MICHAEL GORDON is co-managing partner of Sidley’s Miami office, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, and head of the Real Estate global practice group. He represents both buyers and sellers of public and private companies, as well as issuers, underwriters, and investors in a variety of offerings of common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities, and debt securities.
Michael maintains a substantial practice in mergers and acquisitions, working on domestic and global transactions for a variety of clients, including businesses, private equity firms, hedge funds, special board committees, and financial advisors. He has been involved in dozens of public company mergers, including the following, which were each valued at more than US$1 billion:
- Multiple transactions for Starwood Capital and Starwood Property Trust, Inc., including: Starwood’s US$350 million investment in TPG RE Finance Trust; Starwood’s acquisition of Reverse Mortgage Investment Trust; combination of Starwood Waypoint Homes and Invitation Homes Inc. and combination of Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust and Colony American Homes Inc.; Starwood’s acquisition of GE’s Energy Financial Services’ Project Finance Debt Business; Starwood’s acquisition of LNR Property LLC; Starwood’s acquisition of Waypoint Homes and spinoff of Starwood Waypoint Trust; formation and initial public offering of TRI Pointe Homes; and the merger of TRI Pointe Homes with Weyerhaeuser Real Estate.
- Multiple transactions for Colliers International Group, including acquisitions of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, Basalt Infrastructure Partners, Rockwood Capital, Versus Capital, Dougherty Mortgage, and Maser Consulting.
- Numerous unsolicited tender offers and proxy contests, including: FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated, Elan Corporation PLC, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., CNET Networks, Inc., NRG Energy, Inc., and TomoTherapy Incorporated.
- Multiple transactions for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, including: Starwood’s acquisition of ITT Corporation, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Vistana Inc., and Bliss Spas; Starwood’s sale of ITT Educational Services, ITT World Directories, Caesars World Casinos, and the Desert Inn Casino; sale of significant portfolio of hotels and ITT Corporation to Host Marriott Corporation; and issuance of more than US$10 billion in debt and equity securities.
- Multiple transactions for First Data Corp., including: First Data’s acquisitions of Concord EFS, Inc., First Financial Management Corporation and Cardservice International and Orlandi Valuta; and sales of Money Gram and Transpoint LLC.
Strong leadership in advising clients has earned Michael acknowledgment in numerous industry publications, including the “Top 50 M&A Lawyers for 2018” list by The Deal. He has been recognized in each edition of LMG Life Sciences since 2016 as a “Life Sciences Star,” most recently in the categories of Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Venture Capital. Michael has been featured in Chambers USA, Law360, AMLaw Daily, REIT magazine, The Legal 500 US, and, based on a vote of peers, recognized in Super Lawyers magazine in the area of Mergers & Acquisitions. His practice has also been highlighted in articles in The American Lawyer, the Chicago Tribune, and Bloomberg. Michael was also named a “BTI Client Service All-Star” for 2015 and 2016 based on a survey of corporate counsel from more than 250 Fortune 1000 companies by BTI Consulting Group.
Michael’s work also features international transactions, with particular emphasis on cross-border merger and acquisition, joint venture and investment transactions involving China. Working closely with Sidley’s offices in China, he represents both financial and strategic investors in connection with investments in Chinese and other Asian companies.