Private Equity

Overview

Parker Poe's team of private equity lawyers work on the structuring, negotiation and documentation of a full range of private equity transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio companies, add-on acquisitions, control and minority investments, recapitalizations, joint ventures and purchases of troubled companies out of bankruptcy.

Our practice focuses on the lower and middle market and our capabilities cover the full range of the investment cycle in the private equity markets, from formation to exit, as counsel to general partners and limited partners, as well as the companies, management teams, and entrepreneurs who utilize that capital to acquire, create and grow businesses.

We also assist with other aspects of private equity transactions, including the negotiation and structuring of management and employment arrangements, equity incentive compensation plans, corporate structure and organization, management services, and equity and debt capitalizations of portfolio companies. We have experience in handling all layers of corporate finance transactions supporting private equity transactions, including senior loans, subordinated debt, warrants, preferred and common equity investments and other types of securities.

Our team works on transactions throughout the United States and across a diverse group of industries, with particular experience in niche manufacturing and specialty industrials, food and beverage, environmental and waste services and recycling.

As a full-service business law firm, we are able to handle complex transactions by engaging a team of lawyers to provide support in a wide range of areas, such as tax, securities, intellectual property, labor and employment, employee benefits, corporate governance, real estate, environmental and litigation. These teams are involved in transactions from the due diligence stage through the structuring and negotiation of the transaction.

After the acquisition, we often serve as corporate counsel to our fund clients’ portfolio companies and provide counsel in connection with commercial contracts, employee stock option plans, intellectual property protection, add-on acquisitions and green field expansion, equity and debt financings, litigation, corporate governance and other matters.

Representative Experience

Our team works on transactions throughout the United States and across a diverse group of industries, with particular experience in health care products and services, niche manufacturing and specialty industrials, energy, food and beverage, automotive, equipment rentals, environmental services and waste and recycling. Our recent transaction experience includes:

Representation of a private equity fund in connection with its platform acquisition of a hydraulic products manufacturing business and three subsequent add-on acquisitions in the United States and Canada with an aggregate transaction value of over $75 million.
Representation of a regional clinical laboratory testing portfolio company in connection with seven add-on acquisitions with transaction values in the aggregate of over $140 million.
Representation of a private equity fund in connection with the disposition of one of its portfolio companies to another private equity fund via a full auction process in a transaction valued in excess of $250 million.
Representation of a national restaurant supply portfolio company in connection with multiple add-on acquisitions.
Representation of a national food service portfolio company in connection with three add-on acquisitions with an aggregate transaction value of over $150 million.
Representation of a private equity fund in connection with its platform acquisition of an infrastructure safety solutions business with a transaction value of approximately $36 million.
Representation of a plastic bottling manufacturer portfolio company in connection with multiple add-on acquisitions.
Representation of a private equity fund in connection with its platform acquisition of the outstanding capital stock of a food production business in a transaction valued in excess of $42 million.
Representation of a privately-held company in connection with the sale of its consulting business to a private equity backed company.
Representation of a privately-held company in connection with the sale of its precision mechanical products manufacturing business and real property to a private equity backed company.