-
Howard T. Spilko
-
- Partner
- Co-Managing Partner
- New York
- Download vcard
-
Howard T. Spilko is a co-managing partner of Kramer Levin. He counsels and represents clients in mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures, with an emphasis on middle-market transactions.
Howard has particular knowledge and experience in the strategic use of representations and warranties insurance in acquisitions and related claims. He has helped develop those products for more than 25 years.
Howard was named Dealmaker of the Year at The Deal’s 2020 Middle Market NYC Awards. He was also named one of America’s leading dealmakers by Lawdragon 500 in 2021 and 2022. Both Chambers USA and Legal 500 US have repeatedly recognized Howard as a highly regarded practitioner in mergers and acquisitions and other transactional work, citing clients who describe him as “my go-to lawyer when I need practical, thoughtful advice from someone who knows the marketplace. He is a terrific negotiator and he excels at explaining complicated concepts.” Clients also say he is “a counselor in the truest sense. I feel lucky to have him as a partner on our team.” Other clients and industry sources say that Howard is “not only commercially very smart and capable, but he also has a very agreeable demeanor in negotiations.” Howard “does a good job of knowing what matters and what does not,” and “combines his precision with practical, commercial advice.” Clients laud Howard for his client service, saying that he is “incredibly responsive” and “very easy to work with,” as well as “a true partner who is able to really drive value through his guidance” and able “to digest and advise on complicated topics in a creative, measured and commercial manner.” Clients also look to Howard as “a shrewd negotiator with an ability to make complicated problems straightforward,” whose “combination of knowing the legal skills, demeanor, style and tone is fantastic”; they describe him as “excellent” and “a consistent, steady hand in negotiations.” Clients consider Howard a “strategic ally to clients; his willingness to go the extra mile is well known, and his low-key style belies his shrewdness as a negotiator.” He has been commended over the years for his ability to “unlock hidden value in a deal, and steer transactions to successful closings with grace” and “bring both sides together in a difficult transactional environment,” and he has been described as an “entrepreneurial” and “accomplished” lawyer who has “great skills and is highly practical” as well as a “great draftsman and a great problem-solver” who “produces fair-priced, impeccable legal work.” Legal 500 US also noted his “particular knowledge of the strategic use of representations and warranties insurance during acquisitions,” and Global M&A Network named him to its Top 50 Americas M&A Dealmakers and M&A Star Dealmakers lists in 2014.
Among his most notable work, Howard has represented Stone Point Capital and its Trident funds in numerous acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures.
In addition to his work on behalf of clients, Howard is a member of the board of directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, New York City chapter. He also serves as a member of Kramer Levin’s Executive Committee.
Experience
-
Advised Allied Benefit Systems LLC, one of the nation’s largest health care administrators for employee benefit plans, and its majority equity holder, funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC, in the acquisition of Medxoom Inc., an industry-leading digital benefits platform.
-
Advised Onboard Partners LLC, a portfolio company of Stone Point Capital LLC, in connection with Onboard’s acquisition of Aliaswire Inc.’s Payvus small credit card-issuing and capital management business.
-
Advised Sabal Capital, owned in part by investment funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC, in its agreement to be acquired by Regions Bank.
-
Advised NewPoint Real Estate Capital LLC in its acquisition of certain assets of Housing & Healthcare Finance LLC, including its Federal Housing Administration multifamily and health care origination business and its loan servicing portfolio.
-
Advised Alliant Insurance Services, the largest privately-owned specialty insurance brokerage firm in the U.S., in its acquisition of Confie, the largest privately-owned personal lines insurance distributor in the U.S.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC in the sale of its portfolio company Finxera Holdings Inc. to Priority Technology Holdings Inc., a leading payments technology company.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC in a strategic investment by funds managed by Stone Point Capital in Allied Benefit Systems LLC.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC, along with GreyLion Capital, in its acquisition of Hyphen Solutions, the leading provider of cloud-based residential construction management software.
-
Represented SitusAMC, a leading provider of services and technology supporting the real estate finance industry, in the acquisition of real estate technology provider rSquared CRE LLC.
-
Represented SitusAMC in the acquisition of the third-party loan servicing and asset management platform of Cohen Financial from Truist Bank.
-
Represented SitusAMC in the acquisition of LogicEase Solutions Inc., the parent company of leading residential regulatory compliance technology provider ComplianceEase.
-
Advised SitusAMC in its acquisition of ReadyPrice, a provider of leading mortgage technology connecting mortgage loan originators and lenders to support more efficient loan originations.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC in the acquisition of Bullhorn, a global leader in software for staffing and recruitment.
-
Advised Mitchell | Genex in its acquisition of Coventry Workers’ Comp Services, a leading provider of cost containment technology, clinical service and disability management, from CVS Health.
-
Advised SitusAMC in a strategic investment by The Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC in the acquisition of the majority interest in First Associates Loan Servicing LLC.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC in its acquisition of a majority interest in PrismHR, the leading human resources technology platform.
-
Advised Clarfeld Financial Advisors LLC, a leading wealth management firm, in the definitive agreement to be acquired by Citizens Financial Group Inc.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC in an agreement by which investment funds managed by Stone Point Capital acquired the Rialto Investment and Asset Management business from Lennar Corp.
-
Advised NXT Capital Inc., a provider of structured financing solutions, in its acquisition by Orix Corp. USA.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC in an agreement by which funds managed by Stone Point acquired Sabal Capital Partners LLC.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in an investment in Gordon Brothers Group LLC, a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the industrial, consumer products and retail sectors.
-
Advised Alliant Insurance Services, the largest privately-owned specialty insurance brokerage firm in the U.S., in the acquisition of Crystal & Co., a leading global provider of insurance and employee benefits consulting services.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of the majority interest in Genex Services from funds advised by Apax Partners.
-
Advised Bluespring Wealth Partners LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kestra Financial Inc., in its acquisition of a financial interest in Beacon Financial Group, a financial planning and insurance advisement firm.
-
Advised Bluespring Wealth Partners LLC in its acquisition of Believeland LLC, one of the independently owned financial planning and wealth management entities operating under oXYGen Financial Inc.
-
Advised Situs Technologies LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of SitusAMC, in its acquisition of the remaining 80% of the outstanding equity interests of CJC Worldwide Technologies LLC, a provider of technology solutions with respect to commercial lending products, not currently held by Situs Technologies.
-
Advised Bluespring Wealth Partners LLC in its acquisition of Vector Wealth Management, a provider of comprehensive financial planning and investment management services.
-
Advised Bluespring Wealth Partners LLC in its acquisition of registered investment adviser Hickory Asset Management.
-
Advised Situs Group Holdings Corp., a global provider of business and technology solutions for the real estate and financial services industries, and American Mortgage Consultants, each a portfolio company of Stone Point Capital LLC, in the formation of SitusAMC.
-
Advised Kestra Advisor Services in the sale of a majority stake to Warburg Pincus.
-
Advised Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Grace Hill, a leading provider of online training courseware and administration for the property management industry.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC in an agreement by which funds managed by Stone Point Capital made an investment in Mitchell International Inc. and acquired KKR and Elliott Management’s equity position in the company.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC in its acquisition of LegalShield, a subscription-based provider of legal plans and a provider of identity theft solutions, from funds controlled by MidOcean Partners.
-
Advised Situs Group Holdings Corp. in its acquisition of MountainView Financial Solutions, a Denver-based provider of valuation, brokerage and risk management analytics for financial institutions.
-
Represented Ten-X, a leading online real estate marketplace, in a recapitalization transaction led by private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of a majority stake in Focus Financial Partners, a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms.
-
Represented Oasis Outsourcing, a Florida-based professional employer organization (PEO) and provider of human resources to small and midsized businesses — and then the largest private PEO in the U.S. — in its acquisition of CEP Inc., the controlling shareholder of Fortune Industries Inc., a Tennessee-based PEO group.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Bankruptcy Management Solutions, a provider of software and tools to trustees.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the sale of SCS Capital.
-
Represented Situs Group Holdings Corp. in its acquisitions of Collingwood Group and Hatfield Philips.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of NFP’s Kestra Advisor Services, a platform that provides services to registered representatives and investment advisers.
-
Represented Oasis Outsourcing in its acquisition of Doherty Employer Services, a Minneapolis-based PEO; A-1 HR, a Florida-based PEO; and DHR Services, an Arizona-based PEO.
-
Represented Preferred Concepts, an insurance brokerage firm, and its equity holders in the sale of Preferred Concepts to Alliant Insurance Services.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Situs Group Holdings Corp.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Black Mountain Systems, a software company that provides technology solutions for asset managers and financial institutions.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Oasis Outsourcing.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds and Enhanced Capital Partners, a provider of asset management and advisory services to lower-middle-market businesses, in the formation of Tree Line Capital, a middle-market direct-lending platform.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Long Term Care Group, a leading provider of business process outsourcing services in the long-term care insurance industry.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the sale of a controlling interest in Edgewood Partners, a retail insurance broker, to Carlyle Group.
-
Represented Hodges-Mace Benefits Group, a leading provider of employee benefits communication, enrollment and administration services, in its acquisitions of SmartBen and Continuous Health.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of Lancaster Pollard Holdings, a provider of real estate investment banking capabilities to borrowers in the senior living, community health care and affordable housing sectors.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds, together with Dowling Capital Partners, in the acquisition of Hodges-Mace Benefits Group.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of a majority stake in Enhanced Capital Partners.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the acquisition of a majority stake in Verisight, a leading independent provider of record-keeping and administrative services to U.S. retirement plans.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds in the formation of NXT Capital.
-
Represented Stone Point Capital LLC and its Trident funds, Preferred Concepts and management in the sale of SeaFire Insurance, an insurance broker, to Marsh McLennan.
-
Represented Perella Weinberg Partners and its asset-based value funds in numerous acquisitions, investments and joint ventures, including the formation of Liberty Island, a joint venture with Prudential Mortgage to originate commercial mortgage loans.
-
Represented Fortress Investment Group in multiple joint ventures, investments and acquisitions.
-
Represented American International Group in numerous acquisitions, dispositions, investments and joint ventures, including several dispositions involving international finance platforms.
-
Represented AmTrust Financial Services in its acquisition of CCP North America, a provider of tools and services for identity management and lifestyle solutions.
-
Represented Ten-X in its acquisition of businesses from CW Financial Services and LNR Property.
-
Represented Institutional Shareholder Services, the international proxy advisory firm, in its acquisition of IdealsWork.
-
Represented Traeger Wood Pellet Grills in its sale to Trilantic.
Credentials
Education
-
J.D., cum laude, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1992 -
Editorial Board Member, University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Business Law
-
-
B.S., Accounting, summa cum laude, Binghamton University, 1989
Bar Admissions
-
New York, 1993
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section
- National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City, Board of Directors
-
-
-
Recognition
- Year
- 2021 – 2024
- Name
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America
- Year
- 2010, 2013 – 2023
- Name
- Thomson Reuters’ New York Metro Super Lawyers*
- Description
-
Mergers & Acquisitions (2023)
- Year
- 2007 – 2013, 2016 – 2023
- Name
- Chambers and Partners’ Chambers USA
- Description
-
Leading Lawyer
- Year
- 2010 – 2023
- Name
- Legalease’s Legal 500 US
- Description
-
Leading Lawyer
- Year
- 2021 – 2023
- Name
- City & State New York: Manhattan Power 100
- Year
- 2020
- Name
- The Deal’s Middle Market NYC Dealmaker of the Year
- Year
- 2014
- Name
- Global M&A Network
- Description
-
Top 50 Americas M&A Dealmakers, M&A Star Dealmakers
*No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the Super Lawyers selection methodology can be found here.