Frank Placenti serves as the chair of Squire Sanders’ corporate finance and governance practice, and is nationally recognized for his work in corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions. Frank has more than 30 years’ experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance, securities law, antitakeover and shareholder relations issues. He has represented public companies, private equity firms, portfolio companies and brokers/dealers in capital formation, securities and corporate law, regulatory compliance, recapitalizations, and mergers and acquisitions. Frank has assisted clients, special committees and audit committees in managing internal investigations and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and stock exchange investigatory matters.

Frank is listed in the 2006 to 2012 editions of Best Lawyers in America, the 2003 to 2011 editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and is a multi-year member of the Lawdragon 500, an acknowledgment given to the top 500 lawyers in America. He was recommended in Arizona for corporate matters and mergers and acquisitions by PLC Which lawyer? Yearbook 2009 and is listed in the PLC Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions Handbook 2008/2009. He has been selected by his peers to appear in Southwest Super Lawyers, a distinction awarded to the top 5 percent of lawyers in the region, each year since 2007. Frank also serves as vice chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the American Bar Association and as the chair of its Shareholder and Investor Relations Subcommittee.

Frank is a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership and serves as immediate past chair of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. He formerly served as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix, as chair of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Herberger Theater Company and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Arizona Science Center.

Principais Projetos

• Representing Avnet, Inc. in its acquisition of Bell Microproducts, Inc, a US$3 billion public company with worldwide operations.
• Representing Avnet, Inc. in its acquisition of various companies in China and Japan.
• Representing Living Independently Group, Inc. in its sale to the Healthcare Division of General Electric Corporation.
• Representing Tickets.com in connection with its sale to the Internet subsidiary of Major League Baseball.
• Representing a special board committee of Ben & Jerry’s, Inc. in the company’s US$300 million sale to Unilever.
• Representing Viad Corp. in its public tender offer and acquisition of Moneygram, Inc.
• Representing Viad Corp. in its sale of Dobbs Catering to SAir Group in a transaction valued at approximately US$1 billion.
• Representing Universal Technical Institute, Inc. in its IPO and subsequent securities regulation and corporate governance matters.
• Representing 13 of the original investors in the formation and franchise acquisition of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Representing an Arizona-based grocery store chain in its IPO, subsequent debt offerings and acquisition of multiple grocery store chains in adjoining states.
• Representing various private equity firms in connection with the acquisition and disposition of portfolio companies.
• Representing a special committee of the board of a mutual fund company in connection with its sale in a stock-and-cash transaction valued at more than US$250 million.
• Representing America West Airlines in connection with numerous financing and other transactions and an SEC investigation accompanying its corporate bankruptcy.
• Representing Del E. Webb in the sale of its affiliated public real estate investment trust (REIT).
• Representing a NYSE-traded pharmaceuticals corporation in connection with two public equity offerings as well as the acquisitions of several product lines from major pharmaceuticals companies.
• Representing the audit committee of a major Phoenix-based transportation company in connection with its investigation of financial whistleblower allegations.
• Investigating a NYSE-listed broker-dealer in connection with alleged insider trading activities and its eventual sale.
• Representing a financial services holding company in connection with various joint venture transactions and an SEC investigation relating to a financial restatement.