Partner, New York Phone +1-212-558-4243 Fax +1-212-558-3588 Add to Address Book

Melissa Sawyer is a partner in the Firm’s General Practice Group. Ms. Sawyer’s practice has focused on a variety of corporate governance, M&A and private equity matters in the U.S. and abroad.

Selected Transactions
Recent publicly-announced transactional experience includes the following representations:

• Tygris Commercial Finance in its agreement to be acquired by EverBank
• J.C. Flowers in connection with the agreement to sell Fox Pitt Kelton Cochran Caronia & Waller to Macquarie
• IPC Holdings, Ltd. in its announced $3 billion business combination with Max Capital Group Ltd., which was terminated, and IPC’s subsequent acquisition by Validus Holdings, Ltd.
• Provident Bankshares in its $401 million acquisition by M&T Bank Corporation
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. in its “going private” acquisition of UnionBanCal Corporation
• Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. in its $4.7 billion acquisition of Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp.
• UnitedHealth Group in its $2.7 billion acquisition of Sierra Health Services and its $500 million acquisition of the insurance subsidiaries of John Deere & Co. 
• Vornado Realty in its $37.6 billion bid to acquire Equity Office Properties
• IntercontinentalExchange in its $10 billion offer to acquire the Chicago Board of Trade and its $1.79 billion acquisition of the New York Board of Trade
• Dr. Thomas Frist in connection with the $33 billion leveraged buy-out of HCA by a consortium of private equity investors
• Wachovia in its $25.5 billion acquisition of Golden West
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board in its $2.4 billion acquisition of four North American container terminals of Orient Overseas (International) Limited
• Lightyear Capital in its acquisition of Sirius America Insurance Company with a consortium of private equity investors
• Goldman Sachs Principal Investment Area in its $1.5 billion acquisition with a private equity consortium of GMAC Commercial Holding Corp., the commercial mortgage subsidiary of General Motors Acceptance Corporation
• Diageo in numerous transactions, including its $224 million acquisition of The Chalone Wine Group and its $8.2 billion acquisition of the Seagram spirits and wines business with Pernod Ricard

Publications

• “Eight is Enough: 8 Practical Ways Litigators Can Add Value,” Sue For Women In Litigation (co-author) (2009)
• “Takeover Defenses: A Director’s Primer,” BoardMember.com Insights (co-author) (2009)
• “Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances,” Lexis-Nexis Emerging Issues Analysis (co-author) (2009)
• “Unsolicited Takeover Offers,” Lexis-Nexis Emerging Issues Analysis (co-author) (2008) 
• “The SEC’s Cross-Border Proposal: Top Four Ways Deals Would Change,” Deal Lawyers (co-author) (July-August 2008)
• “Cross-Border Deals,” Lexis-Nexis Expert Commentaries (co-author) (2008) 
• “A Series of Unfortunate Events: How 2008 Changed M&A and What It Means for the Year Ahead,” The M&A Lawyer (co-author) (November/December 2008)

Professional Activities and Community Involvement

• Secretary, Corporations Law Committee, New York State Bar Association (2007 to the present)
• Member, Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Control Committee, Association of the Bar of the City of New York (2008 to the present)

Recognition

• The New York Times – featured in “The Facebook of Wall Street’s Future” as one of roughly 100 people 40 years old or younger who make up the “next generation of deal makers”