Daniel E. Wolf, P.C.
Overview
Daniel is an extremely strong corporate lawyer with a deep understanding of the many elements of M&A.” - Chambers USA
Daniel Wolf’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions where he represents public and private companies, as well as private equity firms, in a variety of domestic and international transactions. His transactional experience spans the range of M&A activity including many significant cross-border and contested transactions. He also counsels public company clients on governance, activism defense, finance, securities and other general corporate matters. Over the past eight years alone, Daniel has advised on announced M&A transactions with an aggregate value of well over $500 billion.
In 2021, Daniel was recognized by International Financial Law Review (IFLR) as the U.S. Lawyer of the Year for M&A. He was named “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer in 2020 and by the annual Deal Awards in 2019. His work in 2023 earned him the distinction of being ranked #1 on MergerLinks’ list of the “Top Private Equity Lawyers in North America”, and his work in 2019 also earned him the distinction of being named #1 on MergerLinks’ list of the “Top M&A Lawyers in North America.” In the last 11 consecutive years, Chambers and Partners has listed Daniel as a top M&A attorney in Chambers USA, and he is currently ranked in Band 1 for M&A. According to Chambers, one source noted him as an “exceptional lawyer” and “one of the smartest guys I have ever met.” In addition to his M&A ranking, Chambers also lists Daniel as one of the leading shareholder activism and takeover defense attorneys in the U.S. In 2020, Daniel was inducted into the “Hall of Fame” by The Legal 500 U.S. for M&A – Large Deals ($1 billion+). He was recognized as a Leading Life Sciences Lawyer (Mergers & Acquisitions) by Legal Media Group, Life Sciences for 2021–2023. He is also recognized in Who’s Who Legal: M&A and Governance, was named an MVP by Law360, has been listed as a New York Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine in 2013–2023 and is endorsed by PLC’s Mergers and Acquisitions multi-jurisdictional guide.
Experience
Representative Matters
During the course of his career, Daniel has worked on hundreds of M&A matters across geographies, industries and transaction types.
Public Company Representations Since 2015
- Bristol Myers Squibb in its $90 billion acquisition of Celgene and its related $13.4 billion divesture of Celgene’s OTEZLA® program to Amgen
- Danaher Corporation in its $21 billion acquisition of Biopharma business of General Electric and its $4 billion acquisition of Cepheid
- Bristol Myers Squibb in its $13.1 billion acquisition of MyoKardia
- Oak Street Health in its $10.6 billion sale to CVS Health
- Datto in its $6.2 billion sale to Kaseya
- Swift Transportation in its $6 billion stock-for-stock merger with Knight Transportation
- Bristol Myers Squibb in its $5.8 billion acquisition of Mirati Therapeutics
- PowerSchool in its $5.6 billion sale to Bain Capital
- Abbott in its $5.8 billion acquisition of Alere
- Cvent in its $4.6 billion sale to Blackstone
- Travelport Worldwide in its $4.4 billion sale to Siris Capital and Elliott Management
- Bristol Myers Squibb in its $4.1 billion acquisition of Turning Point Therapeutics
- Ping Identity in its $2.8 billion sale to Thoma Bravo
- Special Committee of Board of Directors of FGL Holdings in its $2.7 billion acquisition by Fidelity National Financial
- Ventas in its $1.75 billion acquisition of Ardent Medical Services
- Celator Pharmaceuticals in its $1.5 billion sale to Jazz Pharmaceuticals
- Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group in its $650 million sale to L Catterton
- Special Committee of the Board of Directors of MSC Industrial Supply in connection with MSC’s dual-class reclassification transaction with its controlling shareholders
Cross-Border Transactions Since 2015
- Teva Pharmaceutical in its $40.5 billion acquisition of Allergan Generics and U.S. antitrust clearance, which includes the largest ever drug divestiture in a pharmaceutical merger involving sales to 11 different buyers for an aggregate of approximately $1.7 billion, and its $500 million acquisition of Anda, a drug distribution business
- NortonLifeLock in its ~$25 billion combination with Avast
- Mead Johnson Nutrition in its $18 billion sale to Reckitt Benckiser plc
- GlaxoSmithKline in its $12.7 billion joint venture with Pfizer to combine their consumer health businesses
- Grubhub in its $7.3 billion sale to Just Eat Takeaway.com
- Misys Limited, a UK-based portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners, in its $4.8 billion take-private and combination with Canada-based financial technology firm DH Corporation
- JBT Corporation in its proposed €3.5 billion acquisition of Icelandic company Marel
- Renesas Electronics in its $2 billion supply agreement and cash deposit with Wolfspeed
- Mazor Robotics of Israel in its $1.6 billion sale to Medtronic plc
- Acorda Therapeutics in its $363 million acquisition of Finnish company Biotie Therapies
Contested Situations Since 2015
- Baxalta in connection with Shire plc’s unsolicited takeover bid resulting in a $32 billion sale
- Akzo Nobel in its successful defense of an unsolicited $28 billion takeover attempt by PPG Industries and activism led by Elliott Management
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in its successful defense of a $7.8 billion hostile takeover and full slate proxy contest by Choice Hotels International
- Special Committee of Board of Directors of Verso Corporation in response to an unsolicited takeover bid and subsequent $825 million sale to BillerudKorsnäs
- HanesBrands in connection with its cooperation agreement with Barington
- Clear Channel Outdoor in its cooperation agreement with Legion Partners
- Huntsman Corporation in its successful defense of a proxy contest by Starboard Value
- Advance Auto Parts in its agreement with Starboard Value relating to board composition and leadership changes
- The Vitamin Shoppe in its defense of a proxy contest by a 13D group of hedge fund shareholders
- Avis Budget Group in its implementation of a poison pill after expiration of a cooperation agreement with SRS Investment and subsequent proxy contest
- Heron Therapeutics in connection with a cooperation agreement with Rubric Capital and Velan Capital
- Tenet Healthcare in its settlement agreement with Glenview Capital Management regarding a withdrawn bylaw proposal and Glenview’s support for Tenet’s board nominees
Carve-out and Spin-off Transactions Since 2015
- Celanese Corporation in its $11 billion acquisition of DuPont’s Mobility & Materials business and its $1.15 billion acquisition of ExxonMobil’s Santoprene TPV elastomers business
- Wyndham Worldwide in its spin-off of its ~ $11 billion hotel business to create two separate publicly traded hospitality companies, $1.95 billion acquisition of La Quinta Inns & Suites’ franchise and management businesses and approximately $1.3 billion sale of its European vacation rental business to Platinum Equity
- Verizon in its $5 billion sale of Verizon Media to funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management
- Bristol Myers Squibb in its $3 billion divestiture of its HIV pipeline to ViiV Healthcare and its $1.6 billion sale of its French over-the-counter drugs business to Taisho Pharmaceutical
- ABB in the $2.9 billion sale of its Dodge mechanical power transmission division to RBC Bearings Incorporated
- Carvana in its $2.2 billion acquisition of ADESA’s U.S. physical auction business from KAR Global
- Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel) in the $1.95 billion sale of its wireless business to T-Mobile USA
- Colfax Corporation in its $1.8 billion sale of its Air and Gas Handling business to KPS Capital Partners
- Vista Equity Partners in its $1.55 billion acquisition of the Advisory Board Company’s education business and $1.2 billion sale of the communities and sports division of ACTIVE Network to Global Payments
- HanesBrands in its $1.2 billion sale of Champion to Authentic Brands Group
- John Bean Technologies (JBT) in the $800 million sale of its AeroTech Business to Oshkosh Corporation
- Phibro Animal Health on its $350 million asset acquisition from Zoetis
Private Equity Sponsor Transactions Since 2015
- Vista Equity Partners in multiple take-privates, including its $16.5 billion acquisition of Citrix Systems, $4.6 billion acquisition of KnowBe4, $4 billion acquisition of EngageSmart, $3.5 billion acquisition of Pluralsight, $2.6 billion acquisition of Duck Creek Technologies, $2 billion acquisition of Apptio, $1.7 billion acquisition of Cvent and $1.25 billion acquisition of Model N
- Blackstone Group in its $2.3 billion acquisition of Rover, as majority stockholder of Invitation Homes in its $11 billion merger with Starwood Waypoint Homes, $6.1 billion acquisition of TeamHealth and $820 million PIPE investment in NCR Corporation
- Hellman & Friedman in its $10.2 billion acquisition of Zendesk
- A consortium led by CC Capital in its $6.9 billion acquisition of Dun & Bradstreet
- Stone Point Capital in its $6 billion acquisition of CoreLogic
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in its $5.8 billion acquisition of Cornerstone Building Brands
- Patient Square Capital in its $890 million acquisition of Radius Health and in its consortium acquisition of Syneos Health for approximately $7.1 billion
Private Company Transactions Since 2015
- Danaher Corporation in its $9.6 billion acquisition of Aldevron
- Colfax Corporation in its $3.2 billion acquisition of DJO Global
- Bristol Myers Squibb in its $2.1 billion acquisition of Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, $1.25 billion acquisition of Flexus Biosciences, $1.25 billion acquisition of Promedior and $520 million acquisition of Cormorant Pharmaceuticals
- Fortive Corporation in its $2 billion acquisition of Accruent, $1.425 billion acquisition of Provation Software and $570 million acquisition of Intelex Technologies
- Websense in its $1.9 billion sale to Raytheon
- V-Wave in its $1.7 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson
- Waters Corporation in its $1.36 billion acquisition of Wyatt Technology
- Gerson Lehrman Group in the investment by SFW Capital of $212 million
- Grubhub in its acquisitions of Tapingo, LevelUp and Eat24
- Sard Verbinnen in its merger with Finsbury Glover Hering
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
Daniel is a leading contributing author of the Kirkland M&A Update. Daniel’s thought leadership has been recognized by various academic and business publications, including The WSJ, Harvard Law School's Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, The NYT's Deal Professor, Investment Dealers’ Digest, Deal Lawyers, Practical Law Company and Law360.
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 1996New York
Languages
- Hebrew
Education
- London School of Economics and Political ScienceLL.B.First Class Honours1995