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919 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
United States of America
P: +1 212.756.2191
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Christopher S. Harrison is a partner in the New York office, where he concentrates on hedge fund M&A, private equity transactions, and domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
Chris teaches a popular M&A course as an adjunct professor at NYU. Prior to becoming partner, he was selected as the only associate in the U.S. for the BTI’s Client Service All-Star Team. Chris is currently under contract with Bloomberg to write the upcoming book M&A Legal: Understanding and Negotiating Transactions.
Selected Representations
Hedge Fund Manager M&A
Represented leading global bank in the acquisition of a significant non-controlling economic interest in a hedge fund manager with $14 billion in assets under management
Represented a leading commodities fund manager with $15 billion in assets under management in its majority sale to a diversified fund manager
Represented a $4 billion fund of hedge funds in selling a substantial minority stake to a public company
Represented a $4 billion long/short equity hedge fund in the sale of a majority stake to one of the world's largest private equity funds
Cross-Border Mergers
Represented U.S. Fortune 1000 company in a $6 billion acquisition of a business that operates in 50 jurisdictions worldwide
Represented European company in its acquisition of a majority stake in a U.S. public company in exchange for the contribution of a related business to the U.S. public company
Cross-Border Tender Offers
Represented European energy company in its $40 billion white knight tender offer for a Spanish target
Represented European pharmaceutical company in its defense of a hostile takeover attempt and in its $19 billion acquisition by a white knight bidder
Represented a German company in a $13 billion hostile bid for a European company
Represented Canadian company in a $1.5 billion hostile bid for another Canadian company
Private Equity Transactions
Represented a private equity investor in a $2.5 billion acquisition of a U.S. public company, and represented the private equity investor in the roll-up of two portfolio companies in the same industry
Represented hedge fund and private equity investors in various acquisitions, restructurings and follow-on financing rounds
Represented Fortune 50 company in the acquisition of various start-up companies
Domestic Public M&A Deals
Represented Fortune 100 company in a $2.5 billion divestiture using a Reverse Morris Trust structure
Represented the special committee of the board of a restaurant chain that was acquired by a strategic acquiror in a $2 billion transaction
Represented investors making minority and controlling investments in common equity and warrants in various public companies
General Corporate Governance and Securities Advice
Represented U.S. Fortune 1000 company in financial restatements, and related special committee matters
Represented European company in multi-billion dollar restatement of its oil reserves
Various financing and corporate governance matters
Selected Publications
M&A Legal: Understanding and Negotiating Transactions (Bloomberg Law, forthcoming)
“New York Corporate Law,” Corporate Laws of the World, Beck, (forthcoming in 2012)
“The Consent Conundrum: Changing Control of U.S. Alternative Investment Advisers,” Bloomberg Law, March 2012 (co-author)
“
Sirius XM, Liberty Media and M&A,”
Market Playground/Satellite Radio Playground, March 6, 2012 (interview)
“‘Reverse Morris Trust’ Deal Structures,”
Bloomberg Law Reports, April 7, 2011
“Alternative Asset Manager Acquisitions: Addressing the Human Paradigm in the Integration Process,”
The Hedge Fund Journal, March 2011 (co-author)
“New Paradigm in Asset Manager M&A: Financial Institution Alliances with Hedge Fund Managers,”
The Hedge Fund Journal, November 2010 (co-author)
“The Enforceability and Effectiveness of Typical Shareholders Agreement Provisions,”
The Business Lawyer, August 2010 (as a member of the Corporation Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York)
“United States Capital Markets Law,”
Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht in der Praxis, Beck, 2005
More
Selected Speaking Engagements
Chair of NYU panel on cross-border transactions
Numerous presentations as Adjunct Professor for M&A at NYU School of Law
“Relationship between Corporate Governance Regimes and Capital Market Performace Over Time: A Statistical Analysis,” presented at USC and the Max-Planck-Institute, Hamburg, 2000
More
Memberships
American Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
International Bar Association
German-American Lawyers' Association
Other Distinctions
BTI Client Service All-Star Team 2010
Adjunct Professor, New York University School of Law, recurring courses on “Negotiating M&A Deals” and “Cross-Border M&A”
Bar Admissions
Education
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New York University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2000
- Senior Articles Editor, Journal of International Law and Politics
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Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, B.A., 1995
Prior Experience
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Gleiss Lutz, Germany (secondment)