Karim S. Pirani

KARIM PIRANI regularly counsels clients on executive compensation, equity compensation, and employee benefits issues in connection with corporate transactions. His practice also includes advising both publicly and privately held companies in designing and establishing equity incentive plans and employment, severance, retention, change in control, and other compensation-related arrangements.

Karim is a member of the firm’s Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Committee. He maintains an active pro bono practice and was recognized as the 2019 “Rookie of the Year” by the National Immigrant Justice Center for his work to help asylees and refugees obtain lawful permanent resident status and bring family members to the United States.

Karim earned his J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where he graduated first in his class, summa cum laude. He earned his B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, in both history and comparative race and ethnic studies from the University of Chicago.

Recent examples of M&A transactions on which Karim has advised include:

• Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE: STWD) in its US$2.2 billion acquisition of Fundamental Income Properties, LLC. (pending).
• Apollo and its independently managed affiliate, Redding Ridge Asset Management (RRAM), in RRAM’s acquisition of Irradiant Partners.
• Apollo Funds in acquisition of GFL’s Environmental Services business valued at CA$8 billion.
• Apollo portfolio company Tenneco in its sale of Öhlins Racing.
• Arthur J. Gallagher in its US$13.45 billion acquisition of AssuredPartners from GTCR (pending).
• Mastercard in its US$2.65 billion acquisition of global threat intelligence company Recorded Future (pending).
• Rexel USA, Inc. in its acquisition of Talley, Inc., a distributor of wireless infrastructure products, services, and solutions in the U.S.
• Aon plc in the sale of Healthy Paws to Chubb.
• Synchrony in its acquisition of Ally’s point-of-sale financing business, including US$2.2 billion of loan receivables.
• BHMS investments and Inszone Insurance in strategic partnership with Lightyear Capital.
• Rithm Capital in its US$720 Million acquisition of Computershare’s U.S. Loan Services Business.
• Apollo Funds in acquisition of The Travel Corporation.
• Naturium in its US$355 Million acquisition by e.l.f. Beauty.
• Mastercard in its acquisition of Dynamic Yield LTD.
• Apex Clearing Corporation in its acquisition of PDQ Enterprises, LLC.
• Z Capital Partners and Affinity Gaming in its combination with Sports Information Group LLC, which publishes the Daily Racing Form.
• EQT Private Equity and Verdane Capital in their sale of Forsta to Press Ganey.
• TPG Capital in its investment in Kelsey-Seybold.
• Aflac in its purchase of Zurich North America’s U.S. group benefits business.
• EQT Private Equity in its acquisition of PRO Unlimited.
• EQT Partners, Inc. in connection with the merger of its portfolio company, FocusVision, with Confirmit, a portfolio company of Verdane.
• Thompson Street Capital Partners V in the acquisition of a telecommunication business operation by two sister companies, BCM One, Inc. and Business Communications Management, Inc.
• Anixter International in its US$4.5 billion sale to WESCO International, Inc.
• Pandora Media, Inc. in its sale to Sirius XM Holdings for US$3.5 billion, which combined the world’s leading satellite radio company with the leading U.S. internet radio company.
• Volkswagen AG in its proposed co-investment with Ford Motor Company in autonomous vehicle technology company, Argo AI, valuing Argo at US$7.1 billion.
• Apollo Global Management in its US$2.6 billion acquisition of publicly traded Aspen Insurance Holdings.