Anne E. Croteau Partner

Anne focuses her practice on private equity and other financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. She has experience representing lenders in first lien, unitranche, second lien and mezzanine credit facilities, equity co-investments and kickers, regularly advising on intercreditor relationships, capital structures and complex restructurings.

Anne also represents funds, companies and investors in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, including platform and add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and investment exits. Anne is among a small group of lawyers in the United States who have significant transactional and regulatory experience with Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC Funds). She has experience in both public and private securities offerings, as well as joint ventures, strategic alliances and other complex commercial transactions. She counsels companies on a variety of general corporate matters, ranging from board and shareholder matters, to various contractual and operating concerns.

Experience

Representation of a publicly-traded business development company in its sale of a multi-national provider of back-end merchant solutions and front-end payment and donation management products.  

Representation of a leading provider of customized battery recycling solutions in its add-on acquisition of an electronics reuse and recycling company.

Representation of a publicly-traded business development company in its sale of a business process outsourcing provider that specializes in printing, fulfillment and call center services.

Represented over 26 institutional mezzanine and other debt funds in more than 250 debt and equity financings, including: (i) first lien, second lien, unsecured mezzanine, and unitranche debt investments ranging from $2 million to $75 million, (ii) preferred, common and strip equity co-investments ranging from $1 million to $30 million, and (iii) warrant and other equity kickers.

Represented funds in connection with debt and equity restructurings and workouts.

Represented funds in connection with third party purchases and sales of debt and equity investments.

Represented private equity funds in various control buy-outs and non-control equity investments.

Advised a private equity fund on the acquisition, equity and debt financing of a reference laboratory.

Regularly represents Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs), Business Development Companies (BDCs) and other private equity funds.

Represented an acquirer in $2.6 billion merger of leading public chemical companies.

Represented a leading national railroad in cross-border merger.

Represented a foreign publicly traded acquirer in multiple mergers in the waste industry.

Represented multiple chemical companies in sales of business divisions.

Represented a public medical services company in multiple private acquisitions.

Represented an enzyme manufacturer in sale of business division.

Represented a real estate developer in mixed use joint venture development.

Represented venture capital funds and start-up companies in early-stage equity and convertible debt financings.

  • Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude, 1998
  • Duke University, MA, 1995
  • Duke University, BA, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1993

North Carolina Bar Association, Business Law Section

Wake County Bar Association; 10th Judicial District, Swearing In Committee; YLD Board, 2007

Board Member, Association for Corporate Growth, 2015-2017

Member, Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), 2006-2007

Member, Kerr YMCA Board, 2010-2015

  • Illinois
  • North Carolina
  • New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

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Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Woodward/White, Inc., 2020-2023

Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Commercial Lending, 2020

Named to "North Carolina Super Lawyers," Business/Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2014-2021

Named to "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, 2013-2014, 2019-2021

Named to North Carolina Super Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2017

Named to North Carolina Super Lawyers Top 50 Women, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2016-2017

Selected for inclusion in America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Banking & Finance, Chambers USA, 2016, 2018

Recipient, Business Leader Magazine’s Women Extraordinaire Award, 2011

Graduate of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Leadership Raleigh Program (Class 27)

AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell 

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