Neal J. White, P.C. is a senior partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Firm’s Chicago office. As a member of the Firm’s Corporate Department, he focuses on business counseling, commercial law and finance, with particular emphasis on acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, strategic alliances, financing arrangements, management/board relationships, other governance matters and executive compensation. He represents companies on a regular basis in both the manufacturing and services sectors, both publicly and privately held. Neal's transactional practice covers Asia, Latin America and Europe, as well as the United States, representing both U.S. and foreign clients.
Neal's work with privately held companies encompasses family businesses and their succession issues, as well as venture capital and private equity owned portfolio companies and their governance issues. His work with public companies covers finance, mergers and acquisitions, and other transactional and governance matters. He advises boards and management on fiduciary duties in connection with potential change in control transactions. He also advises investment banking firms regarding their advisory roles.
Neal’s practice includes transactions and counseling for distressed companies and their constituents, encompassing workouts, acquisitions and divestitures, both in and outside of bankruptcy proceedings. He represents both private and public companies on a wide range of commercial matters, including distribution and sales agency channel contracts, service contracts and licensing. His distribution and agency channel work covers both negotiation of domestic and cross border contracts and termination of such relationships.
Representative Experience
- Representing a French privately held company in the acquisition of a U.S. publicly traded corporation and representing a U.S. privately held company to a French company
- Representing a U.S. publicly traded corporation in the acquisition of another U.S. publicly traded corporation
- Representing a U.S. publicly traded corporation in the acquisition of another U.S. publicly traded corporation
- Representing a private equity fund in the acquisition of a subsidiary from a U.S. public company
- Representing a U.S. publicly traded corporation in the adoption of a "poison pill" shareholders right plan and its subsequent redemption
- Representing U.S. companies in the bidding for assets of Chapter 11 debtors
- Representing a U.S. publicly held corporation in the pre and post Chapter 11 sales of its assets
- Representing a U.S. privately held company in the bankruptcy sale of its assets and the assets of its Canadian subsidiary
- Representing a U.S. publicly held corporation in its venture capital investments
- Representing U.S. corporations in Japanese, Mexican and Brazilian joint ventures
- Representing a U.S. privately held company in acquisitions in the UK, Australia and Germany
- Representing a U.S. publicly held corporation in stock-for stock acquisitions of privately held U.S. and UK companies
- Representing members of family owned businesses in the negotiated transfer of ownership to other family members
- Representing U.S. clients in the creation of an Mumbai (Indian) outsourcing business and negotiation of cross-border contracts
- Representing private equity investors in pre-bankruptcy private and public foreclosure purchases of assets
- Representing owners of U.S. privately held company in sale to a French privately owned company
- Representing publicly held corporations in the restructuring of their senior bank debt and issuance of mezzanine securities (PIPES)
- Representing publicly held corporations in executive compensation matters for senior executives
- Representing senior executives and companies (both public and private) in executive compensation matters, including cross border compensation
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D., 1977
- Harvard University, M.B.A., 1977
- Yale University, B.A., 1973
