Peter Spier

Start-to-finish business law guidance for privately held companies, PE, VC

Peter Spier provides a wide range of business law counsel to privately held companies, private equity funds and venture capital investors. He helps them structure and negotiate complex mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures, debt and equity financings, and other strategic transactions. In addition, Peter advises clients on a wide range of day-to-day operational, compliance and strategic issues, frequently serving as outside general counsel to middle-market and early-stage companies. He represents clients across a broad spectrum of industries, but has particularly extensive experience in:

• Gaming and hospitality
• Technology
• Renewable energy

Peter is sought ought by clients for his acumen as a highly responsive advisor, his deep and broad knowledge of the law and how it affects his clients’ businesses, as well as his ability to guide clients during every phase of a business’ life span.

• Represents strategic and financial buyers and sellers in negotiating and structuring complex mergers and acquisitions. Peter regularly counsels boards of directors, management teams, and private equity sponsors on structuring and negotiating deals. Drawing on decades of experience handling both buy-side and sell-side transactions, he brings a steady hand and creative problem-solving skills to high-stakes negotiations.
• Regularly guides owners of middle-market, privately-held businesses through the sale process, including many multi-generational family businesses. Peter has extensive experience successfully and efficiently guiding owners through the sale process. Business owners value his ability to distill complicated legal and financial issues into practical guidance that advances their strategic goals.
• Counsels private equity firms and venture capital investors in fund formation, debt and equity investments and private offerings, as well as in the day-to-day business and legal issues that arise in operating their portfolio companies and in their eventual divestitures thereof.
• Serves as outside general counsel for middle-market and early-stage companies. Peter serves as the legal quarterback for a number of middle-market and early-stage clients, leading a team of attorneys with diverse skill sets to handle whatever intellectual property, tax, employment, data privacy, real estate and other legal issues the client may face. He advises clients on corporate governance matters, compliance with fiduciary duties, capital raising, commercial contracts, and other corporate issues critical to scaling and protecting businesses. Peter is recognized as a trusted advisor to founders and executives navigating transformational moments for their companies.

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Represented registered investment advisor in $73 million asset sale to strategic buyer.
• Represented large family office in $87 million stock acquisition of leading manufacturer of open deck and material hauling trailers.
• Represented leading provider of data to sports betting industry in $26.5 million stock sale to one of world's largest gaming companies.
• Represented leading global manufacturer of industrial food processing equipment in stock acquisitions of French manufacturer and supplier of mechanical separation equipment and Dutch food processing equipment manufacturer.
• Represented privately held manufacturer of air accessories and equipment for both the professional and do-it-yourself markets in $44 million stock sale to international private equity fund.
• Represented leading provider of managed help desk services to the legal industry in $26.4 million sale to strategic buyer.
• Represented leading manufacturer of industrial perforated products, industrial wedge wire and profile bar screen products, and aesthetically-pleasing architectural products for interior and exterior spaces in sale of its assets, as well as several pieces of real estate, for $62 million.

Private Equity/Venture Capital

• Represented venture capital fund in sale of large minority interest in hospitality startup to Fortune 500 hospitality company through reverse triangular merger, generating a 5x return for the fund's limited partners.
• Represented German private equity firm in acquisition of world leader in digital textile printing.
• Served as U.S. counsel for Dutch private equity firm valued at $14 billion Euros in $38 million (Canadian) stock acquisition by its German-based portfolio company of a Canadian company that operates an open web, cost-per-click ad network for primarily U.S. clients.
• Represents early-stage consumer venture fund in all of its investments, as well as in addressing the legal and business issues faced by its portfolio companies.