Mr. Lerner concentrates his practice in corporate and securities law, including significant public and private mergers and acquisitions transactions. He also represents start ups and early and later stage private and public companies in capital finance transactions. He is experienced in a broad variety of general contract, finance and commercial business matters, including those involving the creation, financing, growth and eventual sale of entrepreneurial ventures and family businesses.
Mr. Lerner has represented purchasers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions; participants in significant management buyout, joint venture, corporate partnering and strategic alliance transactions; and issuers and underwriters of securities in both public offerings and private placements. These transactions have involved companies engaged in such diverse businesses as industrial product distribution, online/catalog distribution, nutritional supplements, consumer electronics, business services outsourcing, interactive entertainment, social media and other media properties, defense contracting and apparel manufacturing. His clients include large established companies (public and private), emerging growth companies, hedge funds, venture capitalists, “angel investors” and investment banks.
He also represents public companies, including in corporate governance, public disclosure, internal investigation and stock exchange listing standards matters.
Mr. Lerner is also a member of our China practice group, representing public Chinese companies in capital raising transactions and U.S. securities law compliance matters.
Mr. Lerner recently
- represented the equity holders of NAC Marketing Company, LLC (which does business under the name New Vitality), a leading direct-to-consumer marketer of premium nutritional supplements and personal care products, in a recapitalization transaction with a group of investors led by Baird Capital Partners, the US-based buyout fund of Baird Private Equity.
- represented Pangea3 in its acquisition by Thomson Reuters. Pangea3 is one of the world’s largest legal outsourcing service providers, with hundreds of lawyers at several locations in India, representing Fortune 100 and 500 multinational corporations and leading US and global law firms. This transaction won the 2011 M&A Advisor International M&A Deal of the Year Award (over $50 million to $100 million).
- represented RiskMetrics Group, Inc. in its $1.6 billion acquisition by MSCI. RiskMetrics is a leading provider of risk management and corporate governance products and services to the global financial community. MSCI is a leading global provider of investment decision support tools.
- represented Alloy, Inc., originators of “Gossip Girl” and “The Vampire Diaries,” in its acquisition by an investor group led by Zelnick Media for $140 million.
- represented Systemax Inc., a leading multichannel distributor and retailer of computers, electronics and industrial products, in its acquisition of all of the stock of WStore Europe SA, a major France-based developer and distributor of computer software and distributor of computer peripheral supplies, electronic and IT products, in the business-to-business market.
- represented Systemax Inc. in its purchase of the trademarks and e-commerce business of the bankrupt retailer Circuit City.