10^th Annual

Mergers and Acquisitions Institute

The Leading Private M&A Conference West of the Hudson

Dallas Oct 16-17, 2014 Ritz-Carlton
Conference Concluded

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SPONSORS
Alston & Bird LLP
Blackhill Partners, LLC
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Canada)
Fortis Advisors
Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP
Generational Equity, LLC
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Gómez-Acebo & Pombo (Spain)
Grant Thornton LLP
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Hogan Lovells BSTL (Mexico)
Intelligize, Inc.
J.P. Morgan
K&L Gates LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Loyens & Loeff (Netherlands)
Matheson (Ireland)
Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
Norton Rose Fulbright
Paul Hastings LLP
Polsinelli PC
Practical Law
Selman Munson & Lerner, P.C.
Sidley Austin LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Stibbe (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg)
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Thompson & Knight LLP
Thomson Reuters Business Law Solutions
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Willis North America

MEDIA PARTNERS
The Deal
mergermarket

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Overview

UT Law’s Mergers and Acquisitions Institute has gained a reputation among deal lawyers, corporate development officers, investment bankers, private equity investors, hedge fund managers and other legal and financial practitioners as the leading private M&A conference of its kind in the United States. Now in its 10th year, this program examines the latest deal trends, structures, pitfalls and opportunities in M&A, includes nationally and internationally recognized speakers, and provides invaluable networking opportunities to network with leading M&A lawyers and corporate development officers in Texas and the Southwest.

Key reasons to attend:

Learn what can happen when you go-silent during The Deal Lawyer’s Essential Comparison of (Possibly) Outcome Determinative Gap Fillers under Delaware, New York . . .and Texas Law
It’s Good to Be King: Key Issues for Serial Buyers explores key strategic and financial issues that face serial buyers when planning and executing transactions
Gain insight on the trends, current practices and legal developments of preparing and negotiating preliminary agreements for successful deal-making
Joint Venture Critical Issues: Formation, Governance, Competition and Exits discusses critical and complex issues that arise in JVs
Learn about the trending tactics in processes, practices and provisions to maximize seller leverage
Representation and Warranty Insurance Policies: They’re Real and They’re Spectacular!

The combination of an excellent program with exceptional speakers, prestigious U.S. and international sponsors, serving up Fletcher’s Texas State Fair famous corny dogs, the 4th annual whiskey tasting, invaluable networking opportunities, and much more, make this celebration one you won't want to miss!

Event Schedule

Program is subject to change.
All times are Central Time Zone.

Day 1 October 16, 2014
Day 2 October 17, 2014

Time

Credit

Subject

Speaker
Thursday Morning, Oct. 16, 2014
Presiding Officers:
Mark R. T. Adkins, Blakes (Canada) - New York, NY
Patrick Spicer, Matheson (Ireland) - Dublin, Ireland
7:30 am

Registration Opens

Includes continental breakfast.
8:15 am

Welcoming Remarks by Institute Co-Chairs

Wilson Chu, K&L Gates LLP - Dallas, TX
Larry E. Glasgow, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP - Dallas, TX
8:30 am

1.00 hr

Shale Revolution Survival Guide for Dealmakers

Whether you are a generalist or an energy specialist, the legal practice of oil and gas M&A transactions continues to be shaped by the U.S. shale revolution. Transactions in the oil patch, including the document provisions negotiated in them, often have unique aspects compared to more typical deal terms that most M&A attorneys have come to know and rely upon. Learn first-hand from experienced oil and gas M&A attorneys, investment bankers and leading industry dealmakers how transactions are being viewed and structured in our economy’s hottest sector.

Moderator:
J. Holt Foster III, Thompson & Knight LLP - Dallas, TX
Panelists:
John Goodgame, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP - Houston, TX
Christopher D. Ray, NGP Energy Capital Management, LLC - Irving, TX
Marc Rose, Vinson & Elkins LLP - Dallas, TX
Ray Strong, Evercore Partners Inc. - Houston, TX
9:30 am

1.25 hrs

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe: The Deal Lawyer’s Essential Comparison of (Possibly) Outcome-Determinative Gap Fillers under Delaware, New York…and Texas Law

Going-silent could be pro-buyer or pro-seller depending on the law you pick. Comparing key jurisdictions, separate fact from fiction on what happens when you go-silent or when you test the freedom-of-contract limits of common, yet potentially outcome-determinative deal points.

Moderator:
Wilson Chu, K&L Gates LLP - Dallas, TX
Panelists:
Noelle M. Reed, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP - Houston, TX
Myron T. Steele, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP - Wilmington, DE
Rhett A. Van Syoc, Kirkland & Ellis LLP - Houston, TX
Glenn D. West, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP - Dallas, TX
10:45 am

Break
11:15 am

1.00 hr

Update on Confidentiality, Letters of Intent and Other Preliminary Agreements

Preliminary agreements set the table for a successful deal and significantly impact the parties’ rights and remedies if the deal gets derailed. Gain insight on trends, current practices, legal developments and things to watch for when preparing and negotiating these agreements.

Moderator:
Robert R. Kibby, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. - Dallas, TX
Panelists:
Igor Kirman, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz - New York, NY
Robert B. Little, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP - Dallas, TX
Kevin Miller, Alston & Bird LLP - New York, NY
12:15 pm

Pick Up Lunch

Included in registration.
Thursday Afternoon, Oct. 16, 2014
Presiding Officers:
M. Jorge Yáñez V., Hogan Lovells BSTL (Mexico) - San Pedro Garza García, NL
Bas Vletter, Loyens & Loeff (Netherlands) - New York, NY
LUNCHEON PRESENTATION
12:35 pm

0.50 hr ethics

Ethics and Professionalism for the M&A Lawyer

A focus on the pitfalls and liability concerns of attorneys counseling in the M&A setting as well as from the general perspective of the corporate attorney in the advisory context. With the increased exposure that law firms and attorneys face in malpractice and related actions, key areas of concern for both in-house and outside counsel are addressed. Although liability under federal law in private actions now is greatly diminished in view of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Janus Capital, investor lawsuits based on state law against attorneys comprise a significant feature of the litigation landscape.

Marc I. Steinberg, SMU Dedman School of Law - Dallas, TX
1:05 pm

Break
1:15 pm

1.00 hr

Maximizing Seller Leverage: An Update on Pivotal Processes, Practices and Provisions

Despite the current M&A activity level and the large number of buyers in the market, not all sellers are created equal. Seller leverage, whether real or perceived, can make the difference between a buyer’s view of the seller as an “absolute must have” or a “ho hum” asset. Learn about the trending tactics in processes, practices and provisions that sophisticated sellers are using to make themselves that “must have.”

Moderator:
Carl R. Sanchez, Paul Hastings LLP - San Diego, CA
Panelists:
Gemma L. Descoteaux, Polsinelli PC - Dallas, TX
Jeff Jones, Blackhill Partners, LLC - Dallas, TX
Mark S. Solomon, Andrews Kurth LLP - Dallas, TX
2:15 pm

1.00 hr

It's Good to Be King: Key Issues for Serial Buyers

Does practice make perfect? This panel explores key issues that face serial buyers, strategic as well as financial, when planning and executing transactions. Hear practical insights relating to pre- and post-closing strategies designed to give serial buyers the strategic edge, including approaches to critical deal terms, best practices in deal execution, and successful development and execution of the all-important integration plan.

Moderator:
Tasha Hailey Hutchins, Practical Law (a Thomson Reuters solution) - Washington, DC
Panelists:
Sal Fira, Grant Thornton LLP - Dallas, TX
Michael J. Tierney, Thomson Reuters - Eagan, MN
Krishna Veeraraghavan, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP - New York, NY
3:15 pm

1.00 hr

Joint Venture Critical Issues: Formation, Governance, Competition and Exits

Structuring, negotiating and executing a successful joint venture is no easy feat. A discussion of some of the most critical and complex issues that arise in virtually all JVs: formation, governance, competition and exits. Critical provisions of preliminary and definitive documents for joint ventures are provided. Understanding the twists and turns of these legal and practical nuances could make the difference between your next JV being a home run or a whiff.

Moderator:
Byron F. Egan, Jackson Walker L.L.P. - Dallas, TX
Panelists:
Michael P. Lynn, Lynn Tillotson Pinker & Cox, LLP - Dallas, TX
Srinivas M. Raju, Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. - Wilmington, DE
Paul J. Shim, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP - New York, NY
4:15 pm

Break
4th Annual Byron Egan Whiskey Tasting and Coffee Break
Thank You to Our Sponsor

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
4:45 pm

1.00 hr

Negotiating Deals in the Technology Sector

A mock negotiation highlighting essential issues involved in buying or selling a technology-focused business.

Richard E. Climan, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP - Silicon Valley, CA
Joel I. Greenberg, Kaye Scholer LLP - New York, NY
5:45 pm

Adjourn to Cocktail Reception

Join us for drinks and hors d'oeuvres with program faculty and attendees.

Time

Credit

Subject

Speaker
Friday Morning, Oct. 17, 2014
Presiding Officers:
Rubén Ferrer, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo LLP (Spain) - New York, NY
Eva Das, Stibbe (Netherlands) - New York, NY
7:30 am

Conference Room Opens

Includes continental breakfast.
8:30 am

1.00 hr

Trending Issues in Negotiation of Indemnification Provisions

Risk allocation continues to be one of the most important and nuanced subjects in structuring private target M&A transactions. Review recent trends and developments in the indemnification arena and learn what practitioners need to know today and tomorrow.

Moderator:
Larry E. Glasgow, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP - Dallas, TX
Panelists:
Richard D. Anigian, Haynes and Boone, LLP - Dallas, TX
Rick Fink, Fortis Advisors - La Jolla, CA
Timothy P. FitzSimons, Latham & Watkins LLP - Chicago, IL
Eric L. Schiele, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP - New York, NY
9:30 am

1.00 hr

Developments in Acquisition Finance

2007 called. It wants its PIK toggles and dividend recaps back. As M&A activity continues to heat up, how far will the acquisition finance pendulum swing from borrower-friendly towards borrow-giddy? From the unitranches to enhanced borrower optionality, learn the hot topics and loan provisions that are fueling today’s increasingly frothy dealmaking.

Julia B. Buthman, Prudential Capital Group - Dallas, TX
Kelly M. Dybala, Sidley Austin LLP - Dallas, TX
Robert J.B. Lenhardt, ORIX Corporate Capital - Dallas, TX
Jason Kyrwood, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP - New York, NY
10:30 am

Break
11:00 am

1.00 hr

Representation and Warranty Insurance Policies: They're Real and They're Spectacular!

Insurance covering representations and warranties in purchase agreements has evolved significantly in recent years and is increasingly being utilized in today’s growing M&A market. Buyers are seeking to enhance their bids by incorporating the insurance into their bid draft while sellers are utilizing the product to backstop their indemnification obligation to allow distribution of sale proceeds, or to minimize escrow and indemnification obligations by proposing a buyer-side policy in an auction process to facilitate a clean exit. An overview of the current trends in the representations and warranties insurance market, including the terms and conditions of the policies and the strategic use of the product, and how transaction agreements should be drafted to address the insurance.

Moderator:
Daniel L. Mark, Norton Rose Fulbright - Houston, TX
Panelists:
Hani Farid, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. - Houston, TX
Kim Gladney, Ambridge Partners LLC - New York, NY
Christopher R. May, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP - Houston, TX
William M. Monat, Willis North America Inc. - Chicago, IL
12:00 pm

Adjourn

Day 1 October 16, 2014
Day 2 October 17, 2014

Download Schedule

Conference Faculty

Richard D. Anigian

Haynes and Boone, LLP
Dallas, TX

Julia B. Buthman

Prudential Capital Group
Dallas, TX

Wilson Chu

K&L Gates LLP
Dallas, TX

Richard E. Climan

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Silicon Valley, CA

Gemma L. Descoteaux

Polsinelli PC
Dallas, TX

Kelly M. Dybala

Sidley Austin LLP
Dallas, TX

Byron F. Egan

Jackson Walker L.L.P.
Dallas, TX

Hani Farid

JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Houston, TX

Rick Fink

Fortis Advisors
La Jolla, CA

Sal Fira

Grant Thornton LLP
Dallas, TX

Timothy P. FitzSimons

Latham & Watkins LLP
Chicago, IL

J. Holt Foster III

Thompson & Knight LLP
Dallas, TX

Kim Gladney

Ambridge Partners LLC
New York, NY

Larry E. Glasgow

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP
Dallas, TX

John Goodgame

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Houston, TX

Joel I. Greenberg

Kaye Scholer LLP
New York, NY

Tasha Hailey Hutchins

Practical Law (a Thomson Reuters solution)
Washington, DC

Jeff Jones

Blackhill Partners, LLC
Dallas, TX

Robert R. Kibby

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
Dallas, TX

Igor Kirman

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
New York, NY

Jason Kyrwood

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
New York, NY

Robert J.B. Lenhardt

ORIX Corporate Capital
Dallas, TX

Robert B. Little

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Dallas, TX

Michael P. Lynn

Lynn Tillotson Pinker & Cox, LLP
Dallas, TX

Daniel L. Mark

Norton Rose Fulbright
Houston, TX

Christopher R. May

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Houston, TX

Kevin Miller

Alston & Bird LLP
New York, NY

William M. Monat

Willis North America Inc.
Chicago, IL

Srinivas M. Raju

Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A.
Wilmington, DE

Christopher D. Ray

NGP Energy Capital Management, LLC
Irving, TX

Noelle M. Reed

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Houston, TX

Marc Rose

Vinson & Elkins LLP
Dallas, TX

Carl R. Sanchez

Paul Hastings LLP
San Diego, CA

Eric L. Schiele

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
New York, NY

Paul J. Shim

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
New York, NY

Mark S. Solomon

Andrews Kurth LLP
Dallas, TX

Myron T. Steele

Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP
Wilmington, DE

Marc I. Steinberg

SMU Dedman School of Law
Dallas, TX

Ray Strong

Evercore Partners Inc.
Houston, TX

Michael J. Tierney

Thomson Reuters
Eagan, MN

Rhett A. Van Syoc

Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Houston, TX

Krishna Veeraraghavan

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
New York, NY

Glenn D. West

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Dallas, TX

Planning Committee

Wilson Chu—Co-Chair

K&L Gates LLP
Dallas, TX

Larry E. Glasgow—Co-Chair

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP
Dallas, TX

Elizabeth C. Brandon

Vinson & Elkins LLP
Dallas, TX

Richard E. Climan

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Silicon Valley, CA

R. Scott Cohen

Jones Day
Dallas, TX

Gemma L. Descoteaux

Polsinelli PC
Dallas, TX

Byron F. Egan

Jackson Walker L.L.P.
Dallas, TX

Sal Fira

Grant Thornton LLP
Dallas, TX

J. Holt Foster III

Thompson & Knight LLP
Dallas, TX

Tom D. Harris Jr.

Haynes and Boone, LLP
Dallas, TX

Thomas W. Hughes

Norton Rose Fulbright
Dallas, TX

Jeff Jones

Blackhill Partners, LLC
Dallas, TX

Robert R. Kibby

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
Dallas, TX

Leon V. Komkov

Longroad Asset Management, LLC
Austin, TX

Neel Lemon

Baker Botts
Dallas, TX

Hollis L. Levy

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Robert B. Little

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Dallas, TX

John B. McKnight

Locke Lord LLP
Dallas, TX

Mark A. Morton

Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP
Wilmington, DE

Cookie F. Munson

Surveying And Mapping, Inc. (SAM, Inc.)
Austin, TX

Noelle M. Reed

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Houston, TX

Cliff W. Vrielink

Sidley Austin LLP
Houston, TX

Glenn D. West

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Dallas, TX

Sean T. Wheeler

Latham & Watkins LLP
Houston, TX

Credit Info

Dallas

MCLE Credit

Texas – 10.75 hrs | 0.50 hrs Ethics

You may claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the State Bar of Texas. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided in Your Briefcase for your records. The system reports Texas CLE credit every Tuesday. If you are claiming credit in the last week of your birth month, self-report your CLE credit directly to the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com, using the course number provided on your certificate of attendance.

California – 10.75 hrs | 0.50 hrs Ethics

You must claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE is required to provide the State Bar with electronic attendance records for any MCLE participatory activity within 60 days of completion of the activity. The California licensee is responsible for reporting their compliance/credit hours earned to the State Bar at the end of their reporting period directly to the State Bar of California at calbar.ca.gov. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

New Jersey – 12.00 hrs

As The University of Texas School of Law is a State Bar of Texas approved MCLE provider (Sponsor #13), our courses are presumptively approved for MCLE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour, and in accordance with the Regulations of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Board on Continuing Legal Education. More information and details can be found in the Board of Continuing Legal Education Regulations (PDF).

At the conclusion of the conference you will need to claim and certify your credit online, in your UTCLE "Briefcase", you will then be provided a certificate of attendance . Self-report your CLE credit directly to the Supreme Court of New Jersey Board on Continuing Legal Education. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

New York – 12.50 hrs

As The University of Texas School of Law is a Oklahoma Bar Association presumptively approved MCLE provider (#169), and Oklahoma is a New York Approved Jurisdiction on List A, our courses are approved for MCLE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour, and in accordance with the Program Rules and the Regulations and Guidelines of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board. More information and details can be found at Section 6 of the Regulations and Guidelines (PDF).

You must claim and certify your credit online in your UTCLE "Briefcase", and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. Self-report your CLE credit directly to the New York State Bar Association. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

Oklahoma – 13.00 hrs | 0.50 hrs Ethics

You must claim and certify your credit online in Your Briefcase, then you will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the Oklahoma Bar Association within 30 days after the conference.

Other Credit

TX Accounting CPE – 12.50 hrs

The University of Texas School of Law (Provider #250) live conferences are presumptively approved by The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy for Texas Accounting CPE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour. Approved for general CPE credit only.

At the conference, you are welcome to sign in on the Accounting CPE Record of Attendance form at the registration desk, but we are now reporting all credit online. You will receive a Texas Accounting Certificate of Completion in Your Briefcase. Self-report your CPE credit directly to TSBPA. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

Contact us at accreditation@utcle.org if you have additional questions.

Key Dates

Dallas – Oct 16-17, 2014 – Ritz-Carlton

Conference Concluded

Buy

Dallas

Individual
Last day for $725.00 Regular pricing: Oct 3, 2014

$825.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (5 registrants minimum)
Last day for $655.00 Regular pricing: Oct 3, 2014

$755.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (10 registrants minimum)
Last day for $580.00 Regular pricing: Oct 3, 2014

$680.00 for registrations received after this time

Last day for cancellation (full refund): Oct 10, 2014

$100 processing fee applied after this date

Last day for cancellation: Oct 13, 2014

Venue

Ritz-Carlton

2121 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX
800.960.7082 (reservations)

Accommodations

$359 good through September 23, 2014 (subject to availability).
To reserve your room online, select the dates and enter Group Code UTLUTLA

Parking Information

Valet only: $15 day, $30 overnight.

Our Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors! Click each logo below to learn more.

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients around the world. The results the firm achieves have set it apart for more than 130 years and have become a model for the modern practice of law. Today, S&C is a leader in each of its core practice areas and in each of its geographic markets.

Clients of the firm are nearly evenly divided between U.S. and non-U.S. entities. They include industrial and commercial companies; financial institutions; private funds; governments; educational, charitable and cultural institutions; and individuals, estates and trusts. S&C’s client base is exceptionally diverse, a result of the firm’s extraordinary capacity to tailor work to specific client needs.

S&C comprises approximately 800 lawyers who serve clients around the world through a network of 12 offices, located in leading financial centers in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States. The firm is headquartered in New York.
www.sullcrom.com
Alston & Bird LLP

Alston & Bird is a leading national AmLaw 50 firm. The firm’s core practice areas are intellectual property, complex litigation, corporate and tax, with national industry focuses that include financial services, technology, health care, manufacturing, life sciences and energy. The firm has built a reputation as one of the country’s best employers, appearing on Fortune magazine’s ranking of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” 15 consecutive years, an unprecedented accomplishment among law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Research Triangle, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC.
www.alston.com
Blackhill Partners, LLC

Blackhill Partners provides highly skilled, independent investment banking advice to large corporate and middle market clients in the United States and internationally. Our firm is composed of seasoned M&A and restructuring professionals with top tier backgrounds from some of the world's largest capital markets firms. Blackhill's professionals have advised on, and invested in over $30 billion of mergers, acquisitions, financings and restructurings across a broad range of industries, with particular depth in energy, telecommunications, and manufacturing. The firm's professionals operate with the fundamental belief that open communication, innovation and high intellectual value added are necessities in every engagement.
www.bhpllc.com
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Canada)

For more than 150 years, Blakes has proudly served many of Canada's and the world's leading businesses and organizations. The firm has built a reputation during that time as both a leader in the business community and in the legal profession. In 2012 Blakes was named "Law Firm of the Year: Canada" for the third time by Chambers and Partners and "Canada Law Firm of the Year" for the fourth consecutive year by Who's Who Legal. We also consistently rank as one of the top Canadian firms on the Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and mergermarket M&A league tables in terms of transactional value or number of deals for Canadian announced transactions. We have more than 550 lawyers in offices in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, London, Bahrain, Beijing and associated offices in Al-Khobar and Shanghai. Serving a diverse national and international client base, our integrated office network provides clients with access to the firm's full spectrum of capabilities in virtually every area of business law. Whether an issue is local or multi-jurisdictional, practice-area specific or interdisciplinary, Blakes handles transactions of all sizes and levels of complexity.
www.blakes.com
Fortis Advisors

Fortis is a rapidly growing professional shareholder representative firm that manages the entire M&A post-closing process on behalf of selling shareholders. We have been engaged in hundreds of M&A transactions involving billions of dollars of transaction value. We oversee all aspects of the post-closing process, including shareholder reporting, accounting review of purchase price adjustments, account and distribution management and auditing of progress toward earn-out payments. We handle all communications with the buyer, selling shareholders, escrow agents and other post-closing parties, and coordinate the actions of each to ensure the process is seamless and efficient. Most importantly, when issues, claims or disputes arise, we advise our clients on how best to protect their interests and we then manage the problem to resolution. Our team includes seasoned M&A professionals who have structured, negotiated, executed and led hundreds of private company acquisitions and know what it takes to protect shareholder value.
www.fortisrep.com
Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP

For over a century, Gardere has built its reputation on getting results. From the mid-market to the bulge bracket, Gardere lawyers have counseled clients on thousands of deals—friendly and contested—in dozens of industries. We have a well-earned reputation for delivering quality service to our M&A clients, and we are consistently recognized as being a leader in the M&A arena.
www.gardere.com
Generational Equity, LLC

Generational Equity is a sell side mergers and acquisitions firm providing M&A services to privately held, lower middle-market companies. Generational Equity is the leading M&A advisory firm in North America for deals valued below $25 million and is consistently ranked in the top 10 for deals below $100 million, as ranked by Thomson Reuters. The company provides diverse acquisition opportunities arising from a broad range of industries throughout North America. Generational Equity's experience in valuing and representing business owners provides a respected resource to buyers in achieving their acquisition goals. If you would like to explore our current acquisition opportunities, please email dealoverview@genequityco.com and request to opt in to receive our Deal Overview, highlighting available acquisition opportunities.
www.genequityco.com
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Gibson Dunn is a full-service law firm with over 1,100 lawyers in 18 offices worldwide. The American Lawyer ranked our firm third on its 2014 A-List of the 20 law firms it considers the most elite in the country, and Law360 named us to it's inaugural list of Texas Powerhouses, firms established as forces to be reckoned with in Texas. Our transactional lawyers have handled some of the largest and most complex matters in the world, and we have extensive experience in all types of domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. Our clients include most of the Fortune 100 and more than half of the Fortune 500 companies. Our Texas Corporate/M&A practice is led by the firm’s global M&A co-chair and has been recognized by Chambers USA, and two Dallas partners were honored as leading Corporate/M&A lawyers in the U.S. by Chambers Global 2014. We are a recognized leader in representing companies ranging from start-up ventures to multinational corporations in all major industries.
www.gibsondunn.com
Gómez-Acebo & Pombo (Spain)

Gómez-Acebo & Pombo is a leading full-service law firm in Spain, with international offices in Brussels, Lisbon, London and New York. With over 280 lawyers and 42 years of experience, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo is regarded as one of the most prestigious firms on the Iberian Peninsula assisting international clients on cross-border transactions. Our practice is based on delivering top quality work and providing unparalleled availability and partners’ hands-on involvement. We strive for long-standing relationships and pride ourselves on our ironclad ethics. The New York office of Gómez-Acebo & Pombo specializes in M&A and focuses on advising U.S. companies doing business in Spain.
www.gomezacebo-pombo.com
Grant Thornton LLP

Grant Thornton LLP offers private equity firms and corporate acquirers a broad array of M&A advisory services tailored to their individual needs and goals. Our professionals are responsive and dedicated, with strong experience in audit, tax, transaction and other advisory services. More importantly, we bring valuable ideas and insights to help you achieve your objectives. With 50 offices in the United States and Grant Thornton International member firm offices in more than 100 countries across the globe, we can work where you are, and where you want to be, to help you build and realize exceptional value. Visit us online at www.grantthornton.com or call Sal Fira at 214.561.2460 for more information.
www.grantthornton.com
Haynes and Boone, LLP

Haynes and Boone’s M&A practice group works with public and private companies of all sizes in a broad range of industries, advising businesses, financial institutions and private equity firms on strategic, financial, defensive, and growth-oriented transactions, and finding practical, cost-effective solutions to difficult problems. Haynes and Boone is one of the nation’s largest law firms with offices in Texas, New York, Washington, DC, California, Mexico City, and Shanghai.

www.haynesboone.com
Hogan Lovells BSTL (Mexico)

With top-tier knowledge of local law, Mexican business culture, a wide variety of industries, and an international outlook, Hogan Lovells BSTL is uniquely suited to advising both Mexican and international clients in all their legal and business needs both on the ground in Mexico and around the world. As the Mexican market expands and reforms continue to change the business landscape, we offer our clients well-informed legal counsel that will help them take advantage of this unprecedented growth in opportunities.

Our nearly 70 lawyers in Mexico City and Monterrey, including 17 partners, are recognized by major trade publications, including Chambers and Latin Lawyer, as leaders in their fields. With significant experience in the full range of legal services, including corporate, finance, regulatory, litigation and arbitration, and intellectual property, our integrated team offers comprehensive legal advice to assist our clients in entering, expanding, or investing in the dynamic Mexican market.

Hogan Lovells combined with prominent Mexican firm Barrera, Siqueiros y Torres Landa (BSTL) in August 2014, giving Hogan Lovells expanded capabilities in Mexico City and Monterrey. Hogan Lovells’ 46th and 47th offices enhance the firm’s market-leading Latin America practice, adding new opportunities for its global clientele of multinational companies and financial institutions doing business in Latin America’s second largest economy. We operate in Mexico as Hogan Lovells BSTL as part of our Americas region. Hogan Lovells is the first global legal practice to merge with a large, full-service firm in Mexico and is now one of only two global firms to have offices in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Houston, Miami, and Caracas.
www.bstl.com.mx
Intelligize, Inc.

Intelligize is a leading provider of web-based tools that help corporations, accounting firms and law firms more efficiently research, prepare and draft SEC filings, corporate transactions and various agreements within a fast-changing regulatory environment. Through powerful search, filter, compare and analyze capabilities, its suite of applications is designed to help customers cut down on the amount of time and effort it takes to move through the SEC compliance and review process. Headquartered in New York, Intelligize serves Fortune 500 companies, such as Chevron, IBM, Microsoft, Verizon and Wal-Mart, as well as the majority of top global accounting and law firms.
www.intelligize.com
J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan is a leading provider of escrow services, acting as a neutral third-party to protect asset value and mitigate risk for critical transactions in this increasingly complex global economy. Our dedicated escrow team offers reliable and dependable service to ensure that transactions close quickly, accurately and securely. With servicing locations spanning six continents, our extensive global network offers a suite of escrow services built on experience and can be tailored for a variety of situations, including mergers & acquisitions, private equity, litigations, regulatory requirements and more.
www.jpmorgan.com/escrow
K&L Gates LLP

K&L Gates, a leading global law firm with 2,100 lawyers across five continents, represents a wide array of clients, from some of the world’s largest multinationals to emerging-growth companies. In 2013, K&L Gates was named “Law Firm of the Year” by Mergers & Acquisitions magazine for its strong performance, global approach to middle market mergers and acquisitions, and its own continued growth. While the firm’s corporate lawyers also work on large, high-profile transactions—including, for example, assisting American Airlines in its pending $11 billion merger with US Airways—the vast majority of K&L Gates’ M&A activity involves middle market work, such as bet-the-company deals for mid-sized and emerging-growth companies (and the private equity firms investing in them). Our emphasis is on providing integrated, multidisciplinary, global, and cost-effective M&A execution from Main Street, USA to Main Streets around the world.
www.klgates.com
Latham & Watkins LLP

Latham & Watkins is a global law firm providing clients across the globe with exceptional legal services and innovative solutions to their most complex business issues and disputes. Building on a tradition of excellence in client service, Latham provides robust complementary corporate and litigation advice and representation. Clients turn to Latham for help with enterprise transforming transactions and to defend bet-the company-disputes as well as day-to-day guidance and preventative advice. Latham lawyers deliver market-leading service in more than 50 internationally recognized practices with expertise across industries ranging from financial services to technology, oil and gas to retail. With more than 2,000 lawyers in more than 30 offices, we are positioned in the world’s major financial, business, and regulatory centers to serve clients—wherever they may be. Affirming the firm culture and strong client relationships, Latham was included on The American Lawyer’s prestigious “A-List” for the 12th consecutive year and ranked among Chambers’ Top 30 global law firms in 2014.
www.lw.com
Loyens & Loeff (Netherlands)

Loyens & Loeff is an independent law firm with major offices in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, commonly referred to as the Benelux. The firm has an integrated legal and tax practice with more than 850 legal and tax experts worldwide. In addition to the Benelux offices, our offices are located in major international financial centres including New York, London, Paris, Zurich, Singapore, Tokyo and Dubai. In the Benelux, Loyens & Loeff is leading in M&A and private equity, has a strong capital markets practice and banking & finance practice, in addition to a full service corporate and commercial litigation practice. Our integrated legal and tax approach is unmatched by any firm in our home market. Our almost 400 tax experts have consistently made us the tax law firm to go to in the Benelux. Our integrated practice model is mirrored in our New York office. Twelve lawyers and tax experts advise clients from the U.S., Canada and Latin America on M&A, international tax structuring, banking and general corporate matters, mostly on Netherlands and Luxembourg law.
www.loyensloeff.com
Matheson (Ireland)

Matheson’s primary focus is on serving the Irish legal needs of international companies and financial institutions doing business in and through Ireland. Our clients include over half of the Fortune 100 companies. We also advise 7 of the top 10 global technology brands and over half of the world’s 50 largest banks.

We have more than 600 people across our four offices—in Dublin, London, New York and Palo Alto—including over 350 lawyers and 75 partners. Matheson is the only Irish law firm commended by the Financial Times for innovation in corporate law, finance law and corporate strategy.

www.matheson.com
Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.

Munsch Hardt, a multi-specialty commercial law firm, provides legal services and strategic business advice working across disciplinary lines to solve legal problems for companies of all sizes. Our practice groups include all aspects of business litigation, corporate & securities, employment & labor, finance, healthcare, insolvency, restructuring & creditor's rights, intellectual property, real estate and tax. The firm's mergers & acquisitions practice focuses on the middle market, where our team of well-seasoned M&A, tax, environmental, banking, real estate, healthcare and technology attorneys collaborates to help clients close transactions at a superior value and in most every industry.
www.munsch.com
Norton Rose Fulbright

Norton Rose Fulbright is a global legal practice. We provide the world's pre-eminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. We have more than 3,800 lawyers based in over 50 cities across Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. In 2012 on a global basis, we completed approximately 140 transactions valued at approximately $38 billion.

Our mergers and acquisitions practice includes both U.S. and cross-border transactions. Encompassing every form of corporate transaction, we handle mergers, purchases and sales of assets, purchases and sales of securities, and change of control events such as tender offers and proxy contests. We represent public and private purchasers, sellers, lenders and financial advisors in mergers and acquisitions of all sizes. From inception through the transaction closing, clients benefit from our multi-disciplinary approach of handling the legal aspects in the areas of antitrust, corporate, employee benefits, environmental, intellectual property, financing, labor, real estate and tax.

Corporate Board Member, America’s Best Corporate Law Firms, 2013
Chambers USA Guide, Corporate/M&A work in Texas, 2013

Law around the world
Norton Rose Fulbright
www.nortonrosefulbright.com
Paul Hastings LLP

Paul Hastings provides innovative legal solutions to many of the world’s leading companies and financial institutions in markets across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. We are proud to consistently rank among the best firms in top legal publications such as Chambers and Partners and Legal 500, and recently placed first on The American Lawyer’s 2014 A-List of the 20 Most Successful Law Firms in America. Our Global M&A Practice Group spans each of our 20 international offices, and our sophisticated lawyers have led some of the most high-profile mergers and acquisitions in recent years. Highlights include advising WH Group on its $7.1 billion acquisition of Smithfield Foods in the largest-ever acquisition of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm, and advising Dole Food Company Chairman & CEO David H. Murdock on his $1.6 billion acquisition of Dole, marking the first time in history a company has been taken private twice by the same person.

www.paulhastings.com
Polsinelli PC

real challenges. real answers.^sm Polsinelli is a first generation Am Law 100 firm serving corporations, institutions, entrepreneurs and individuals nationally. Our attorneys successfully build enduring client relationships by providing practical legal counsel infused with business insight, and with a passion for assisting General Counsel and CEOs in achieving their objectives. Polsinelli is ranked 18th in number of U.S. partners (Law360, March 2014) and has more than 740 attorneys in 19 offices. Profiled by The American Lawyer and ranked as the fastest growing U.S. law firm over a six-year period (The American Lawyer 2013 and 2014 reports), the firm focuses on healthcare, financial services, real estate, life sciences and technology, energy and business litigation, and has depth of experience in 100 service areas and 70 industries. Polsinelli PC. In California, Polsinelli LLP.

www.polsinelli.com
Practical Law

Practical Law provides legal know-how that gives lawyers a better starting point. Our expert team of attorney editors creates and maintains thousands of up-to-date, practical resources so you don’t have to. We go beyond primary law and traditional legal research to give lawyers the resources needed to practice more efficiently, improve client service and add more value. Our job is to make you better at yours. To request your free trial, please visit practicallaw.com.
www.practicallaw.com
Selman Munson & Lerner, P.C.

Selman Munson counsels small and middle market clients in the sale and purchase of businesses in the oilfield service, healthcare, technology, finance and manufacturing industries. The firm advises clients on tax, securities, international transactions, employee benefits, environmental, real estate and corporate finance matters. The firm typically helps clients in acquisitions, complex corporate transactions, spin-offs of subsidiaries, public and private financings, leveraged buyouts and international subsidiary sales.
www.selmanmunson.com
Sidley Austin LLP

Sidley Austin LLP is a premier law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 18 offices around the globe. Each year since the survey’s inception, Sidley has received the most first-tier national rankings of any U.S. law firm in the 2014 U.S. News–Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” survey, including a top-tier national rating in Mergers & Acquisitions Law.

Sidley’s Mergers & Acquisitions group provides experience in the structuring, negotiation and financing of a broad range of domestic and cross-border M&A transactions as well as in the design and implementation of structural defenses to unsolicited takeover proposals, including shareholder rights plans. The group handles a broad variety of M&A transactions, including public company acquisitions, mergers, dispositions and separations (including spin-offs), tender offers, negotiated and unsolicited transactions, auctions, proxy solicitations, joint ventures, restructurings and other transactions involving “troubled” companies and various forms of related financings. The firm also provides advice on corporate governance, tax, employee benefits, antitrust, intellectual property, litigation, financing, bankruptcy and environmental matters relating to these transactions.

The firm regularly represents prominent public and private corporations in various industries as well as financial institutions in its M&A assignments.

www.sidley.com
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates

Serving clients in every major international financial center, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is one of the leading law firms in the world, with 22 offices and approximately 1,800 attorneys. Our diversified practice enables us to offer solutions to the most challenging legal issues in virtually every area of corporate law, providing the specific legal advice clients need to compete most effectively in a global business environment. We represent approximately 50 percent of the Fortune 250 industrial and service corporations, as well as financial and governmental entities; small, entrepreneurial companies; and cultural, educational and charitable institutions, advising on a wide variety of high-profile transactions, regulatory matters, and litigation and controversy issues.
www.skadden.com
Stibbe (Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium)

Stibbe is an independent leading law firm with main offices in Amsterdam, Brussels and Luxembourg and branch offices in New York, London, Dubai and Hong Kong. The firm has a history of over 100 years. We are a full-service firm, with over 360 lawyers advising on the laws of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as EU law. The lawyers in our New York office practice Dutch and Luxembourg corporate and tax law. They work closely together with specialists in our other offices and with leading law firms outside our home jurisdictions.
www.stibbe.com
Thompson & Knight LLP

Established in 1887, Thompson & Knight today is a law firm of approximately 330 attorneys with U.S. offices in Texas, New York, and California and international offices and associations in the Americas, North Africa, and Europe. Thompson & Knight's Corporate and Securities Practice Group has a breadth of expertise that covers the entire range of corporate and securities matters. Our attorneys represent businesses and investors in all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, consolidations, combinations, and asset sales. We advise the executives, boards of directors and special committees, investment bankers, financial institutions, and investors of acquiring companies and target companies, including public and private corporations and partnerships, limited liability companies, and other business entities.

www.tklaw.com
Thomson Reuters Business Law Solutions

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the legal, financial, tax and accounting, science and media industries, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. Business Law Solutions from Thomson Reuters allows transactional lawyers to do more, by having every step of your workflow streamlined, connected and supported with products and services you need to stay current and practice efficiently. Featuring the latest guidance, analysis, news and drafting and disclosure tools, Business Law Solutions is tailored to your organization's needs.
www.thomsonreuters.com
Vinson & Elkins LLP

Vinson & Elkins is a leading international law firm for complex transactional, regulatory and dispute resolution matters. In our nearly 100-year history, we have earned a reputation as the preeminent firm serving the energy and natural resources industry. Worldwide, our nearly 700 lawyers assemble multidisciplinary, industry-focused teams to help clients manage their legal and regulatory responsibilities. Our 15 offices are located in energy hubs, financial centers and political capitals globally.

www.velaw.com
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

With approximately 1,200 lawyers in 20 offices across the United States, Europe and Asia, including Dallas and Houston, Weil operates according to the “one firm” principle, allowing us to bring the right mix of firm-wide skill and local-market presence to deliver the coordinated legal advice necessary to help our clients achieve their sophisticated goals and objectives. Founded in 1931, Weil has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 80 years.

Weil regularly advises on the largest and most complex corporate transactions in the world. Our many practice areas offer recognized depth and quality across borders and legal disciplines, and we serve a wide range of corporate, private equity and financial institutions clients. We consistently receive accolades and recognitions globally by those covering the profession and routinely rank at the top of league tables for the high volume transactions we handle. Weil seeks always to be a strategic business advisor to our clients, and our clients look to us for sound legal and business judgment for their most sensitive matters.

www.weil.com
Willis North America

Willis Group Holdings plc is a leading global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker. With roots dating to 1828, Willis operates today on every continent with more than 18,000 employees in over 400 offices. Willis offers its clients superior expertise, teamwork, innovation and market-leading products and professional services in risk management and transfer. Our experts rank among the world’s leading authorities on analytics, modelling and mitigation strategies at the intersection of global commerce and extreme events. Find more information at our website, www.Willis.com, our leadership journal, Resilience, or our up-to-the-minute blog on breaking news, WilllisWire. Across geographies, industries and specialisms, Willis provides its local and multinational clients with resilience for a risky world.
www.willis.com
The Deal

thedeal.com
mergermarket

www.mergermarket.com

10th Annual

Mergers and Acquisitions Institute

The Leading Private M&A Conference West of the Hudson

Dallas Oct 16-17, 2014 Ritz-Carlton Conference Concluded

Buy

Related products: Materials

Overview

Event Schedule

Thursday Morning, Oct. 16, 2014

Thursday Afternoon, Oct. 16, 2014

Friday Morning, Oct. 17, 2014

Conference Faculty

Richard D. Anigian

Julia B. Buthman

Wilson Chu

Richard E. Climan

Gemma L. Descoteaux

Kelly M. Dybala

Byron F. Egan

Hani Farid

Rick Fink

Sal Fira

Timothy P. FitzSimons

J. Holt Foster III

Kim Gladney

Larry E. Glasgow

John Goodgame

Joel I. Greenberg

Tasha Hailey Hutchins

Jeff Jones

Robert R. Kibby

Igor Kirman

Jason Kyrwood

Robert J.B. Lenhardt

Robert B. Little

Michael P. Lynn

Daniel L. Mark

Christopher R. May

Kevin Miller

William M. Monat

Srinivas M. Raju

Christopher D. Ray

Noelle M. Reed

Marc Rose

Carl R. Sanchez

Eric L. Schiele

Paul J. Shim

Mark S. Solomon

Myron T. Steele

Marc I. Steinberg

Ray Strong

Michael J. Tierney

Rhett A. Van Syoc

Krishna Veeraraghavan

Glenn D. West

Planning Committee

Wilson Chu—Co-Chair

Larry E. Glasgow—Co-Chair

Elizabeth C. Brandon

Richard E. Climan

R. Scott Cohen

Gemma L. Descoteaux

Byron F. Egan

Sal Fira

J. Holt Foster III

Tom D. Harris Jr.

Thomas W. Hughes

Jeff Jones

Robert R. Kibby

Leon V. Komkov

Neel Lemon

Hollis L. Levy

Robert B. Little

John B. McKnight

Mark A. Morton

Cookie F. Munson

Noelle M. Reed

Cliff W. Vrielink

Glenn D. West

Sean T. Wheeler

10^th Annual

Dallas Oct 16-17, 2014 Ritz-Carlton
Conference Concluded