Alexis A. Cooper

ALEXIS COOPER maintains an active practice in private equity, having represented clients such as Thompson Street Capital Partners, Shoreview Industries, Prospect Partners, LaSalle Capital Group, Garrison Investment Group, Allstate Investments, Fort Washington Capital Partners, Prairie Capital, and CHS Capital.

She also co-leads Sidley’s Private Funds ESG Initiative, which focuses on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues facing investment managers in the asset management and fund formation space. She also advises funds in their M&A activities and portfolio company ownership to address ESG matters during diligence and ongoing operations.

Alexis regularly advises private equity sponsors in connection with the structuring, negotiation, and implementation of leveraged acquisitions, management buy-outs, growth equity investments, and dispositions of privately held businesses. She has represented clients throughout the middle-market across a wide range of industries, including consumer products, medical devices, textiles, packaging, juvenile products, boating, manufacturing, distribution, services, and technology.

In addition, Alexis has extensive experience advising a variety of clients on all aspects of complex merger and acquisition transactions, general corporate matters, joint ventures, and restructurings as well as advising financial investors on acquisitions of finance platforms and financial asset portfolios and the formation of finance platforms.

Alexis has represented the following:

• Thompson Street Capital Partners in its growth investment in ATIS, a provider of elevator and escalator safety inspections, consulting, and managed services across the U.S. and Canada.
• Private equity sponsors in structuring, negotiating and consummating complex platform acquisitions and dispositions throughout the United States and abroad.
• Institutional investors and private equity sponsors in connection with structuring and documenting direct co-investments.
• Private equity portfolio companies in subsequent add-on acquisitions and in other corporate matters including restructuring and reorganizations, management equity arrangements, credit agreement compliance, employment compensation matters and corporate governance.
• Independent employee-owned investment management firm in a corporate sale transaction.
• Investment fund clients in the acquisition and creation of finance companies and the acquisition of pools of corporate and consumer loans.
• Registered investment adviser in a partnership transaction.
• Management teams in equity reinvestments, employment and incentive arrangements in connection with private equity transactions, including going private transactions and fund to fund sales.
• Stakeholders, including lenders and noteholders, in reorganization and bankruptcy transactions in connection with debt to equity exchanges.
• Hedge funds in their formation of joint ventures and in their acquisition and financing of pools of loan obligations and other financial assets.
• Public companies in the acquisition of private equity owned businesses and in the disposition of divisions to private equity sponsored buyers.
• Family owned and other privately held companies in connection with division sales and dispositions of their entire businesses.
• Buyers and sellers in evaluating and obtaining representation and warranty insurance in connection with merger and acquisition transactions.

• Alexis is a member of SidleyWomen as well as the firm's Committee for Associate Compensation.
• She is also active in Sidley’s corporate partnership with Geral Delgado Kanoon Magnet Elementary School, a neighborhood school in the Pilsen community on Chicago’s west side, and active in the firm’s negotiation training program for Chicago’s Legal Prep Charter Academy public high school.
• Alexis represents Sidley in its membership with the Corporate Coalition of Chicago.
• Alexis is a regular presenter at continuing legal education programs, speaking on various topics such as the “Anatomy of a Purchase Agreement;” “Representation and Warranty Insurance in M&A Transactions;” “Hot Topics in Private Equity;” “Key Issues in Equity Documents in Private Equity Transactions;” and “Co-Investments.” In October 2014, she served as a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School, presenting to students on the “Anatomy of a Leveraged Buyout.”

Alexis provides corporate advice to a variety of clients of the pro bono organization, Lawyers for the Creative Arts, participates in pro bono services through Sidley’s Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program, and provides pro bono support for partners in the Corporate Coalition of Chicago. In addition, she has presented “Choosing a Business Entity” at the Chicago City Treasurer’s Small Business Expo.