Michelle Sliwinski DeMaio
Overview
Michelle Sliwinski DeMaio is a partner in the Firm’s Environmental Transactional Practice Group in the Washington, D.C., office. She counsels clients in all areas of environmental law, primarily in the context of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, securities offerings, financing transactions, bankruptcies and real estate transactions. Michelle routinely advises clients across of wide variety of industries, including chemical manufacturing, industrial and consumer products, plastics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and beverage products, food service, retail, transportation and logistics, healthcare, aerospace, national security and defense, power generation, real estate development, environmental services and other professional services.
Michelle has extensive experience conducting environmental due diligence, managing environmental consultants, negotiating complex environmental contractual provisions in purchase, lease and financing agreements, and securing environmental insurance coverage for environmentally sensitive businesses and contaminated properties. Michelle applies a practical, business-minded approach to counsel clients regarding environmental liabilities and the allocation and/or mitigation of environmental risks in the context of corporate and real estate transactions.
Experience
Representative Matters
AE Industrial in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of United Building Solutions
- its sale of Edge Autonomy to Redwire for $925 million
Alight Solutions, a leading cloud-based provider of integrated digital human capital and business solutions, in its $7.3 billion business combination agreement with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp., a SPAC
American Securities LLC in its strategic partnership with SimonMed Imaging, one of the largest independent outpatient medical imaging providers and physician radiology practices in the United States
Arbor Investments and its portfolio companies in in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Steelite International, a manufacturer of tableware and pottery, from PNC RiverArch
- the acquisition of Clearwater Paper Corporation's Ladysmith, Wisconsin facility by its portfolio company, Dunn Paper
Audax Group and its portfolio companies in in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Protective Industrial Products, a global supplier of hand protection products and other consumable personal protective equipment, and the subsequent add-on acquisition of West Chester Protective Gear
- its sale of Gabriel Performance Products to Huntsman Corporation
Bain Capital, Oaktree Capital Management and International Market Centers Inc. in the sale of International Market Centers Inc. to Blackstone Group LP
- Rocket Software, Inc., a Bain Capital Private Equity portfolio company, on its definitive agreement to acquire the Application Modernization and Connectivity business of OpenText (Nasdaq: OTEX), for a total purchase price of $2.275 billion
BayPine in its acquisition of CenExel Clinical Research, a provider of a clinical trial site network
Beecken Petty O'Keefe in its acquisition of Cranial Technologies
Blackstone in several transactions, including:
- its $6.1 billion acquisition of TeamHealth
- its $4.8 billion acquisition of Aon plc’s technology-enabled benefits and HR platform
- its investment in Cloverleaf Cold Storage and its $1.24 billion sale of Cloverleaf to Americold Realty Trust
- its investment in 21Vianet Group, Inc.
Blue Sea Capital, LLC in its acquisition of MicroCare Holdings, LLC, a leading provider of innovative branded consumables for non-discretionary precision cleaning applications across several industries
Brentwood Associates and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- the $400 million sale of its portfolio company, The Marshall Retail Group, to WH Smith
- its acquisition of Jefferson Dental Care from Black Canyon Capital
Bristow Group Inc., a provider of industrial aviation services, on its all-stock business combination with Era Group Inc.
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. in its $30 billion joint venture with Intel Corporation to fund Intel’s under-construction semiconductor fabrication facility in Chandler, Arizona
Butterfly Equity and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- its $1.95 billion take-private acquisition of The Duckhorn Portfolio (NYSE: NAPA), a premier luxury wine company
- its acquisition of QDOBA, a franchisor in the Mexican fast causal restaurant sector, and QDOBA’s subsequent inaugural $305 million whole business securitization
- its acquisition of ePac Flexible Packaging, a provider of digitally printed flexible packaging, from its investor consortium, including Amcor (NYSE: AMCR; ASX: AMC) and Indevco North America
- its acquisition of Health-Ade, a fast-growing leader and innovator in kombucha tea beverages
- the separation of its portfolio company Bolthouse Farms into two separate standalone entities, Bolthouse Fresh Foods and Generous Brands
- in connection with the construction financing of a recirculating aquaculture system nursery that will be located in Baja California, Mexico, as well as the structuring of the broader transaction by which
- the nursery will ultimately be sold and leased back following the completion of construction
- its acquisition of Milk Specialties Global, a leader in human and animal nutrition
- the sale of a majority stake in its portfolio company Orgain to Nestle Health Science
- its investment in MaryRuth Organics, a leading health and wellness brand operating in the premium vitamins, minerals and supplements industry
- its acquisition of a majority stake in Pete and Gerry’s Organics, the nation’s leading producer of organic, free-range and pasture-raised eggs
Celanese Corporation in its $500 million divestiture of the Micromax® portfolio of products to Element Solutions Inc.
Centerbridge Partners in its acquisition of American Bath Group, a leading manufacturer of showers, bathtubs and related accessories
Clearlake Capital Group in its $2.6 billion acquisition of Intertape Polymer Group Inc., a manufacturer of paper and film based pressure-sensitive and water-activated tapes, stretch and shrink films, protective packaging, woven and non-woven products and packaging machinery for industrial and retail use
Cogeco Communications Inc. and Atlantic Broadband in the $1.4 billion acquisition of MetroCast cable systems
Commercial Metals Company (NYSE: CMC) in its acquisition of Tensar, a leading global provider of engineered solutions for subgrade reinforcement and soil stabilization used in road, infrastructure and commercial construction projects
Compass (NYSE: COMP) in its $10 billion merger with Anywhere Real Estate (NYSE: HOUS)
Conyers Park Acquisition Corp. in its $900 million combination with Atkins Nutritionals Inc. to form The Simply Good Foods Company
Curewell Capital in its acquisition of Wilmington PharmaTech, a contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CDMO)
Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR), a global science and technology innovator, in several transactions, including:
- its $21.4 billion acquisition of the biopharma business of General Electric, and in its $750 million divestment of certain lines of businesses to Sartorius AG
- its $9.6 billion acquisition of Aldevron, a manufacturer of high-quality plasmid DNA, mRNA and proteins, serving biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers across research, clinical and commercial applications
- its acquisition of a significant minority interest in Andelyn Biosciences
Diversis Capital in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Infotech
- its investment in Decision Lens
Emerald Lake Capital Management in its sale of MBO Partners to Beeline
FFL Partners in its acquisition of Bacharach, the subsequent add-on acquisition of Neutronics, and the subsequent sale of Bacharach to MSA Safety
Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY) in its $855 million acquisition of SciTec, a provider of advanced national security technologies
Garnett Station Partners and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- the acquisition of Tavern in the Square, a New England polished-casual dining brand, by its portfolio company, Authentic Restaurant Brands
- its take-private acquisition of Fiesta Restaurant Group for $225 million
- its acquisition of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
- its sale of Twin Peaks to FAT Brands for $300 million
GenOn Energy, Inc. and certain of its affiliates in connection with their Chapter 11 cases and sales of certain power generating facilities
George's Inc. in its acquisition of Ozark Mountain Poultry
Greenbriar Equity in several transactions, including:
- its sale of DART Aerospace to TransDigm Group
- its acquisition of PCX Aerosystems
GTCR in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition and subsequent sale of EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, a leading U.S. battery manufacturer
- its acquisition of PPC Flexible Packaging LLC
- its acquisition of SimpliSafe
JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. on the sale of its Towanda, Pennsylvania facility to Woodgrain
Kinderhook Industries, LLC in its acquisition and subsequent sale of Copperweld Bimetallics, a leading supplier of bimetallic wiring products and manufacturer of copper-clad steel (CCS) and copper-clad aluminum (CCA) wire
Kingswood Capital Management in several transaction, including:
- its acquisition of Daramic, a provider of lead battery separators, from Asahi Kasei (TYO: 3407)
- its acquisition of Branding Iron Holdings, a provider of branded and private label protein products
- its acquisition of Lind Marine, a provider of dredging, barge and tug services throughout the San Francisco Bay and Delta, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers
L Catterton in its acquisition of Leslie’s Holdings, Inc., the world’s largest retailer and online marketer of swimming pool and spa supplies and services
LightBay Capital in its joint control investment in Awayday Holdings with Ares Management Corporation
Linden Capital Partners and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- the add-on acquisition of Aegis Treatment Centers by its portfolio company, Pinnacle Treatment Centers
- its sale of Young Innovations, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of consumable dental supplies and equipment, to The Jordan Company
Neos Partners in its acquisition of MAS HVAC, a custom air handling unit manufacturer
Nexstar Broadcasting Group in several transactions, including:
- its $6.4 billion acquisition of Tribune Media Co., creating the largest local television broadcaster and local media company
- its $1.3 billion sale of nineteen stations in fifteen markets to TEGNA and The E.W. Scripps Company and in its purchase and sale agreements with Fox Television Stations, LLC
Nexus Capital Management in its acquisition of Tricam Industries, LLC
Nubank (NYSE: NU) in its acquisition of Hyperplane, a data intelligence platform
Oaktree Capital Management and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Interblock, a leading developer and supplier of luxury electronic table games
- the add-on acquisition of Illinois Gaming Systems, a video gaming terminal operator, by its portfolio company, J&J Ventures Gaming
Olympus Partners and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of PAI Pharma, a provider of generic oral liquid medicines
- its acquisition of Nivagen Pharmaceuticals by its portfolio company, PAI Pharma
Palm Peak Capital in its first platform investment with the acquisition of Pacific Shoring Products, LLC, a manufacturer of trench safety equipment
Patient Square Capital in its pending consortium acquisition of Syneos Health for approximately $7.1 billion
Pritzker Private Capital, a leader in family direct investing, and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- the $1.51 billion acquisition of TC Transcontinental Packaging, a provider of packaging solutions, from TC Transcontinental (TSX: TCL.A TCL.B) by its portfolio company, ProAmpac
- the add-on acquisition of PAC Worldwide, a provider of flexible packaging solutions, by its portfolio company, ProAmpac
- its acquisition of NaturPak
- its acquisition of Buckman, an innovator in specialty solutions for water treatment and industrial processes
- its investment in Americhem, a leader in the global polymer industry
- the add-on acquisition of Gelpac Inc., a premier producer of multiwall paper and poly-woven packaging products, by its portfolio company, ProAmpac
- its acquisition of HeartLand, a leading provider of commercial landscaping services across the U.S.
- its acquisition of Sugar Foods, a multinational food products company
- its acquisition of Vycom, a manufacturer and supplier of plastic sheet products, from The AZEK Company (NYSE: AZEK)
- its acquisition of Bardstown Bourbon Company, a distiller, producer and bottler of premium Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskey, and the subsequent add-on acquisition of Green River Spirits Company
- its acquisition of a significant stake in Monogram Foods
- its sale of a controlling stake of Technimark, a manufacturing solutions provider for the healthcare, consumer packaging and specialty industrial markets, to Oak Hill Capital
- the add-on acquisition of DermLab by its portfolio company, PathGroup, and PathGroup’s subsequent majority investment from GTCR
- the add-on acquisition of Champion Brands, a manufacturer of specialty lubricants for the automotive and industrial markets, by its portfolio company, PLZ Aeroscience
- the add-on acquisition of Belle-Pak Packaging Inc., a manufacturer of flexible packaging products, by its portfolio company, ProAmpac
Resonetics, which is owned by GTCR portfolio company Regatta Medical, in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Memry Corporation and SAES Smart Materials, Inc. from SAES Getters S.p.A, for $900 million
- its acquisition of the medical business of Hutchinson Technology Inc.
Sapporo Holdings Limited in its acquisition of Anchor Brewing Co.
Sentinel Capital Partners in its sale of Sonny’s Enterprises
Starwood Capital Group and Mammoth Resorts in the sale of Mammoth Resorts to Aspen Skiing Company, LLC and KSL Capital Partners, LLC
Summit Partners and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including:
- its investment in RIS Rx, a provider of healthcare technology solutions
- the acquisition of CerpassRX by its portfolio company, LucyRx
- its acquisition of Ascentis and the subsequent add-on acquisition of NOVAtime Technology
- its acquisition and subsequent sale of PrismHR
Sycamore Partners in its acquisition of All-Fab Group, a building solutions provider, by its portfolio company RONA
The Carlyle Group in several transactions, including:
- its investment in Psychiatric Medical Care, a behavioral healthcare management company
- its $435 million acquisition of Unchained Labs, a rapidly growing life science tools company
The Jordan Company in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corporation, a leading global logistics provider firm
- its acquisition of Potters Industries, LLC, the performance materials segment of publicly traded PQ Group Holdings, Inc.
Transom Capital Group in several transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Wolters Kluwer’s Legal & Regulatory U.S. Legal Education business
- its sale of SemiTorr to FloWorks
Vestar Capital Partners and its portfolio company, Healthgrades, in its divestiture of Healthgrades Marketplace, its Healthgrades.com business to Red Ventures
Warburg Pincus, together with Berkshire Partners in their $3 billion acquisition of Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI), a company that designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs and overhauls a broad
portfolio of aerospace and defense systems and components
WellCare Health Plans in several transactions, including:
- its $17.3 billion acquisition by Centene Corporation
- its $2.5 billion acquisition of Meridian Health Plans
- its $800 million acquisition of Universal American Corp.
WHP Global on a definitive agreement to form a new joint venture with Lands’ End Inc. (Nasdaq: LE), a provider of apparel, swimwear, outerwear, accessories, footwear, home products and uniforms
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkUnited States Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Law and Policy Section
Law ClerkUnited States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Air Enforcement Division, Mobile Sources Branch
Law ClerkNational Association of the Deaf, Law and Advocacy Center
Prior Experience
Summer Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Research Assistant, Barbara J. Goldsmith & Company LLC
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
Sliwinski, M., Note, Addressing the Fissures in Causation Claims: A Case Against the Use of Lone Pine Orders as Procedural Hurdles in Hydraulic Fracturing Litigation, 7 GEO. WASH. J. ENERGY & ENVTL. L. 77 (2016).
Sliwinski, M., Agricultural Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay: Flawed CAFO Regulation and Strategies for Effective State Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, 1 THE PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FORUM AT THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL (2015).
Recognition
Recognized as a Key Lawyer in The Legal 500 U.S. for Environment: Transactional, 2025
Kirkland’s Washington, D.C., Environmental Practice recognized as “Band 1” (Chambers USA)
Kirkland’s Nationwide Environmental Practice recognized as “Band 1” (Chambers USA) and “Tier 1” (The Legal 500 U.S.)
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2016District of Columbia
Education
- The George Washington University Law SchoolJ.D.with High Honors2016
Order of the Coif
Senior Notes Editor, The George Washington University Journal of Energy & Environmental Law
GW Pro Bono Recognition Award
The President’s Volunteer Service Award
George Washington Scholar
- The George Washington UniversityB.S., Biological Sciencesmagna cum laude2013
Departmental Honors in Biology
David Atkins Prize for Undergraduate Research in Biological Sciences
Luther Rice Research Fellow
Harlan Trust Research Fellow