John J. McDonald is an attorney and Partner in Davidoff, Hutcher & Citron’s Corporate & Securities Law practice in the firm’s New York City office.
John has over twenty years of experience counseling clients on the full range of corporate transactional matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions involving both private equity firms and strategic buyers and sellers, as well as venture capital and other financing transactions. His transactional experience includes both domestic and cross-border transactions across a broad range of industries and sectors. John also has substantial experience advising clients on private equity fund formation and fundraising processes, as well as advising LP investors making investments in private equity and other investment funds.
John also assists executives and other senior management team members with negotiating executive employment agreements and incentive equity arrangements.
Having formerly served as General Counsel and a FINRA-licensed (Series 79 and 82) investment banker at a boutique international investment banking firm, as well as Deputy General Counsel at a private equity firm, John’s knowledge of corporate transactions spans both legal and business aspects and he is particularly well-versed in the “hot button” issues and unique process aspects of transactions in which private equity and other investment firms are involved.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Mergers and Acquisitions – advised numerous publicly-traded and privately-held buyers and sellers, including private equity firms and their portfolio companies, in M&A transactions across a range of industries, both domestic and cross-border.
- Venture Capital Transactions – advised numerous venture capital firms and emerging growth companies in the full life cycle of venture capital financings, from friends and family, seed and angel stage investments to institutional preferred stock financings, including up-rounds, down-rounds and secondaries, as well as advising lenders and emerging growth companies in connection with “venture debt” financing transactions.
- Private Equity Fund Formation/Fundraising and LP Investments – advised numerous private equity sponsors across a broad range of investment strategies on fund formation and fundraising processes, as well as numerous LP investors making investments in private equity and other types of investment funds.
PRESENTATIONS
Active in the corporate law, private equity, and venture capital communities, John has taught continuing legal education (CLE) and continuing professional education (CPE) programs, both in-person and via online webinars, and at private equity and venture capital industry events. Some recent CLE/CPE programs include:
- Advanced Mergers & Acquisitions, American Management Association CPE/CLE Seminar
- Negotiating Private Equity M&A Key Deal Terms: Rollover Equity; Bolt-on, Tuck-in and Platform Acquisitions, Earnouts & More, Strafford Webinar/CLE Program
- Private Equity Fund Terms: Key Provisions for Fund Sponsors and LP Investors and the New ILPA Model Limited Partnership Agreement, Strafford Webinar/CLE Program
PUBLICATIONS
- Not Just Earnouts: Creative Ways to Bridge M&A Valuation Gaps, published in Law360
- Restructuring Your Way to a New Tomorrow: The Emerging Trend of “Stapled Secondary” Private Equity Fund Restructurings, published in Lexis-Nexis Practice Advisor
- The Crackdown on Private Equity Conflicts of Interest Regarding Fee and Expense Allocation Practices: Proactive Steps That Sponsors Can Take, published in Law360
- Actions That Private Equity Fund Representatives on Portfolio Company Boards Can Take To Help Avoid Liability, published in The Journal of Private Equity
- An In-House Counsel’s Guide to Raising Venture Capital, published in The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Docket Journal
- A Revolution In Renewable Energy Finance, published in Law 360
DESIGNATIONS
- FINRA Series 79 (Investment Banking Representative)
- FINRA Series 82 (Private Securities Offerings Representative)
Prior to joining the firm, he served as General Counsel and a FINRA-licensed (Series 79 and 82) investment banker at a boutique international investment banking firm, Deputy General Counsel at a private equity firm, and a Partner in the corporate and private equity groups at an international corporate law firm.
John received his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, where he was a member of the Editorial Board of The Tax Lawyer law journal. He received his B.S., magna cum laude, from Stony Brook University, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society. John enjoys reading biographies of business and political leaders, as well as travelling internationally, road and mountain biking, vintage watches and classic cars.