Experience

Stephen Lee is a partner in the Commercial Law & Securities Practice Group in HRO’s Los Angeles office. He is the head of the firm’s West Coast M&A and Private Equity practice. He specializes in advising financial and strategic buyers and sellers in public and private mergers and acquisitions transactions. In the course of his M&A practice, Mr. Lee routinely structures, negotiates, and documents a wide array of transactions including dispositions of business divisions, asset and stock acquisitions, mergers, leveraged buy-outs, auction transactions, tender offers, going-private and cross-border transactions. His practice spans a variety of industries including aerospace, manufacturing, health care, communications, and technology.

In addition to his mergers and acquisitions practice, Mr. Lee represents a number of golf and other private clubs on general matters.

Prior to joining HRO in 2009, Stephen was with the Los Angeles office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP in their corporate finance group. Prior to that, Mr. Lee was an associate with Shearman and Sterling in New York City in their mergers and acquisitions group.

Selected transactions include:

• Represented Dubai World in its acquisition of MGM MIRAGE common stock through tender offers and direct stock purchases totaling in excess of $3 billion 
   
• Represented Platinum Equity, LLC in its $630 million acquisition of the fastening systems division of Textron, Inc.
   
• Represented NMC Group, Inc. in connection with its sale to Esterline Technologies Corporation
   
• Represented JD Clark & Company in connection with its sale to UMB Financial Corporation
   
• Micromuse, Inc.’s sale of its business to IBM for $865 million and Optical Communication Products, Inc.’s acquisition of GigaComm Corporation for $20 million

Selected publications include:

• Review of Anti-Takeover Defenses: The Shareholder Rights Plan
   
• Assessing the Impact of Strauss v. Horton and Proposition 8 on Private Clubs
   
• Trends in Debtor In-Possession Financing
   
• “Revisiting the Bear Stearns/JP Morgan Transaction: An Analysis of Deal Protections and Fiduciary Duties”
   
• “Contracts Go Green: Incorporation of Standard Terms by Reference to a Company Website”

Selected speaking engagements include:

• The State of M&A: A Panel Discussion of Trends in Mergers and Acquisitions in 2010
• What Creditors and Counsel Need to Know About Bankruptcy Laws, Association of Corporate Counsel of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
   
• Blackjack or Bust: Unclear Contract Provisions Can Lead to a Litigation Crapshoot, Association of Corporate Counsel of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
   
• Employment issues affecting cross border mergers and acquisitions transactions, UCLA extension program, Los Angeles, California

Professional & Community Affiliations

Chairman, M&A Subsection of the LA County Bar Association

Executive Committee, Business and Corporations Section of the LA County Bar Association

Member, Association for Corporate Growth