Sean regularly represents public companies, privately held businesses and private equity and hedge funds in their mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance matters. Sean also has significant experience in securities transactions and reporting, corporate governance and general business matters, including representing private equity and hedge fund clients in their fund formation efforts. He also represents limited partners in their investments into hedge funds, funds-of-funds, real estate opportunity funds and other private equity investment funds. Finally, Sean represents growth companies in their fundraising efforts and in the negotiation of strategic partnerships. 

Yale University(B.A., 1995)The University of Michigan Law School(J.D., 2001)

BusinessAlternative Investment & Investment ManagementCapital Markets and Securities TransactionsMergers & AcquisitionsPrivate EquitySecurities & Corporate Governance ComplianceFinancial ServicesAlternative Investment & Investment ManagementLitigationAlternative Investment & Investment Management

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Corporate Finance
• Emerging Businesses

Strategic Merger and Acquisition Transactions

• Advising Vantiv, Inc. in its $361 million stock acquisition of a leading independent eCommerce payment processor.
• Advising a publicly held company in its $250 million acquisition of a component manufacturer for the healthcare and medical device markets.
• Advising Electronic Merchants Systems in the sale of its business to a blank check company for $105 million in cash and stock.
• Advising a Europe-based company in its US $445 million stock acquisition of a US business and weather information services provider.
• Advising a specialty chemicals corporation in the US $750 million divestiture of a division involving the sale of more than 20 different entities on five continents.
• Representing an owner and operator of amusement parks in acquisitions totaling more than US $1 billion and related refinancing of indebtedness.
• Acting as purchaser’s counsel in a tender offer for a publicly held US-based corporation and in the subsequent merger. 

Securities Representations

• Representing a leading global business services firm in connection with its IPO and NYSE Amex stock exchange listing.
• Advising a US bank holding company in its sale of securities to the US government as part of its participation in the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
• Advising a public company on its simultaneous equity and debt offering for US $175 million.
• Counseling a foreign private issuer in its US $103 million private placement of securities in a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction.
• Advising a financial institution in its offering of US $50 million in debt securities.

Alternative Investment Transactions

• Representing sponsor group in the formation of a US $100 million fund-of-hedge funds.
• Representing sponsor group in the formation of a US $50 million fund focused on investing in the education sector.
• Representing a hedge fund in a debt investment into a publicly-traded US medical device company.
• Representing a family investment office in its purchase of a minority stake in an NFL franchise.
• Representing a private college in the creation of a joint venture with a private equity fund to develop an online university degree program.
• Representing a US-based public biotechnology company in the establishment of a Russian-based subsidiary and in the sale of a 49% equity stake in such entity.
• Representing a sponsor group in a US $50 million fund focused on investing in the commercial mortgage-backed securities market.
• Representing a US-based sector-specific hedge fund in its fund formation efforts as well as its acquisition of a platform company and several add-on companies.
• Representing a private investment fund in its US $100 million purchase of an inland waterway transportation company.
• Representing limited partners in the following transactions:
  
  
• A state agency in an aggregate of US $263 million in investments in real estate, hedge and corporate debt funds;
• A state pension fund in its investment of US $15 million in a private equity fund;
• A union investment fund in its investment of US $10 million in a real estate mezzanine debt fund;
• An individual in a potential lead investment in a US $750 million fund focusing on the hospitality sector; and
• An individual in a US $80 million investment in a portfolio of fixed income, private equity and hedge funds.
  
  
• Representing a state agency in negotiating the terms of several workout/reorganization proposals, in each case relating to real estate development projects.
• Representing a startup media company in four rounds of financing and in the negotiation of several strategic partnerships.

Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars list (2009, 2011-2013)

The Entrepreneurship Institute of Cleveland (Board of Directors)

Hawken School (Alumni Board)

State of Ohio