Stephen Lee
Partner, Corporate & Financial Services
Stephen Lee is a partner in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department and a member of the Private Equity Practice Group. He is based in the Firm’s Los Angeles office.
Steve advises clients on carve-outs of business divisions, asset and stock acquisitions and sales, mergers, leveraged buyouts and auction transactions. He regularly represents buyers and sellers in cross-border transactions and guides clients through joint venture, joint development, licensing and manufacturing arrangements. Steve also counsels clients on search fund and independent sponsor matters. He has significant experience across the aerospace, software, technology, automotive, medical device and healthcare industries.
Experience
- Ranked in Chambers USA for Corporate/ M&A and Private Equity (2021-2024)
- Former President, Board Member, Los Angeles Chapter for the Association for Corporate Growth
- Co-Author, “The Search Fund Timeline,” Insight, July 2020
- Co-Author, “Purchase Price Mechanics in the Search Fund Purchase Agreement,” Insight, July 2020
- Co-Author, “Primer on the Search Fund Purchase Agreement,” Insight, May 2020
- Quoted, “Private equity firms seeing a lot to like with DC provider investments,” Pensions and Investments, May 2018
- Co-Author, “M&A Trends: Representations and Warranties Insurance,” Insight, March 2018
- Quoted, “Cooper’s Take: Got a Tech Asset? Are You Willing to Part With it?,” WSJ Pro, May 2017
- Speaker, “Keeping it Simple: Case Studies on How to Return to Work without Drama,” Search Fund Accelerator, June 2020
- Speaker, “CEO Roundtable,” Association for Corporate Growth Los Angeles, April 2020
- Speaker, “Aerospace & Defense Insights,” Association for Corporate Growth Los Angeles, 2016
- Speaker, “Mergers and Acquisitions in Europe,” World Trade Day, 2011
- Speaker, “Hot Topics in International Mergers and Acquisitions,” State Bar of California, 2011
- Speaker, “Are We Speaking the Same Language? Negotiating Gender and Cultural Differences,” Association for Corporate Counsel of San Francisco, 2011
- Speaker, “The State of M&A: A Panel Discussion of Trends in Mergers and Acquisitions in 2010,” Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2010
- Speaker, “Corporate Governance–Avoiding Procedural Pitfalls and Other Best Practices,” Association for Corporate Counsel of Los Angeles, 2010
- Speaker, “What Creditors and Counsel Need to Know About Bankruptcy Laws,” Association of Corporate Counsel of Southern California, 2009
- Speaker, “Employment Issues Affecting Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions Transactions,” UCLA Extension Program, 2008
- A $7 billion private equity fund in numerous transactions, including:
- an approximately $500 million acquisition of a digital workplace collaboration solutions provider
- an approximately $250 million acquisition and combination of two integrators of enterprise video, data and voice solutions providers
- an approximately $200 million sale of a remanufacturer of automatic transmissions
- A €3 billion French private equity fund in various transactions, including an approximately $80 million acquisition of a manufacturer of passive components and subsystems
- A $2 billion UK private equity fund in various transactions, including an approximately $100 million acquisition of a supplier of compatible network connectivity products
- An entrepreneur in the approximately $120 million sale of his fiber optic and copper assemblies company to a Fortune 500 company
- A Spanish aerostructures company in its $83 million acquisition of a US structural components manufacturer
- A $2 billion private equity fund in its $630 million acquisition of the fastening systems division of a Fortune 500 company
- A Middle Eastern sovereign investment fund in the acquisition of common stock through tender offers and direct stock purchases totaling in excess of $3 billion
- A Fortune 100 company in its sale of its business to another Fortune 100 company for $865 million
* Steve advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Cornell Law School, J.D., 2000 Princeton University, B.A., 1995