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Partner
Clients of the firm benefit from Paul's breadth of experience. While Paul has a significant amount of specialized experience in the securities, mergers and acquisitions, banking and corporate areas, he has maintained the breadth of practice necessary to effectively lead transactions and client relationships. He has developed a reputation among, and earned the recognition of, his peers as comparing favorably with attorneys of similar experience from larger firms in larger cities.
Paul's philosophy is to take a practical, hands on and results-oriented approach to his practice. In addition to maintaining a "large firm work ethic" and paying attention to the details necessary to properly represent his clients, Paul maintains the ability to see the big picture by focusing on the outcome, rather than just the process. While he acts as an effective advocate for his clients' interests, Paul recognizes that the best results often are achieved by taking a collaborative and reasonable, rather than adversarial, approach with other parties and their advisors.
Committed to client service, Paul has helped develop the firm's guidelines that focus on service excellence as the firm's leading core value. He demonstrates this value in his own practice by offering dedicated and proactive service to clients, being accessible to clients and coordinating client service provided by other attorneys in the firm.
Paul's experience includes:
Mergers and Acquisitions
Paul's experience in the mergers and acquisitions area initially was developed primarily in transactions in the banking industry. During his career, Paul has branched out into other industries in dozens of transactions, many of which have been multi-million dollar, multi-state transactions. These transactions often require coordination of a number of different "moving parts" and various levels of financing.
- Representation of acquirors, targets and management teams in mergers, stock, asset and capitalization transactions
- Public (more than 25 transactions, excluding "private" transactions by public companies) and private company acquirors and targets (several dozen)
- Private equity transactions
- Representation from letter of intent/due diligence through closing, addressing business, corporate, tax, securities and regulatory issues
- Private equity and recapitalization transactions
- Leveraged and management buyouts
- Roll-ups
Securities
In the securities area, Paul has built a solid base of knowledge over the years with respect to disclosure requirements, including a working knowledge of accounting aspects of securities filings. This knowledge base is valuable to the firm's public clients in both their periodic SEC reports and their capital raising activities.
- Representation of issuers and underwriters in registered 33 Act and Blue Sky public offerings, IPOs and follow-up offerings of equity and debt (over a dozen) and private placements of equity, debt and partnership interests
- Drafting and review of offering, underwriting and subscription documents
- Tender offers
- Proxy solicitations
- 34 Act reporting for issuers (more than 15 reporting companies) and shareholders
- Stock benefit plans
- Corporate governance, including Sarbanes Oxley and stock exchange listing requirements
Financing
Paul has established expertise in financings ranging from conventional bank borrowings to venture capital and mezzanine financings. In the financing area, Paul's experience representing both lenders and borrowers is valuable in closing transactions.
- Representation of lenders and borrowers in financings, including syndicated loans
- Tax-exempt financings, including representation of banks providing credit enhancement and liquidity
- Representation of investors in, and recipients of, venture capital financings
Bank Regulatory
Paul represents large, regional financial institutions and community banks. Paul's knowledge of the financial services industry and his bank regulatory experience allow him to "add value" in his work for institutions in the industry.
- Representation of acquirors and targets in mergers and acquisitions of bank holding companies, banks and thrifts, including "mergers of equals"
- Regulatory, corporate, securities and tax issues
- General bank regulatory practice
- Mutual-to-stock conversions
- Bank holding company formations
- Representation of bank trade association
- Acquisition of failed institutions from the FDIC
Business
Paul strives to understand the businesses of his clients and, as a result, often becomes a counselor to, and an adjunct member of, his clients' management team.
- Negotiation, drafting and review of most types of corporate contracts, with extensive experience with supply agreements
- Development of procedures and documents for purchasing and sales functions
- Joint ventures, including formation of jointly-owned companies
- Business start-ups
- Real estate transactions, including title insurance
- Shareholder disputes
- Training of client representatives on a variety of topics
- University of Notre Dame School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
- Saint Anselm College, B.A., summa cum laude, valedictorian; Pi Gamma Mu, Delta Epsilon
- Leadership Lancaster; Executive Series
- Jimmy Fund Council of New Hampshire; former president
- Pennsylvania
- New Hampshire
- Pennsylvania and Lancaster Bar Associations
- New Hampshire Bar Association; former chair, Corporate Section
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"AV" Rating; Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Securities
- Listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for Mergers and Acquisitions
