McGuireWoods Among Finalists for The Deal’s Middle Market Awards

Cockrell, Hughes and Anderson Shortlisted as Top Dealmakers

April 17, 2020

McGuireWoods and three firm partners have been shortlisted for The Deal’s Middle Market Awards, which recognize leading lawyers, bankers, investors and advisers in middle market transactions completed in 2019.

McGuireWoods is a finalist in the following award categories.

  • Deal of the Year and Financial Services Deal of the Year – McGuireWoods advised JMP Securities as financial adviser to Redwood Trust Inc. in its $490 million acquisition of CoreVest American Finance Lender and several of its affiliates.

  • Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Deal of the Year – McGuireWoods represented LEARN Behavioral, a leading network of providers of behavioral treatment services for children with autism, and private equity firm LLR Partners in selling a majority stake in LEARN to Gryphon Investors, a San Francisco-based private equity firm specializing in middle market companies.

The following McGuireWoods lawyers also are finalists.

  • Private Equity Adviser of the Year – Chicago partner Geoffrey Cockrell, head of the firm’s private equity team, is a finalist for advising LEARN Behavioral and LLR Partners in a deal with Gryphon Investors. Cockrell represents private equity sponsors, strategic purchasers and sellers across industries, with a focus on healthcare provider services.

  • Energy & Industrials Dealmaker of the Year – Houston office managing partner Jay Hughes is a finalist for counseling RBJ Operating LLC in the sale of the company and its operating subsidiary to PDPS Redshift Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Pilot Flying J. RBJ is one of the largest operators of saltwater disposal wells in the West Texas Permian Basin. Hughes advises energy companies on acquisitions, dispositions and financings, primarily in the power and oil and gas industries.

  • Technology, Media & Telecom Dealmaker of the Year – Richmond partner James Anderson III is a finalist for representing fintech company AvidXchange in its acquisition of BankTEL Systems, a provider of accounting solutions to more than 20 percent of banks across the United States. Anderson represents companies in corporate and securities law matters, including structuring, financing and negotiating M&A deals.

Award winners will be announced later this year.

McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the leading law firms for U.S. and global M&A deals in league tables published by Refinitiv and Bloomberg. Its M&A practice has earned nationwide recognition from Chambers USA and The Legal 500. The firm was a finalist in six deal categories for the 2019 M&A Advisor Awards recognizing the year’s top corporate transactions.

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