Mr. O’Brien focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and joint venture transactions. For over 30 years, Mr. O’Brien has provided strategic counsel to clients including private equity firms and financial institutions on both public and private investment transactions. He has also represented public and private companies in domestic and international joint ventures, financing transactions and corporate and securities matters. His private equity experience ranges from advising clients on start-up capital investments strategies to large leveraged buyouts.
“We are excited to welcome Mike to our talented team of lawyers here in New York,” said Michael J. Schmidtberger, managing partner of Sidley’s New York office. “His extensive experience in all forms of M&A and private equity transactions will allow us immediately to further expand our offerings to clients engaging in these types of opportunities.”
“Mike is a talented M&A lawyer who brings a deep knowledge of how to navigate successfully some of the most highly complex transactions being done today, particularly in the mobile commerce space,” said Scott M. Freeman, member of Sidley’s Executive Committee and co-head of the firm’s M&A and Private Equity group. “He is a natural fit with our existing group of preeminent lawyers that make up our global practice.”
“In my estimation, there are few firms that have the breadth of resources Sidley makes available to its M&A and private equity clients,” said O’Brien. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to add further value to the services provided by its worldwide team.”
Mr. O’Brien is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, The New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He was also selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of corporate law (private funds).
With approximately 1,700 lawyers in 18 offices worldwide, Sidley has built a reputation as a premier legal advisor for global businesses and financial institutions. For the third consecutive year, Sidley received the most first-tier national rankings of any U.S. law firm in the 2013 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” survey, making it the only law firm to receive this recognition since the survey’s inception. Sidley was also named the U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Law Firm of the Year” in both Commercial Litigation and Securities/Capital Markets Law in the 2013 survey. On Law360’s list of Global 20 Firms, Sidley was ranked among the top 10 law firms with the greatest global reach and expertise.