Brent M. Steele

BRENT STEELE 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 multiple transactions, including:
  • Its acquisition of AssuredPartners for US$13.45 billion.
  • Its acquisition of the treaty reinsurance brokerage operations of Willis Towers Watson plc for initial consideration of US$3.25 billion and potential additional consideration of US$750 million.
• Mastercard in multiple transactions, including:
  • Its US$2.65 billion acquisition of Recorded Future, a global threat intelligence company.
  • Its acquisition of Dynamic Yield, a state-of-the-art personalization platform and decision engine company, from McDonald’s.
  • Its acquisition of Finicity, a provider of real-time access to financial data, for up to US$985 million.
  • Its acquisition of Vyze, a point of sale financing provider.
  • Its acquisition of Transfast, a global cross-border account-to-account money transfer network, 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.

Gaming and Technology

• International Game Technology PLC in connection with its US$6.3 billion sale of its Global Gaming and PlayDigital Businesses to funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management and the related acquisition by such funds of Everi Holdings.
• International Game Technology PLC in connection with its US$6.2 billion spin-off of its Global Gaming and PlayDigital businesses and the combination of those businesses with Everi Holdings.
• Churchill Downs in multiple transactions, including:
  
  • Its acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment for US$2.45 billion.
  • Its acquisition of a majority equity interest in Rivers Casino Des Plaines, in a joint venture with Rush Street Gaming.
  • Its acquisition of a majority of a casino project in Salem, New Hampshire.
  • Its acquisition of Exacta Systems, a provider of technology to support historical horse racing.
  • The sale of its mobile gaming subsidiary, Big Fish Games, to Aristocrat Leisure Limited in a transaction valued at US$990 million.
• 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.
  • Its growth investment in WeVideo, a provider of cloud-based video editing software.
  • Its growth investment in Silverchair, a content management, product enablement, and digital transformation platform.
• CDW in its acquisition of Sirius Computer Solutions, a provider of information technology solutions, for US$2.5 billion.
• Allscripts Healthcare Solutions in its joint venture with GI Partners and acquisition of Netsmart from Genstar Capital.
• R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. in its unsolicited offer for and acquisition of Courier Corp. (Nasdaq: CRRC), an e-book publisher and book manufacturer.

Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

• RoundTable Healthcare Partners and its portfolio companies in multiple transactions, including:
  • Its sale of Renaissance Lakewood to LTS LOHMANN Therapie-Systeme AG.
  • Its investment in Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes and its subsequent sale of Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes to ADM.
  • Its acquisition of Ultima Health, a company that specializes in health and wellness, specifically hydration and electrolytes.
  • Its acquisition of Santa Cruz Nutritionals, a leading manufacturer of gummy vitamin, mineral, supplement and other nutraceutical products.
  • Its sale of Aqua Pharmaceuticals to Almirall S.A.
• Thompson Street Capital Partners in its acquisition of Vector Laboratories from Maravai.
• Stryker Corp. in its acquisition of HyperBranch Medical Technology Inc., a developer of polymer and hydrogel-based medical devices.
• Medline in multiple transactions, including:
  
  • Its acquisition of United Medco, a national provider and partner of supplemental benefits and member engagement solutions.
  • Its acquisition of certain respiratory products from Teleflex.
  • Its sale of its DMEPOS supplier business unit to Home Care Delivered
• Smith & Nephew in its purchase of Blue Belt Holdings, a leader in orthopaedic robotics-assisted surgery.

Industrials and Transportation

• Woodward in its acquisition of Safran’s North American Electromechanical Actuation Business, a remedy divestiture arising out Safran’s proposed acquisition of Collins Aerospace’s actuation and flight control business from RTX Corporation.
• Accelera by Cummins in its joint venture with Daimler Truck, PACCAR and Eve Energy Co., Ltd. to manufacture battery cells for electric commercial vehicles (expected investment of US$2–$3 billion).
• Mercury Air Group, in its sale of its air cargo business to Worldwide Flight Services, a Cerberus Capital Management company.
• Thompson Street Capital Partners in its acquisition of Custom Wheel House, a designer and distributor of high-performance wheels, and subsequent sale of Custom Wheel House to Fox Factory.
• GE Aviation in multiple transactions, including its joint ventures with Praxair and Woodward.
• 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 US$340 million.