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MoFo Advises SkyKnight Capital on Dividend Recap for Ampirical Solutions

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Morrison Foerster advised SkyKnight Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in market leading businesses in acyclical...

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Morrison Foerster advised SkyKnight Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in market leading businesses in acyclical growth sectors, on a first-lien credit facility to support a dividend recapitalization of its portfolio company, ​Ampirical Solutions. Ampirical is a leading provider of engineering services and software for the power industry end-market. The MoFo team advising SkyNight Capital was led by private equity finance partners Dario Avram and Eric Min and finance associates Jake Burne, Garret Jones, and Ryan George. The broader team included tax partners Richard Nugent and Dave Sturgeon and tax of counsel Rebecca Balinskas, finance partner Geoffrey Peck, financial services partner Marc-Alain Galeazzi, and executive compensation + benefits of counsel Brooke Monahan.

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Darío Avram is Chair of Morrison Foerster’s Finance Group and a member of the Private Equity Buyouts & Investment Group. His transactional practice is focused on financings and private equity matters, with additional experience in restructurings.Darío regularly represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a variety of complex U.S. and cross-border financing transactions, including leveraged buyouts, refinancings, and restructurings. He has led transactions covering a range of industries, including technology, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, industrials, professional services, and consumer products, among others. His representative funds clients include Alpine Investors, Altamont Capital Partners, Excellere Partners, Gryphon Investors, Main Post Partners, Palladium Equity Partners, Rubicon Technology Partners, San Francisco Equity Partners, Shamrock Capital Advisors, SkyKnight Capital, and Vector Capital.Darío has been recognized by Chambers USA as a notable practitioner for Banking & Finance in California. He was also recognized by Global M&A Network as one of Americas Top 50 Rising Dealmakers and by Legal 500 as a key partner for Private Equity Buyouts.

Dario Avram

Chair of Finance Group

Eric Min is a partner in the Finance and Private Equity Buyouts & Investment Groups at Morrison Foerster.Eric regularly advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies and fintech companies in a variety of complex U.S. and cross-border financing transactions, including leveraged acquisitions, syndicated lending, investment grade lending, asset-based lending, and warehouse facilities. Eric has substantial experience representing clients in transactions covering a wide variety of industries, including technology, fintech, consumer and retail and professional services.

Eric Min

Partner

Jake Burne is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Finance Group. He represents both borrowers and lenders on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including acquisition financings and leveraged buyouts, senior syndicated facilities, fund financings and other secured and unsecured financings.

Jake Burne

Garret is a finance associate in Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office.Prior to joining the firm, Garret was a Summer Associate in the San Francisco office.Garret earned his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, where he was a Corporate Student Associate at the Startup Legal Garage. He also holds an M.B.A., magna cum laude, from Oklahoma State University, and a B.S. from Missouri Southern State University.Garret previously served as a Logistics Project Manager with the United States Army and also spent time as a Senior Logistics Customs and Compliance Officer with the United States Army Reserve.Garret also played professional soccer with FC Diessfuert in the German Bundesliga.

Garret Jones

Associate

Ryan George is an associate in Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office and a member of the firm’s Transactions Department.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Ryan was a research assistant at the UCLA School of Law, assisting faculty members Eugene Volokh and Jill Horwitz with research ranging from COVID tort replacement to First Amendment law. As a summer associate at Morrison Foerster, he worked on various deals in the Corporate and Finance practices and created internal precedent documents to streamline future deals.Ryan earned his J.D. with a specialization in business law at the UCLA School of Law and earned his B.A. in economics and philosophy from Brown University.

Ryan George

Richard Nugent is a partner in the firm’s New York office and chair of its Tax practice.Richard has over 25 years of experience advising on the tax aspects of complex transactions including public and private M&A, spin-offs, joint ventures, internal restructurings, and financings and capital markets transactions. He also advises debtors and creditors within and outside of bankruptcy.Richard has been recognized in Chambers USA, where he is praised as “an extremely knowledgeable and dedicated attorney” and “well-versed in communicating complex issues.” The Legal 500 describes Richard as having a “deep understanding of the business, including product supply, marketing, and distribution” which clients describe as “priceless when representing us in deal matters.” Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Richard was a tax partner at another international law firm in New York. He serves on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Tax Section and is a member of the Tax Forum. A sought-after speaker, Richard frequently presents on tax topics for Practising Law Institute programs.Richard holds an LL.M. with distinction from Georgetown University, a J.D. with honors from Rutgers School of Law – Newark, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Saint Peter’s University. He also served as a law clerk to Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit and Judge Robert P. Ruwe of the U.S. Tax Court.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Represented Centuri Holdings and parent company Southwest Gas Holdings in $238 million public offering of common stock</li><li>Represented Paine Schwartz Partners, a global leader in sustainable food chain investing, in its investment in Chex Finer Foods, a value-added specialty food distributor</li><li>Represented the board of Continental Disc Corporation, a portfolio company of Tinicum, in connection to its sale to Baker Hughes, an energy technology company</li><li>Represented Hooter’s Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants, L.L.C. in the acquisition of over 100 restaurants from Hooters of America LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 protection on March 31st in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court</li><li>Represented Centuri Holdings and parent company Southwest Gas Holdings in $353 million IPO and concurrent private placement</li><li>Represented C2 Capital Partners in its investment in Stella & Chewy’s, a leading North American pet food manufacturer</li></ul>

Richard Nugent

Chair of the Tax Practice

David Sturgeon is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Federal Tax practice.Dave advises clients on a broad range of complex business transactions, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs and other divestitures, as well as financings, refinancings, restructurings and other business transactions.He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a member of the Chicago Journal of International Law, and received his Master of Laws in taxation from New York University School of Law.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Dave was an associate at a law firm in New York, where he represented public companies, financial institutions, private equity clients and other sponsor entities across industries in an extensive range of business transactions.

Dave Sturgeon

Rebecca Midori Ulich-Balinskas is of counsel in the Tax Group and is based in Morrison Foerster’s New York office. Her practice focuses on U.S. federal, state and local tax transactional and controversy matters.Rebecca provides U.S. federal, state and local tax advice, guidance, and representation on most business transactions, including M&A, reorganizations, fund formations and fund investments, joint ventures, spin-offs and divestitures, international structuring, and capital markets offerings. Her state and local tax practice encompasses matters across the U.S. regarding sales and use tax, franchise and income tax, gross receipts tax, excise tax, unclaimed property, and real estate transfer tax, among others. Her clients include large multinational companies, banks, financial institutions, Fintech companies, REITs, joint ventures, start-ups, and fund sponsors and investors. She also has extensive experience representing clients before the IRS and in state and local tax controversy matters at the audit, administrative, and judicial levels. In addition, her work includes advising non-profits and charities in their formation and/or ongoing charitable activities.Rebecca has written on various tax issues and has spoken at several tax conferences.Rebecca obtained her LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. She earned her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, where she served as an Articles Editor of the St. John’s Law Review. Rebecca received her B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Columbia University, Barnard College.

Rebecca M. Balinskas

Of Counsel

Geoff has extensive experience in representing investment banks, private debt funds, hedge funds, business development companies, asset managers, specialty finance companies, borrowers, and issuers in large-cap, middle-market, and mezzanine financings and restructurings.Geoff works with clients on domestic and international financing matters, particularly cross-border transactions, including:<ul><li>Acquisition financings</li><li>Asset-based financings</li><li>Bridge financings</li><li>First/second liens financings</li><li>Hybrid debt/equity financings</li><li>Preferred equity financings</li><li>Private placements</li><li>Project and infrastructure financings</li><li>Trade financings</li><li>Subordinated financings</li><li>Subscription-backed financings</li><li>Unitranche financings</li><li>Warehouse financings</li></ul>Geoff also regularly represents creditor committees, ad-hoc committees, creditors, and debtors in connection with insolvency matters, including complex workouts and restructurings, DIP financings, exit financings, secondary trading of debt and equity, and analysis of special situations trading opportunities.Clients regularly retain Geoff to develop new products and form documents.Geoff maintains an active pro bono practice and is the president of the board of trustees of GAIA, a non-profit organization providing health services in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also an active speaker and regularly writes on finance trends and issues.Before joining Morrison Foerster, Geoff worked at a global investment bank, where he provided legal advice and transaction management services to the bank’s proprietary and special situations investment groups, which included par and distressed trading groups.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Represented Alter Domus (f/k/a Cortland Capital Market Services) as loan agent related to the refinancing and amendment and extension of certain loan facilities of borrower Moran Foods, LLC (also known as Save A Lot). The refinancing includes a new $200 million asset-based lending credit facility and an extended maturity with respect to approximately $377 million of existing first and second lien loans.</li><li>Represented ResCap in its $1.45 billion DIP financing, a hybrid leveraged loan and securitization. International Financing Review named the transaction a 2013 restructuring of the year.</li><li>Represented the lead arranger and commercial lenders in $847 million of financings extended to Ecopetrol, the Colombian petroleum company. The loans were guaranteed by an export credit agency. Trade Finance magazine recognized the transaction as a 2013 deal of the year.</li><li>Represented Cerro de Aguila in its $595 million financing of a 525 MW hydroelectric power plant in Peru. Project Finance magazine recognized the transaction as a 2013 Latin American power deal of the year.</li><li>Represented the lead arrangers in connection with a $3.250 billion syndicated loan financing extended to finance the corporate reorganization of a global real estate company.</li><li>Represented the lead arrangers in connection with $785 million of trade financings extended to a Brazilian exporter.</li><li>Represented the lead arrangers in connection with a $357.5 million first/second lien bankruptcy exit financing extended to Rotech Healthcare.</li><li>Represented the lead arrangers in connection with a $160 million mezzanine financing extended to a Caribbean and Latin American telecommunications and media company.</li><li>Represented the lead arranger in connection with a $150 million subscription-backed financing extended to a global infrastructure fund.</li><li>Represented a business development company in connection with a $125 million syndicated debt capital raise.</li><li>Represented the administrative agent and lender in connection with a $116 million first/second lien financing extended to a chain of residential behavioral and addiction health treatment centers.</li><li>Represented the lead arrangers in connection with $24 million and £24 million of unitranche acquisition financings extended to affiliated U.S. and UK technologies companies.</li><li>Represented an infrastructure private equity fund in financing the acquisition of a 97 MW wind farm located in the Pacific Northwest.</li><li>Represented the lead arrangers in connection with an out-of-court restructuring of loans extended to a large chain of Mexican retail stores.</li><li>Represented Circuit of the Americas in connection with a syndicated loan and mezzanine financing used to construct a motor sports and multi-purpose entertainment venue in Austin, Texas, which hosts, among other events, the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.</li></ul>

Geoffrey Peck

Marc-Alain’s practice focuses on advising and counseling domestic and foreign financial institutions on a variety of bank regulatory, Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML), countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), and transactional matters. Marc-Alain has significant experience representing global financial institutions in criminal and regulatory investigations and enforcement actions as well as addressing weaknesses and shortcomings in their BSA/AML compliance frameworks. He also advises clients on all AML-related issues in connection with ESG, M&A, strategic investments and private equity funds, embedded finance, blockchain and digital assets, and other corporate transactions. Marc-Alain is adept at assisting clients to build ground up BSA/AML policies and procedures, and he works closely with banks and fintechs to navigate BSA/AML considerations related to Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and other partnership arrangements.Further, Marc-Alain has significant experience in advising and counseling U.S. and international bank holding companies, banks, and other financial institutions on a variety of bank regulatory and transactional matters, including matters relating to:<ul><li>The Bank Holding Company Act</li><li>Regulation K and Y</li><li>The Bank Merger Act</li><li>The Dodd–Frank Act (with regard to the Volcker Rule, Living Wills, and Enhanced Prudential Standards, among others)</li><li>Applications to federal and state banking regulators for expansion of activities</li><li>Internal restructuring</li><li>New products, sales, and acquisitions of U.S. banks</li></ul>Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Marc-Alain was an associate with two prominent global United States law firms, and he practiced law in Switzerland for several years.Marc-Alain is a member of the board of the Swiss American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (SALA). He is fluent in German, English, French, and Spanish and has a basic knowledge of Italian. He is admitted to practice in New York and Switzerland.