Nick Ustaski

Resonetics — Advised Resonetics, a pioneer in advanced engineering and manufacturing solutions for the life sciences industry, on its acquisition of Agile MV, an emerging leader in product development and turnkey device assembly serving the high-growth electrophysiology and interventional cardiology catheter market.  

Wheel Pros — Represented and advised Wheel Pros, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of proprietary branded aftermarket vehicle enhancements for light trucks, SUVs, passenger cars and ATVs/UTVs, and its principal owner, Clearlake Capital Group, in the execution of definitive agreements to acquire Transamerican Auto Parts, a manufacturer, distributor, retailer and installer of off-road Jeep and light truck parts and accessories, from Polaris. The acquisition will allow Wheel Pros to better serve automotive and off-roading enthusiasts by increasing its manufacturing abilities, online presence and part-distribution channels.  

KKR — Advised KKR and its portfolio company, C.H.I. Overhead Doors, a leader in the garage door industry, on their definitive agreement to sell C.H.I. to Nucor Corporation in a transaction valued at $3 billion. The sale will represent one of KKR’s largest returns in recent history, at 10 times the original equity invested, inclusive of distributions.

Thomas H. Lee Partners — Advised THL on its strategic growth investment in Inriver, a digital-first product information management solution. With the investment, THL will become the majority shareholder of Inriver. Verdane, a European specialist growth equity investor and current Inriver shareholder, will retain a significant stake in the company. The transaction will also include a significant primary capital investment from THL to support Inriver’s product development roadmap and significantly expand its presence in North America and Europe. 

Thoma Bravo — Advised TA Associates on the sale of Thoma Bravo portfolio company Kofax, an intelligent automation software provider, to TA Associates and Clearlake Capital Group. 

Thoma Bravo —  Represented Thoma Bravo and Barracuda Networks, a provider of cloud-first security solutions, on the sale of Barracuda to KKR. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but media reported the deal value at approximately $4 billion.

Thoma Bravo — Advised Thoma Bravo on its strategic growth investment in Circle Cardiovascular Imaging Inc. (Circle CVI), the global leader in cardiovascular imaging solutions. Thoma Bravo’s partnership is expected to drive future investment in product innovation, extend Circle CVI’s market leadership position and fuel future growth.  

PPC — Advised Pritzker Private Capital (PPC) on its acquisition of Bardstown Bourbon Company, a distiller, producer and bottler of premium Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskey brands.  

Sun Capital Partners, Inc. — Advised an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. on its acquisition of Total Transportation Services (TTSI), an innovative, asset-based logistics provider within the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Vista Equity Partners — Advised Vista Equity Partners on its minority investment in Assent Compliance Inc., a leader in supply chain sustainability management with a company valuation reported by Ottawa Business Journal as exceeding $1 billion.

New Water Capital — Counseled New Water Capital on its sale of Emerald EMS, a high-tech contract manufacturing and design company, to affiliates of Crestview Partners.

Paine Schwartz Partners — Represented Paine Schwartz Partners in its strategic investment into Hendrix Genetics, a leading multi-species animal genetics and technology company. The transaction involved extensive collaboration between teams in the U.S., France and U.K. because of the company’s global footprint, including an in-depth analysis into potential regulatory filings in over 100 jurisdictions.

FFL Partners — Represented FFL Partners in a significant investment in Atlanta-based Optomi Professional Services, a provider of high-end technology consulting and staff augmentation and domestic rural outsourcing services founded in 2012.

ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. II (Nasdaq: ACTD) — Advised ArcLight a SPAC, on its business combination with OPAL Fuels LLC, a vertically integrated producer and distributor of renewable natural gas. The business combination values OPAL Fuels at a pro forma enterprise value of $1.75 billion.

GTCR — Advised GTCR and its portfolio company, Resonetics, on the sale of a minority equity stake in Resonetics to funds affiliated with global investment firm Carlyle (Nasdaq: CG), valuing Resonetics at approximately $2.25 billion.

KKR — Counseled KKR and Atlantic Aviation on the combination of Atlantic Aviation and Ross Aviation to create a leading aviation infrastructure platform with one of the largest networks of fixed-base operations in North America. 

Fidelity Building Services Group — Advised Fidelity BSG, a portfolio company of Oaktree Capital Management, on its agreement to be acquired by Onex Partners V, Onex Corporation’s (TSX: ONEX) $7.2 billion fund. Fidelity BSG provides technical building solutions for the commercial and industrial facilities market, delivering best-in-class, non-discretionary services through every phase of a building’s lifecycle.

Arbor Investments — Advised Arbor Investments, a private equity firm that focuses exclusively on investing in food, beverage and related industries with the acquisition of plant-based food platform Fontaine Santé Foods.

Linden Capital Partners — Advised Linden in connection with its acquisition of Biospecimen Holdings, LLC, a leading provider of mission-critical biological specimens for the pharmaceutical discovery and development market.

KKR — Represented KKR on its acquisition of Bettcher Industries, a leading manufacturer and supplier of food processing equipment and associated aftermarket parts and consumables, from MPE Partners. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ohio, Bettcher is a trusted provider of innovative, semi-automated handheld tools and automated equipment for thousands of beef, pork and poultry processing plants globally.

Penn Foster — Advised Penn Foster, a leading provider of digital and data-driven learning solutions for high-demand skills and jobs, on its combination with Carrus, one of the nation’s most trusted online healthcare training and professional development providers.

H.I.G. Capital Management — Represented H.I.G. Capital Management in its sale of Quicken Holdings, LLC, a leading provider of personal financial management software and services, to an investment affiliate of Aquiline Capital Partners.

Butterfly Equity — Advised Butterfly, a private equity firm specializing in the food sector, on its investment in Chosen Foods LLC, a leader in avocado-based food products.

Silversmith Capital Partners — Advised Silversmith Capital Partners in its strategic investment in Zonos, a provider of landed cost calculation software for cross-border e-commerce.

Silversmith Capital Partners — Advised Silversmith Capital Partners in its $1.3 billion sale to Insight Partners of DistroKid, a platform for independent musicians to share their music with, and collect royalties from, online stores and streaming services like Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube and others. Silversmith and Spotify (also an existing investor in DistroKid) will each retain a meaningful equity stake in the go forward company.

Alamo — Counseled Alamo on its agreement with NexTier Oilfield Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: NEX), pursuant to which NexTier will acquire Alamo’s pressure pumping business creating one of the largest pressure pumping companies in the Permian Basin. 

Pathfinder Acquisition Corporation — Advised Pathfinder Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: PFDR), a publicly traded SPAC, on its business combination with ServiceMax, Inc., a leader in asset-centric field service management software. The transaction values ServiceMax at a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $1.4 billion.

Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition Corp. — Advised Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: XPDI), a special purpose acquisition company, on its approximately $4.3 billion combination with Core Scientific Holding Co., a 100% net carbon neutral, vertically integrated blockchain infrastructure and mining company, and Blockcap, Inc., a leader in digital asset mining.

Pritzker Private Capital and PLZ Aeroscience — Advised Pritzker Private Capital and PLZ Aeroscience, an independent specialty aerosol and liquid product manufacturer, on the acquisition of Champion Brands, a manufacturer of specialty lubricants for the automotive and industrial markets.

EQT Infrastructure — Advised EQT Infrastructure’s acquisition of Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE: CVA), an owner and operator of waste-to-energy facilities in North America, in a transaction valued at $5.3 billion.

Penn Virginia Corp. — counseled Penn Virginia Corp. (Nasdaq: PVAC) on its definitive merger agreement with Lonestar Resources US Inc. (OTCQX: LONE) under which Penn Virginia will acquire Lonestar in an all-stock transaction.

Cypress Creek Renewables — Counseled Cypress Creek Renewables, a leading vertically integrated renewable energy platform and one of the industry’s leading solar and storage energy companies, and its shareholders HPS Investment Partners and Temasek, on the sale of Cypress Creek to EQT Infrastructure.

Sun Capital Partners — Represented Sun Capital Partners in its affiliate’s acquisition of mortgage solutions provider LoanLogics.

Riggs Distler & Company, Inc. — Counseled Riggs Distler & Company, Inc. and its affiliates on its sale to Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.’s (NYSE: SWX) wholly owned subsidiary, Centuri Group, Inc. in which Centuri will acquire a 100% ownership interest in Riggs Distler for $855 million in cash subject to customary adjustments, including working capital. 

Waud Capital Partners — Represented Waud Capital Partners’ portfolio company CyberGrants, a provider of SaaS-based solutions for corporate social responsibility, employee engagement and volunteer management, in connection with its acquisition by funds affiliated with Apax Partners.

Warburg Pincus — Represented Warburg Pincus in its $150 million Series E financing of Aura, a digital security provider backed by film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and investor Sujay Jaswa. 

Third Coast Midstream, LLC — Advised Third Coast Midstream, LLC, an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC, in its sale of an approximately 50% interest in Lighthouse Super Holdings, LLC, to an affiliate of a global infrastructure investment vehicle.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP — Advised KKR in its $4.475 billion acquisition of the Atlantic Aviation business of Macquarie Infrastructure Corp.

Warburg Pincus — Counseled Warburg Pincus in its strategic investment in Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX), operator of the industry’s largest cloud-based trading network that connects those who buy, sell and use products needed to deliver patient care.

Blue Sea Capital — Represented Blue Sea Capital in its investment in Abrasive Technology, a provider of superabrasive products for the dental, aerospace, medical and industrial end markets.

EAB — Advised EAB, a portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners, on a recent investment by BC Partners, a leading international private equity firm to enhance EAB’s ability to innovate and build solutions that help schools find and enroll right-fit students, support and graduate more students, and prepare their institutions for the future.

Serent Capital — Counseled Serent in its sale of its majority interest in Real Green Systems, a provider of all-in-one lawn care, landscaping and pest control management software, to WorkWave, a field service management software company. 

Corel — Advised Corel, a portfolio company of KKR, on its acquisition of Ad Remover, an ad-blocking extension.

GI Partners — Advised GI Partners on its definitive agreement to sell Consilio, a global leader in eDiscovery, document review, risk management and legal consulting services, to investment funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC. 

Thoma Bravo  — Advised Thoma Bravo on the acquisition of Calabrio, a customer experience intelligence company, from KKR, which Kirkland also advised in the transaction.

The Jordan Company — Advised The Jordan Company, L.P. (TJC) on the recapitalization of global freight forwarding leader AIT Worldwide Logistics. The transaction, expected to be finalized in early spring, marks the culmination of AIT's partnership with private equity group Quad-C Management, Inc. (Quad-C), which is selling its full stake in AIT to TJC.

Apax Partners — Advised funds advised by Apax Partners on its definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake of Herjavec Group, an award-winning global managed security services provider and cyber operations leader. 

Brightstar Capital Partners — Advised Brightstar Capital Partners on its acquisition of California-based Amerit Fleet Solutions, Inc., a provider of vehicle fleet maintenance and repair services throughout the United States.

iNRCORE, LLC — Advised iNRCORE, LLC, a portfolio company of The Jordan Company, on its combination with Gowanda Components Group, a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-performance electronic components for transportation, aerospace and defense and other high-reliability applications.

Waud Capital Partners — Represented Waud Capital Partners in its acquisition of The CE Shop LLC, a leading provider of online real estate education.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) — Advised Nexstar Media Group, Inc and its subsidiaries in connection with its acquisition of BestReviews LLC, a leading provider of premium online product reviews, from Tribune Publishing (Nasdaq: TPCO) for $160 million dollars. Nexstar is the largest television station owner in the U.S., with 197 stations in 115 markets addressing nearly 63% of U.S. television households.

Trinseo (NYSE: TSE) — Advised Trinseo a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, on its contemplated acquisition of Arkema’s polymethyl methacrylates (“PMMA”) and activated methyl methacrylates (“MMA”) businesses. PMMA is a transparent and rigid plastic with a wide range of end uses across several end markets including automotive, building & construction, medical and consumer electronics.

L Catterton — Represented L Catterton, which along with CCMP Capital entered into a definitive agreement under which a consortium led by L Catterton and its affiliates will acquire a controlling interest in Truck Hero®, Inc., the leading provider of functional aftermarket accessories for pickup trucks and Jeep® vehicles.

Luminate Capital Partners — Represented Luminate’s portfolio company AutoQuotes LLC’s add-on acquisition of Axonom Inc., a leading provider of visual CPQ solutions.

Atlas Partners — Advised Altas Partners in its investment into Unified Women’s Healthcare, a leading practice management platform in women’s healthcare.

Jaws Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: JWS) —  Advised Jaws a special purpose acquisition company, on its proposed merger with Cano Health, LLC, a leading value-based care delivery platform for seniors. The transaction values the combined company at an enterprise value of approximately $4.4 billion. 

AE Industrial Partners (AEI) — Represented AEI in simultaneous acquisitions of Linkware, a provider of software solutions and consulting services to federal government organizations, and Pangiam, a security and travel consulting services provider.

Lexitas — Advised Lexitas, a leading provider of digital and in-person deposition and court reporting services, on a transformational acquisition of Registered Agent Solutions Inc. (RASi), significantly enhancing Lexitas’ service line, offering access to Registered Agent representation and compliance services.

CapVest Partners LLP — Advised funds managed by CapVest Partners LLP on its agreement to acquire Datasite Global Corporation, a leading SaaS provider for the corporate transactions and M&A industry.

Arena Energy, L.P. — Representation of Arena Energy, L.P., which filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas to pursue a sale of its assets as a going-concern. The sale—which is supported by Arena’s first-lien revolving lenders and second-lien term lenders—will restructure more than $1 billion in funded indebtedness and address over $500 million of plugging and abandonment liabilities.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation — Representation of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and 40 of its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Chesapeake is a premier oil and natural gas exploration and production company with a high-quality, unconventional oil and natural gas asset portfolio, with substantial positions in top U.S. onshore plays. Chesapeake and its debtor-affiliates had more than $9 billion of funded debt obligations as of the commencement of their Chapter 11 cases. Prior to commencing the Chapter 11 cases, Chesapeake obtained commitments from certain of its secured creditors for over $4 billion of new capital, including a $925 million new money debtor-in-possession financing facility, a $600 million fully backstopped rights offering, and $2.5 billion of exit facilities as part of a comprehensive restructuring support agreement that would eliminate approximately $7 billion of Chesapeake’s funded debt obligations.

Akorn, Inc. — Representation of Akorn, Inc. and certain subsidiaries (“Akorn”), a specialty generic pharmaceuticals company with approximately $861.7 million of funded indebtedness, in their Chapter 11 cases filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

Fort Point Capital — Representation of Fort Point Capital, an investment firm focused on lower middle market, service-oriented companies, and their portfolio company AMS Fulfillment Holdings LLC, a full service outsourced logistics provider, in the financing of its acquisition of EchoData Group, a leading provider of omnichannel fulfillment services to fast growing B2C and B2B customers in the consumer products, educational products, marketing materials and subscription box verticals.

Summer Associate/Law Clerk, Nyhan, Bambrick, Kenzie & Lowry

Legal Intern/Consultant, for Acme World Sports, LLC, a professional ice hockey player agency (now acquired by Wasserman Media Group)

Conducted an estate planning drafting and consultation process, including drafting a will and trust for a military veteran and spouse.

Researched, compiled, and drafted an appeal and summary documents related to a Midwest Innocence Project criminal conviction appeal.

Drafted, represented, and filed expungement/sealing of criminal actions for various pro bono clients in the Harris County Criminal Courts in Houston, Texas.

Assisted and provided counsel to a Texas 501(c)(4) non-profit company and foundation with the classification of its employees and independent contractors, including drafting responses and correspondences with the Texas Workforce Commission.

Assisted the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law with union, labor, and employment research related to reformation/transformation of policy, including drafting policy guidelines and exceptions.