Mary C. Niehaus

The numerous M&A transactions, and corresponding employee benefits transition issues following such transactions, in which Mary has been involved include:

• Representation of RelaDyne LLC, a portfolio company of American Industrial Partners, in its acquisition of Sun Coast Resources, Inc. 
• Representation of First Data Corporation in its US$29 billion sale to KKR, First Data’s US$18 billion spinoff of The Western Union Company and its acquisitions of Concord EFS, Inc. and First Financial Management Corporation;
• Representation of Bohai Leasing Co., Ltd. in its US$7.6 billion acquisition of Avalon Holdings Limited;
• Ingredion Incorporated’s US$1.3 billion acquisition of National Starch  and Ingredion’s US$340 million acquisition of publicly traded Penford Corporation;
• Representation of R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company in connection with its US$7.1 billion corporate spinoffs of its publishing and retail-centric print services and office products business, LSC Communications, Inc., and its financial communications and data service business, Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.; 
• R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company’s merger with Moore Wallace Incorporated and a number of other transactions for R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company, including its US$240 million acquisition of publicly traded Courier Corporation, its acquisition of Helium, Inc., its US$122 million acquisition of Pro Line Printing, Inc. and its US$122 million acquisition of Cardinal Brands, Inc.;
• Sale of GE SeaCo. to HNA Group;
• Sale by Glencore of Dakota Growers Pasta Company to Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: “POST”) in a transaction valued at US$370 million;
• Viterra Inc.’s acquisition of Dakota Growers, Inc. and 21C Holdings, L.P.;
• Publicly traded Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. in its US$450 million sale to Fosun International;
• Brunswick Corporation in connection with the US$270 million sale of its North American retail bowling center business to Bowlmor AMF;
• Representation of Deutsche Bank in its US$1 billion reorganization of Station Casinos;
• Represented Churchill Downs, Inc. in the sale of its mobile gaming subsidiary, Big Fish Games, Inc., to Aristocrat Leisure Limited in a transaction valued at US$990 million;
• Churchill Downs Incorporated’s acquisition of Big Fish Games, Inc., Oxford Casino, Riverwalk Casino and Hotel, Harlow’s Casino Resort, and Youbet.com;
• Representation of Discover in its US$15 billion spinoff from Morgan Stanley;
• Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc.’s merger with Misys Healthcare Systems;
• Several transactions for Hillshire Brands Company (formerly Sara Lee), including its sale of its U.S. Fresh Bakery Business, its sale of its Spanish Fresh Bakery Business, its acquisition of Aidells Sausage Company, and the sale of its US$550 million sale of its international Direct Selling Business;
• Numerous divestitures and acquisitions by Baxter International, including the spinoffs of Allegiance Healthcare and Edwards Lifesciences, and the sale of Baxter’s commercial vaccines business to Pfizer; and
• AT&T’s spinoff of Lucent and its takeover of NCR Corporation.

Mary has lectured on numerous topics and has authored numerous articles relating to employee benefits, including employee benefits in mergers and acquisitions, multiemployer plans, governmental audits, ERISA’s 404(c) regulations, tax-qualified plan rollover rules, and correction of plan defects under the Internal Revenue Service Voluntary Compliance Program. She also has been a guest lecturer on various topics at Northwestern University Law School.

Mary serves on the firm’s Recruiting Committee and Professional Risk Management Committee. She is a Pension Trustee for the Pension Trust of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She also is a member of the Women’s Board of the Field Museum of Chicago and the Costume Committee of the Chicago History Museum. She has been selected to serve on Law360’s Benefits Editorial Advisory Board.

In addition, she has served in leadership positions in:

• The Economic Club of Chicago
• The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• The English Speaking Union (Chicago Branch)
• The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• International Women Associates
• Chicago Community Trust Young Leaders Forum and Fund