At Schulte Roth & Zabel, we are actively involved in every aspect of the private equity investment process, from the formation of leveraged buyout, venture capital, real estate and other private equity and mezzanine funds, to the representation of these funds and other private equity investors in making investments, through realization events, including sale or public offerings.
The firm has a leading practice in private equity transactions. Our clients include some of the most active and influential private equity firms. We advise on all aspects of private equity, including the structuring and formation of funds, the structuring of investments and the negotiation of acquisitions and divestitures of minority and control positions, debt financing to support acquisitions and the working capital of portfolio companies, add-on acquisitions and recapitalizations. We handle the full spectrum of acquisitions (including negotiated and unsolicited acquisitions, carve-out and spin-off transactions, going-private transactions and distressed acquisitions) and exit transactions (including private and public sales). We advise on labor issues and the establishment of management compensation programs. We also have extensive experience in “club” transactions, in which we represent either the entire club or a single member of the club.
Our representations take a collaborative approach, working side-by-side with our firm’s specialists who provide their private equity-oriented expertise on due diligence, deal negotiation, closing mechanics and day-to-day issues faced by portfolio companies. Our specialist teams of finance, tax, labor and ERISA, real estate, environmental, intellectual property and regulatory counsel are widely recognized as being at the forefront of their respective areas of practice. With expertise that spans all types of practice areas, transactions, investment phases, clients, industries and markets, our private equity practice is truly one of the few fully comprehensive practices in the private equity community.
Our highly regarded Investment Management Group includes 18 partners focused exclusively or primarily on the structuring of private investment funds and their ongoing representation. The group is supported by attorneys from the tax and ERISA groups dedicated to the private investment fund practice, and as-needed, attorneys in the litigation, real estate, employment, intellectual property and other areas. Our broad client base includes private equity investment funds running the gamut of investment strategies, including leveraged buyout, distressed investing, venture capital, middle market, crossover and mezzanine debt, and industry-specific, including hi-tech, media, telecom, biotech, energy, financial services, real estate and healthcare, and small business investment companies (SBICs) licensed by the SBA and business development companies (BDCs). Our services to these funds in the formation process are enhanced by our representation of funds of funds and institutional investors, for whom we review private equity fund investments, thus ensuring that we are always on the cutting edge of market practices.
Representative Experience