John T. O'Connor | Professionals | Hunton & Williams LLP

Practices

Contact

New York
p212.309.1137
f212.309.1827

Education

JD, Pace University School of Law, summa cum laude, valedictorian and Articles Editor, Pace Law Review, 1986
BS, Gettysburg College, 1982

Bar Admissions

New York

Awards & Recognition

Listed for International Corporate/M&A, Legal 500, Latin America, 2012
Distinguished Service Award, Pace University School of Law, 2005

Memberships

Board of Trustees, Pace University (Audit Committee)
Board of Trustees, Gettysburg College (Audit and Finance Committees)
Member, American Bar Association, Business Law Section
Member, Scarsdale Golf Club (former member, Finance Committee)

New York
p212.309.1137
f212.309.1827

John's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and securities matters with extensive industry experience in the energy, banking and financial services sectors.

Relevant Experience

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John has more than 25 years of experience counseling clients on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, equity financings and general corporate matters. His practice primarily involves representing corporate issuers, private equity funds, financial institutions and hedge funds in a wide range of activities, including acquisitions and divestitures, contested transactions, proxy contests, portfolio investing, equity and mezzanine debt financings and other commercial arrangements. John has extensive experience in the energy and financial services sectors, in cross-border and Latin America-focused transactions and in bankruptcy-related mergers and acquisitions.

Relevant Experience

Energy Transactions. Played a lead role in numerous energy industry transactions, including more than a dozen domestic electric and/or gas utility company mergers; two acquisitions by European utility companies of integrated U.S. electric utility companies; the acquisition and disposition of significant gas production, distribution and pipeline assets; the acquisition and disposition of oil exploration and development companies; and the acquisition and disposition of numerous independent power generation assets across the U.S. and Latin America.
Contested Transactions. Represented boards of directors of targets and acquirers in contested transactions, including unsolicited tender offers and proxy contests; negotiated two-step tender/merger transactions; going private transactions; and prepackaged bankruptcy transactions.
Financial Services M&A. Played a significant role in representing federal- and state-chartered banks, savings and loans and financial services companies (including broker/dealer and insurance companies) in more than a dozen mergers, acquisition transactions and disposition transactions (including contested transactions and acquisitions of domestic commercial banks by foreign banks).
Latin America. Represented acquirers in more than two dozen private equity investment transactions throughout Latin America; represented European energy companies in numerous energy asset acquisitions (including electricity-generating assets, electric and gas distribution assets, and gas and oil exploration and distribution assets) in Central and South America; and represented a major U.S. energy company in the disposition of more than $2 billion in energy assets located throughout Latin America.
Bankruptcy and Troubled Company M&A. Represented debtors, creditors' committees and purchasers in bankruptcy proceedings, reorganizations and significant sales of assets under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code and outside of bankruptcy proceedings, including airlines, insurance companies, energy companies and manufacturing and retail companies.
Financings. Represented the issuer in the NASDAQ 2005 IPO of the Year; represented numerous banks and private equity sponsors and issuers in mezzanine debt, preferred equity and common equity financings; and represented venture capital investors in numerous preferred stock and common equity capital infusions.