Eric S. Piasta

Eric S. Piasta is a special counsel in the New York office, where he practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions including, leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, carve-out transactions, growth equity transactions and venture capital financings (early- through late-stage), follow-on acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, securities offerings, and corporate governance matters, fund formations and securitizations.

Selected Representations

Cerberus Capital Management in its acquisition of a controlling interest in DaimlerChrysler Holding LLC from DaimlerChrysler AG.

Cerberus Capital Management in its acquisition of GSW Group, a residential property holding group, from the city of Berlin, Germany.

Castle Harlan LBO funds in a leveraged buyout of Horizon Lines, a Jones Act container shipping company controlled by The Carlyle Group.

Castle Harlan LBO funds in a leveraged buyout of Baker & Taylor Inc., a leading domestic and international book, video and music distributor controlled by Willis Stein & Partners.

Veritas Capital in a leveraged buyout of the Pearson Government Solutions business of Pearson plc.

An institutional private equity fund in its convertible debt and/or preferred equity financings of owner/operators of hotels, commercial office space, senior housing facilities, mobile home parks, and other real estate assets.

Horizon Lines in high yield offerings and in IPO and secondary offerings.

Viisage Technology Inc., a publicly traded biometrics company, in its acquisition of SecuriMetrics Inc., a provider of handheld iris recognition technology.

Middle-market LBO funds in the dispositions of their portfolio companies to strategic acquirors and other private equity funds.

The majority stockholder of Alaris Medical Systems Inc. in connection with Cardinal Health's acquisition, by tender offer, of a controlling interest in Alaris.

Venture capital funds in early- and late-stage financings of biotechnology, Internet, and consumer products companies.

MTS Health Partners as financial advisor to PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. in connection with its acquisition by UnitedHealth Group Inc.

An activist hedge fund in connection with Procter & Gamble's tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Wella AG.

The private equity arm of a money center bank in connection with the structuring and launch of its global private equity fund, which raised over $8 billion in commitments.

Bar Admissions

• New York

Education

Prior Experience

O'Melveny & Myers LLP
    Counsel
O'Sullivan Graev & Karabell, LLP (acquired by O'Melveny)
    Associate
Fixed Income Trading, Credit Suisse First Boston 
    Vice President