McGuireWoods deputy managing partner Joanne Katsantonis was named Energy & Industrials Dealmaker of the Year in The Deal Awards, which honor leaders and top transactions in the deal economy over the past year. The Deal is a leading news source for business intelligence, providing coverage of corporate transactions, dealmakers and advisers.
Katsantonis, the firm’s deputy managing partner for development, won the award for Energy & Industrials Dealmaker of the Year in the Large Cap Category. She led a McGuireWoods team representing longtime client Dominion Energy in the sale of its natural gas transmission and storage business to an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway — the largest purchase of U.S. energy assets announced in 2020.
A former leader of McGuireWoods’ nationally recognized energy industry team, Katsantonis is a strategic adviser to energy companies, from public utilities and independent power producers to financial investors. Among her many honors, she was named a 2020 Energy MVP by Law360, a Go-to Lawyer for Business Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly and an M&A Trailblazer by The National Law Journal.
“I am grateful for this recognition and especially proud that our deal work across the firm has been recognized in this awards program,” Katsantonis said.
The firm also was honored for its role in two award-winning transactions, including the Private Equity Deal of the Year (Middle Market). The firm represented longtime client Falfurrias Capital Partners and American Safety Council (ASC), a leading provider of online training and certification for workplace and driver safety, in the sale of ASC to Ridgemont Equity Partners.
Partner Christopher Nesbit led the McGuireWoods team representing Falfurrias Capital. The sale marked a successful exit for Falfurrias Capital following a six-year growth partnership that saw ASC add five complementary businesses and a new leadership team. McGuireWoods lawyers advised on all the add-on acquisitions.
“We value our longstanding relationship with Falfurrias Capital and are delighted to be recognized for assisting our client in this important transaction,” Nesbit said. “This was a true team effort that demonstrated our significant capabilities in M&A and private equity deals.”
In addition, McGuireWoods earned recognition for its role in the Energy & Industrials Deal of the Year (Large Cap). The firm served as counsel to Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. as financial adviser to WillScot in its merger with portable storage company Mobile Mini. Partner Jeffrey L. Rothschild led the McGuireWoods team representing Stifel.
“We were pleased to represent Stifel as financial adviser to WillScot in this major acquisition,” Rothschild said.
McGuireWoods was a finalist for Energy & Industrials Law Firm of the Year and was involved in deals that were finalists for awards in two categories. The firm represented an investment bank in Harsco’s acquisition of Stericycle’s environmental solutions business, which was a finalist for Energy & Industrials Deal of the Year (Middle Market). McGuireWoods also represented an investment bank in Dime Community Bancshares merger with Bridge Bancorp Inc., a finalist for Financial Services Deal of the Year (Middle Market).
McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the leaders in U.S. and global M&A deals — including private equity transactions — in league tables published by Bloomberg and Refinitiv. The firm was recently rated a “powerhouse” for private company and straightforward M&A deals in a report published by BTI.