BRENT STEELE is a corporate partner in the firm’s Chicago office, where he focuses his practice on complex strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions and other corporate matters. Brent has led transactions in a wide variety of industries, including financial services and FinTech, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, technology and software and industrials.
In 2021, Brent was named a “Client Service All-Star” by BTI Consulting Group based on a survey of corporate counsel from more than 350 top legal decision makers at large organizations with $700 million or more in revenue. Brent also regularly writes and speaks on M&A and other transactional matters.
Brent received his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a Contributing Editor of the Michigan Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. Brent was also a Certified Public Accountant.
Recently, Brent has represented:
Financial Services, Insurance and FinTech
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in its agreement to acquire the treaty reinsurance brokerage operations of Willis Towers Watson plc for initial consideration of $3.25 billion and potential additional consideration of $750 million (pending);
- MasterCard in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of Finicity for up to $985 million and its acquisition Trans-Fast Remittance from GCP Capital Partners and Apis Partners (finalist for The Deal Financial Services Deal of the Year);
- Cboe Global Markets in its acquisition of Chi-X Asia Pacific, an alternative market operator, from J.C. Flowers & Co.;
Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
- Stryker Corp. in its acquisition of HyperBranch Medical Technology Inc., a developer of polymer and hydrogel-based medical devices;
- RoundTable Healthcare Partners and its portfolio companies in multiple transactions, including its investment in Deerland Enzymes & Probiotics and its sale of Aqua Pharmaceuticals to Almirall S.A.;
- Smith & Nephew in its purchase of Blue Belt Holdings;
Technology
- Churchill Downs in multiple transactions, including the sale of its mobile gaming subsidiary, Big Fish Games, to Aristocrat Leisure Limited in a transaction valued at $990 million;
- Allscripts Healthcare Solutions in its co-investment with GI Partners and acquisition of Netsmart from Genstar Capital (2016 M&A Atlas Deal of the Year);
- Thompson Street Capital Partners and its portfolio companies in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of Global Software and subsequent sale of Global Software to TA Associates and its acquisition of WeVideo, a cloud-based video editing platform;
- R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. in its unsolicited offer for and acquisition of Courier Corp. (Nasdaq: CRRC), an e-book publisher and book manufacturer;
Industrials and Transportation
- GE Aviation in multiple transactions, including its joint ventures with Praxair, Inc. and Woodward, Inc.;
- The special committee of the board of directors of Blue Bird Corporation in connection with the committee’s evaluation of a going-private transaction proposed by Blue Bird’s controlling stockholder, American Securities LLC;
- General Electric in the sale by GE Capital Rail Services of its per diem boxcar business to GATX Corporation for approximately $340 million.