Robert J. Gavigan
Partner, New York
Robert J. Gavigan
Partner, New York
Robert J. Gavigan’s practice focuses on domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, supply and distribution arrangements, secured and unsecured loan financings, venture capital investments, private placements, complex commercial joint ventures and alliances, and general corporate counseling. He has substantial experience representing companies in the natural resources, life science, health care, and consumer products industries. Super Lawyers has recognized Bob on its annual New York Metro Super Lawyers list for mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining the firm, Bob practiced with Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, where he focused on corporate law and corporate finance. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an Article Editor of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review. Prior to law school, Bob spent more than a decade working in the oil and gas business in the Middle East, North Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and South America in various petroleum engineering and management positions.
Robert J. Gavigan’s practice focuses on domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, supply and distribution arrangements, secured and unsecured loan financings, venture capital investments,…
Education
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1997); University of Tulsa (B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1983); Georgetown University (A.B.,1980)
Bar Admissions
New York State
Activities and Affiliations
Member, American Bar Association (Mergers and Acquisitions Committee)
Member, New York City Bar Association (former member of Energy Committee)
Member, The Society of Petroleum Engineers
Member, Independent Petroleum Association of America (former member of International Committee)
Member, Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN)
Member, Arab Bankers Association of North America (ABANA)
Member, Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in New York (SACCNY)
Former Member, Law360 Editorial Advisory Board for M&A coverage
Mergers and Acquisitions
Represented management of an energy trading company in connection with an acquisition by private equity investors.
Represented a Korean distributor of biotech products in connection with the sale of the business to a global life sciences company.
Represented the U.S. arm of one of the world’s leading cosmetic companies in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of a U.S. company.
Read MoreCredit, Loan, and Project Financings
Represented a health care device manufacturer in a $40 million secured financing for the acquisition of product lines from a Fortune 50 manufacturer.
Represented a health care device manufacturer in a $75 million syndicated financing with secured credit facilities in the United States, the Far East, and Europe.
Represented a health care publishing and communications company in a $35 million syndicated secured term and revolving loan financing.
Read MoreVenture Capital and Strategic Investing
Represented venture arm of a Fortune 50 health care company in unwinding a joint venture.
Represented Korean company in connection with strategic equity investments in the U.S.
Represented an investment fund in connection with equity investments in private companies.
Read MoreCorporate Governance and Supply, Distribution, and Commercial Alliances
Represented an oil and gas exploration and production company in connection with international joint venture advice.
Represented a life science company in the resolution of disputes relating to a joint collaboration and development of a medical device product and the manufacture, production, and marketing of the product.
Represented a manufacturing company with various corporate matters and supply and distribution agreements.
Represented one of the world’s leading information companies in a commercial alliance with another information company resulting in a master distribution and license agreement for providing financial information to financial institutions and trading companies.
Read More
Super Lawyers once again named C&G co-founder Mark S. Cohen and partner Jonathan S. Abernethy to the Super Lawyers list of the Top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area.
Super Lawyers and Rising Stars are annual lists of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in each state are selected as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars.
The C&G lawyers recognized on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list are:
- Jonathan S. Abernethy, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Kwaku Andoh, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Luke Appling, Civil Litigation: Defense
- Elizabeth Bernhardt, Business Litigation
- Karen H. Bromberg, Intellectual Property
- Jason Brown, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Joanna K. Chan, Securities Litigation
- Mark S. Cohen, Business Litigation
- Gale Dick, Business Litigation
- Christian R. Everdell, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Robert J. Gavigan, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Lawrence T. Gresser, Business Litigation
- Oliver S. Haker, Business Litigation
- Johannes Jonas, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Nicholas J. Kaiser, Real Estate
- David F. Lisner, Business Litigation
- Ellen Paltiel, General Litigation
- Douglas J. Pepe, Business Litigation
- Matthew V. Povolny, Business Litigation
- Bonnie J. Roe, Securities & Corporate Finance
- Stephen M. Sinaiko, Business Litigation
- Mark Spatz, Civil Litigation: Defense
- Daniel H. Tabak, Business Litigation
- Scott D. Thomson, Business Litigation
- Alexandra Wald, Business Litigation
The C&G lawyers recognized on the New York Metro Rising Stars list are:
- Sharon L. Barbour, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Randall W. Bryer, Business Litigation
- Shannon A. Daugherty, Business Litigation
- Drew S. Dean, General Litigation
- Christine M. Jordan, General Litigation
- William Kalema, Business Litigation
- Phoebe King, Business Litigation
- Sri Kuehnlenz, Civil Litigation: Defense
- Marvin J. Lowenthal, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Barbara K. Luse, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Alexandra Theobald, Business Litigation
- Myia Williams, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Benjamin Zhu, General Litigation
Super Lawyers named C&G cofounder Mark S. Cohen one of the Top 10 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area. Partners Jonathan S. Abernethy and Karen H. Bromberg have also been named to the Super Lawyers list of the Top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area. Additionally, Karen has been recognized as one of the Top 50 women lawyers within the same region.
Super Lawyers and Rising Stars are annual lists of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in each state are selected as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars.
The C&G lawyers recognized on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list are:
- Jonathan S. Abernethy, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Kwaku Andoh, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Luke Appling, Civil Litigation: Defense
- Elizabeth Bernhardt, Business Litigation
- Colin C. Bridge, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Karen H. Bromberg, Intellectual Property
- Jason Brown, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Joanna K. Chan, Securities Litigation
- Mark S. Cohen, Business Litigation
- S. Gale Dick, Business Litigation
- Christian R. Everdell, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Robert J. Gavigan, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Lawrence T. Gresser, Business Litigation
- Oliver S. Haker, Business Litigation
- Johannes Jonas, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Nicholas J. Kaiser, Real Estate
- Jeffrey I. Lang, Civil Litigation: Defense
- David F. Lisner, Business Litigation
- Ellen Paltiel, General Litigation
- Douglas J. Pepe, Business Litigation
- Matthew V. Povolny, Business Litigation
- Nathaniel P. T. Read, Business Litigation
- Bonnie J. Roe, Securities & Corporate Finance
- Stephen M. Sinaiko, Business Litigation
- Mark Spatz, Civil Litigation: Defense
- C. Evan Stewart, Securities Litigation
- Daniel H. Tabak, Business Litigation
- Scott D. Thomson, Business Litigation
- Alexandra Wald, Business Litigation
The C&G lawyers recognized on the New York Metro Rising Stars list are:
- Sharon L. Barbour, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Randall W. Bryer, Business Litigation
- Shannon A. Daugherty, Business Litigation
- Drew S. Dean, General Litigation
- Jesse Greenwald, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Christine M. Jordan, General Litigation
- William Kalema, Business Litigation
- Sri Kuehnlenz, Civil Litigation: Defense
- Marvin J. Lowenthal, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Barbara K. Luse, Criminal Defense: White Collar
- Benjamin Zhu, General Litigation
Nature Planet was founded with a clear focus on building strong long-term relationships with its customers in the attractions industry, particularly focused on the zoo and aquarium segment. Today the company supplies more than 5,000 customers in Europe and the United States. The acquisition of Phillips International adds jewelry as a new product category, making Nature Planet a one-stop-shop for the attractions industry.
Cohen & Gresser served as counsel to our client Procuritas and its portfolio company Nature Planet on all aspects of the transaction. The Cohen & Gresser team was led by Daniel H. Mathias and Robert Gavigan, with assistance from associates Myia Williams and James Mossetto. C&G partners Karen Bromberg (Employment and Intellectual Property), Bonnie Roe (Corporate) and Nicholas J. Kaiser (Tax) provided additional deal support. The terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
Much of modern corporate governance law turns on the roles of independent directors, but determining who is an independent director is often a complicated task, with separate state law, regulatory, and exchange standards that have evolved over time. This article looks at key recent developments and provides a field guide for general counsel trying to understand what independence really means.
With the recent increase in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), it is prudent for counsel to conduct in depth due diligence when acquiring a foreign target. Their conduct may become your company’s FCPA liability.
A recent arbitration ruling which determined that Kraft Foods Group/Mondelez International Inc. must be paid more than $2.7 billion by Starbucks Coffee Company to conclude a lengthy breach of contract dispute, is a venti wake-up call to inside counsel negotiating long-term ventures, supply and distribution agreements, and other commercial and strategic alliances.
The SEC adopted amendments disqualifying private securities offerings involving felons and other “bad actors” from relying on the Rule 506 safe harbor exemption. The lesson learned here is to know who you are dealing with especially when it comes to large investors, brokers and even potential targets and acquirers. Questionnaires and other fact-checking exercises should now be part of the due diligence process.
The SEC is firming up their controversial proposal for new regulations under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which will require certain public companies to disclose the ratio between CEO compensation and the median pay of rank-and-file employees. Counsel to such companies are urged to advise clients on the potential backlash from investors, competition, and otherwise.
The choice of entity in which to conduct your business is significantly affected by tax considerations. This session provides a business and corporate law perspective on the various pass-through entities recommended for tax reasons by the preceding speakers by considering the non-tax issues in doing business as a sole proprietorship, “S” corporation, partnership or limited liability company.