group and served on its Management Committee, is a well known adviser to leading health care and technology companies on acquisitions, sales, and private equity transactions. For more than three decades, Mark has represented clients in M&A, corporate governance, securities, and general corporate matters, with a special emphasis on private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. He has experience across many sectors, including healthcare,  software/technology, consumer products, manufacturing/distribution and financial services. His acumen in private equity and M&A has been consistently highlighted in Chambers USA and The Legal 500 U.S. Mark also has substantial executive management and boardroom experience.
• Alan Roth, a highly accomplished and recognized investment funds lawyer, chaired his former firm’s Investment Funds and SBIC Practice, and focuses in the areas of private equity and venture capital representation, including SBIC licensing, investment and compliance, fund formation, corporate acquisitions, and representation of closely held corporations and individuals. Chambers USA-ranked in Corporate/M&A: Private Equity, Alan’s fund formation and SBIC practice is one of the most active in the country. He has counseled clients in this area for more than 30 years, and private equity sponsors seek his vast fund formation experience in both the pre- and post-licensing stages of the process.
• Olga Loy is a tax lawyer who advises on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, regulatory and compliance matters, and fund formation engagements. She represents funds and financial sponsors in structuring, negotiating, and forming private equity and venture capital funds and their investments. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, where she teaches a course on private investment funds.
• Jason Osborn is a Legal 500 U.S.-recognized transactional lawyer who represents private equity funds and public and private companies in complex transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, going-private transactions, joint ventures, divestures, private financings, recapitalizations and restructurings, and in general corporate matters. He has led transactions in a variety of industries, including technology, health care, financial services, retail, and manufacturing.
• Christopher Douglass focuses his practice on private equity, mezzanine, and venture capital funds, including SBICs, advising funds on merger and acquisition transactions, debt matters, operations, and wind-down stages. He has significant experience representing middle market funds on acquisitions and sales of control equity positions and on a variety of debt investments. Christopher has counseled funds seeking SBIC licenses throughout the licensing process and on SBIC regulatory compliance matters. He is recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. and Leading Lawyers Network.
• Kate Price specializes in representing private equity, venture capital, and mezzanine funds in all stages of operations, with particular emphasis on fund formation and regulatory matters. She has significant experience leading fund managers through the SBIC licensure process at the Small Business Administration. Kate also represents institutional limited partners making investments in a wide variety of funds and advises banks and funds in negotiating lines of credit. She counsels funds in secondary portfolio sales and with winding down operations at the end of a fund’s life cycle.
• Kyle Gann represents private equity funds and public and private company clients in complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, divestures, recapitalizations and restructurings, and in related corporate governance, executive compensation and general corporate matters. He has participated in a number of recent, high-profile transactions, including a publicly-traded global industrial technology company on the NYSE in its international carve-out acquisition of various business divisions. Kyle is recognized in The Legal 500 U.S. for his M&A/corporate work.

“We were drawn to Winston’s demonstrated commitment to and investment in growing their private equity and investment funds practice,” commented Alan Roth. “Our focus on funds, especially SBICs, complements and augments Winston’s existing capabilities. We look forward to collaborating with lawyers throughout the firm to support our clients.”

“Winston’s leading middle-market private equity practice continues to grow, and the industry has taken notice,” said Mark Harris. “We are excited to leverage this exceptional platform to better serve our clients and expand our relationships.”

This addition is Winston’s second major acquisition of 2018, following the industry-leading energy and infrastructure group from Norton Rose Fulbright LLP that joined the firm in early February.