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Christopher J. Verstrate Partner

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Chicago T +1 312 750 8937 F fax +1 312 920 6596
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Chris’s practice focuses on a variety of corporate law matters including mergers and acquisitions, international transactions, complex commercial contracts, technology transactions, outsourcing and licensing, and business structuring and formation. He also provides general corporate advice for all types of entities, as well as representation in certain intellectual property matters.

His focus on corporate transactions regularly involves the structuring, documenting, reviewing and negotiating of a variety of deals including asset and stock purchase transactions, merger agreements, joint ventures, shareholder and buy/sell agreements, operating agreements and other corporate transactional agreements. He also drafts, reviews and negotiates commercial contracts for clients to cover areas such as supply and distribution, confidentiality and non-disclosure, intellectual property, and sales and purchases of goods and services. Related thereto, Chris maintains an active technology transaction practice, working with clients on outsourcings, licensing, software-as-a-service (SAAS), and other information technology deals. Chris assists both domestic and international clients with these various corporate legal matters and transactions in a variety of industries including consulting, manufacturing and technology. In addition, he has experience in intellectual property matters including trademark and copyright registration, maintenance and licensing.

Chris has written for numerous publications and presented at several seminars on corporate law topics and issues. He also taught an upper-level business law course at a Chicago area college.

Experience

Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures

  • Representation of Tentamus Group GmbH, a German-based global equality and safety services company, in its acquisition of EPL Bio Analytical Services, a provider of analytical laboratory services.
  • Representation of Tentamus Group GmbH, a German-based global equality and safety services company, in its acquisition of Adamson Analytical Labs, a provider of analytical and research service in chemical sciences and microbiological testing.
  • Representation of a leading provider of professional staffing services in its acquisition of a Texas-based management consulting firm.
  • Representation of a worldwide crude oil marketing and logistics company in its $10 million acquisition of a majority interest in a holding company with gas and oil projects in South America.
  • Representation of a leading provider of professional staffing services in its acquisition of a technology consulting firm.
  • Representation of a Netherlands-based ingredients arm of an international trading and shipping group in its $19 million sale of the stock of its U.S. operations to a commodities trade facilitator.
  • Representation of a German-based global quality and safety services company in its $7 million acquisition, through its U.S. subsidiary, of a medical device development company.
  • Representation of several European based publicly traded and privately held companies in numerous acquisitions of U.S. companies.
  • Representation of several U.S. clients on leveraged management buyouts, including the buyout of a manufacturer from its former European parent company.
  • Representation of multiple family-owned companies in their acquisitions by, and sales to, private equity interests and other close corporation purchase and sale transactions.
  • Provide regular advice on structuring and drafting joint venture agreements, management agreements, license agreements and development agreements, including acting as counsel for a joint venture to produce a newly patented product by a U.S. manufacturing client, a joint venture between a U.S. and a Canadian entity to expand their combined consulting services into the European Union, and a multinational joint venture for a European-based client to develop additional consulting business in Asia.

Corporate Structuring, Formation and Investment

  • Counsel corporate, partnership and limited liability company entities on formation, and represent those companies or their owners in negotiation and documentation of various structuring agreements, including shareholder and buy/sell agreements, operating agreements and subscription and purchase agreements, such as representation of a U.S. Midwest based venture capital group in review and negotiation of all of their investment and ownership documents.
  • Regularly provide counsel for redemption transactions, reorganizations and recapitalizations, including several equity investment transactions in technology companies and other service companies.

General Counsel

  • Act as outside general counsel handling day-to-day corporate legal matters for companies in various industries from food services to publishing.

International

  • Act as counsel for U.S. acquisitions by foreign companies and regularly provide advice to foreign companies on corporate matters related to U.S. or cross-border operations or transactions.

Information Technology and Technology Transactions

  • Representation of several different clients, both on the vendor and customer sides, and both start-up companies and established entities, in outsourcing technology transactions, website privacy policies and terms of use, click-wrap and shrink-wrap license agreements, software development agreements, website and e-commerce service agreements and software-as-a-service (SAAS) agreements in a variety of transactional situations.

Intellectual Property

  • Advise clients on all aspects of trademark and copyright assessment, registration and maintenance, including related license issues, including representing several U.S. companies in managing their trademark and copyright portfolios around the world.

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