Denver, CO (February 28, 2012) – Morrison & Foerster is pleased to announce that Erik Knudsen, who has advised some of the country's leading private equity firms on transactional matters, has joined the firm as Of Counsel. Mr. Knudsen will be based in the Denver office and work closely with the firm's West and East Coast offices. He joins the firm from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was a partner in that firm's private equity practice. His addition demonstrates Morrison & Foerster's growing private equity capabilities.
Mr. Knudsen represents private equity firms in transactional matters including, leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity investments. He has advised on transactions in a wide range of industries, with particular expertise in advising investors in healthcare, internet and technology transactions.
"Morrison & Foerster is committed to expanding our private equity capabilities," said Hendrik Jordaan, Chairman of the firm's Private Equity Investments & Buyouts Practice. "Erik has emerged as one of the top young private equity lawyers in the country and his arrival offers a terrific complement to our corporate transactional practice, particularly in private equity and M&A matters, and provides us with many opportunities for future growth."
Mr. Knudsen said, "This is a great time to join Morrison & Foerster. The firm's corporate practice is thriving and recognized for its role in some of the most important transactions for leading companies. I look forward to contributing to its expansion in advising private equity firms in their business transactions."
Mr. Knudsen earned his J.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. For a list of representative transactions, please see http://www.mofo.com/erik-gardner-knudsen/.
In 2011, Dow Jones's Private Equity Analyst rated the firm's private equity and venture capital practice as one of the most active globally and the firm is also top-ranked for private equity by Euromoney's IFLR 1000. Morrison & Foerster was also named Law Firm of the Year for the second consecutive year by M&A Advisor and is consistently ranked as one of the leading M&A firms in the world's most respected surveys and tables, including Chambers Global; International Financial Law Review 1000; Legal 500; mergermarket; and Bloomberg.