|
 |
John G. Finley is a member of the mergers and acquisitions group of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Recent transactions he has handled include representing the Anheuser-Busch directors in connection with the unsolicited proposal by InBev (2008),
Mars's announced acquisition of Wrigley (2008); Claire's Stores announced sale to a private equity consortium (2007), VNU’s sale to a private equity consortium (2006), CBS’s sale of Paramount Parks to Cedar Fair (2006), the sale of Neiman Marcus to a private equity consortium (2005), the sale of Toys R Us to a private equity consortium (2005), the business combination of Kmart with Sears (2005), the sale of Grey Global to the WPP Group (2005), the acquisition of Time Warner’s Warner Music Group by a private equity consortium consisting of Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Bain Capital, Providence Equity Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners (2003) and the acquisition of Neuberger Berman by Lehman Brothers (2003). Other notable transactions have included the sale of Harcourt General to Reed Elsevier (2001) and Seagram’s business combination with Vivendi and Canal Plus (2000). He has also represented financial advisors in connection with mergers and acquisitions matters, including Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Lehman Brothers.
Mr. Finley was featured in the American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year” in both 2005 and 1999. He has been ranked one of the leading M&A lawyers in the United States and abroad in a number of recent surveys, including Chambers' America's Leading Business Lawyers (2004 - 2007), Law Business Research's Who's Who of International Merger and Acquisition Lawyers (2005, 2007) and Euromoney's Guide to the World's Leading M&A Lawyers (2006). In 1995, Mr. Finley was featured in the American Lawyer’s “45 under 45: Forty Five young lawyers who are making their mark today and will lead the profession tomorrow.” Mr. Finley is a frequent author and speaker at conferences on mergers and acquisitions including conferences sponsored by, among others, the Tulane Corporate Law Institute, the UCLA Law Institute on Mergers and Acquisitions and the Center for the Study of Mergers and Acquisitions of the University of Miami School of Law. He is Chairman of the International Annual Mergers & Acquisitions Conference of the International Bar Association.
Mr. Finley has served on the Committee on Securities Regulation of the New York State Bar Association, the Board of Directors of the Lawyer’s Committee for Human Rights and the Board of Advisors of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship for Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University. He has also served as Co-Chairman of the Committee on Business Organizations of the International Bar Association. He is currently a Trustee of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services.
Mr. Finley has a BS in Economics (1978) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a BA in History (1978) from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, and a JD (1981) from the Harvard Law School.
Honors/Associations
|
|
| • |
New York State Bar Association, Committee on Securities Regulation of the Business Law Section |
|
| • |
Board of Directors of the Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights |
|
| • |
Knight-Bagehot Fellowship for Economics and Business Journalism, Board of Advisors |
|
| • |
Trustee, Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services |
|
Publications
|
|
| • |
Majority Voting in Director Elections: A Look Back and A Look Ahead |
|
| • |
The Meaning of the Disney Case, UCLA Law Second Annual Institute on Corporate, Securities, and Related Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions (October 2005) |
|
| • |
A Primer On Share Repurchases In Connection With Mergers and Acquisitions (February 2005) |
|
| • |
Delaware Supreme Court's NCS Healthcare Decision May Limit Effectiveness of Voting Agreements From Majority Stockholders as Deal Protection Measures (December 2002) |
|
| • |
Corporate Governance Issues Related to Strategic Investments in Public Companies, University of Miami Business Law Review (Winter/Spring 2002) |
|
| • |
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
(October 2002) |
|
| • |
SEC Issues Order Requiring Senior Officers to Provide Sworn Statements Concerning the Accuracy and Completeness of Filed Periodic Reports and Proxy Statements (July 2002) |
|
| • |
Governance and Other Selected Topics Arising from the Formation and Operation of a Joint Venture, University of Miami School of Law Center for Continuing Legal Education, Sixth Annual Institute on Mergers and Acquisitions (January 2002) |
|
| • |
A New Roadmap For Going-Private Transactions (December 2001) |
|
| • |
Delaware Chancery Court Orders Specific Performance of Merger Agreement: An Analysis of the IBP-Tyson Litigation
(August 2001)
|
|
| • |
Executive Compensation in the Context of Tender Offers (June 2001)
|
|
| • |
The Rise of the Hostile Bid in Continental Europe - A Comparative Analysis, University of Miami School of Law Center for Continuing Legal Education, Fourth Annual Institute on Mergers and Acquisitions (January 2000) |
|
| • |
Recent SEC International Finance Initiatives (with Glenn Reiter and D. Rhett Brandon), Journal of International Banking Law (December 1991) |
|
| • |
Defensive Recapitalizations (with Nancy L. Eisenschmeid), Structuring Leveraged Buyouts, Prentice Hall Law & Business, 1989 |
|
| • |
US Perspective on Mergers and Acquisitions in Europe, Prepared in Connection with the 9th Biennial Conference of the Section on Business Law of the International Bar Association, 1989 |
|
Speaking Engagements
Admissions
Education
|
|
| • |
Harvard Law School, 1981 J.D.
Cum Laude |
|
| • |
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 1978 B.S.
Summa Cum Laude |
|
| • |
University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences, 1978 B.A.
Summa Cum Laude;
Phi Beta Kappa |
|
|
 |
|
|
