Baker Hostetler has been named a top-tier, middle market (sub $500m) mergers and acquisitions firm by the Legal 500. Firms are included on the ranking based on extensive resarch by a team of Legal 500 researchers, who speak to thousands of law firm commercial clients every year. The listing is based largely on that client feedback, plus the opinions of thousands of rival commercial lawyers, as well as the information the Legal 500 team acquires about the client lists of major firms, and the transactions/deals in which the firms have been involved.
As noted on the Legal 500 website:
Cleveland-based Baker Hostetler has an enviable reputation for its Midwest M&A practice, particularly in relation to media-related deals of a strategic nature, but the firm also has significant national coverage. Highlight deals included: Acting as counsel to Wendy’s in its $2.3bn merger with Triarc, creating the nation’s third-largest quick-service restaurant company, with 10,000 restaurants and more than $12bn in annual sales; Advising Gruner + Jahr, Europe’s largest newspaper and magazine publisher, on transactions to sell its US magazine business for $450m; Advising Developers Diversified in the formation of DDR Macquarie Fund, a joint venture with a newly-formed Australian-based listed property trust; and Acting for EW Scripps in the sale of its cable television business, and in its acquisition of cable networks and online comparison shopping services. The firm also advised Fisher Scientific International in its acquisitions of Cellomics, McKesson BioServices and Lancaster Laboratories, and Blue Point Capital Partners was advised in its acquisition of CLAD Metals Division from Texas Instruments. Cleveland-based firm-wide business group chair John Gherlein is "an impeccable attorney" and has extensive experience representing public and private companies in M&A transactions. New York-based Steven Goldberg is the co-transactions practice chair. Together with Marc Hirschfield, Goldberg led the team representing Irving Picard, the Trustee for the Liquidation of Bernard Madoff Investment Securities in a sale of the market-making business to Castor Pollux Securities for up to $25.5m.
Cleveland-based Baker Hostetler has an enviable reputation for its Midwest M&A practice, particularly in relation to media-related deals of a strategic nature, but the firm also has significant national coverage. Highlight deals included:
The firm also advised Fisher Scientific International in its acquisitions of Cellomics, McKesson BioServices and Lancaster Laboratories, and Blue Point Capital Partners was advised in its acquisition of CLAD Metals Division from Texas Instruments. Cleveland-based firm-wide business group chair John Gherlein is "an impeccable attorney" and has extensive experience representing public and private companies in M&A transactions. New York-based Steven Goldberg is the co-transactions practice chair. Together with Marc Hirschfield, Goldberg led the team representing Irving Picard, the Trustee for the Liquidation of Bernard Madoff Investment Securities in a sale of the market-making business to Castor Pollux Securities for up to $25.5m.