Gregory V. Gooding is a corporate partner and member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other transactions for financial institutions, private equity funds and other domestic and international clients. Mr. Gooding also has extensive experience in securities offerings, restructurings and special committee assignments.
He is recognized for M&A by The Legal 500 US (2018). In previous editions of the guide he is lauded by clients for being “extremely responsive, diligent and business savvy.” Mr. Gooding is ranked as a leading M&A lawyer in Latin America by Chambers USA (2018), Chambers Latin America (2018) and Chambers Global (2019), where sources have noted he “stands out for his hands-on approach to a deal.”
In previous editions of the guide he is noted for being “very well versed in everything cutting-edge,” “pragmatic, with his eye on the ball in terms of getting the deal done,” and “[h]e really knows what is commercial and what will fly in the market.” Mr. Gooding is also recognized by Latin Lawyer 250 (2017) for his high profile in Latin America.
Mr. Gooding is the author or co-author of numerous articles, including “US And UK Share Purchase Agreements: Comparing Approaches,” Practical Law (2015), “Getting to an Answer in In Re Answers,” Private Funds Management (2014), “How Sell Side Advisors Can Reduce Litigation Risk in Light of Delaware’s Rural/Metro Decision,” Journal of Investment Compliance (2014), “The Liquidity Crunch (This Year’s Model): Recent Delaware Cases Involving Controlling Stockholders,” The M&A Lawyer (2012), and “Yes Virginia, You Really Can Waive Fraud Claims,” Private Equity Manager (2012).
He is also a contributing author of the Debevoise & Plimpton Financial Institutions Report, the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report and The Private Equity Primer: The Best of the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report.
Mr. Gooding joined Debevoise in 1988 and became a partner in 1996. He was resident in the firm’s Hong Kong office from its opening in 1994 until 1998. Mr. Gooding received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1987, where he was managing editor of the Journal of International Law, and his A.B. from Kenyon College in 1983. Prior to joining the firm, he served as law clerk to the Hon. Robert Hill, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Experience:
- Citizens Financial Group in its agreement to purchase certain assets of Bowstring
- Advisors, an Atlanta-based merger and acquisition advisory firm.
- Atlas Merchant Capital in its investment in Ascensus, the largest independent recordkeeping services provider, third-party administrator, and government savings facilitator in the United States.
- Canaccord Genuity Group on its acquisition of Petsky Prunier, a preeminent boutique M&A advisory firm.
- Japan Post Holdings in its purchase of a strategic stake of approximately 7% of outstanding common shares of Aflac.
- Quarton International in its sale to Cowen.
- Citizens Financial in its acquisition of Clarfeld Financial Advisors.
- CVC Capital Partners in its investment in Republic Finance, a consumer loan provider.
- Morgan Stanley as financial advisor to Assurant in its $2.5 billion acquisition of The Warranty Group.
- Pacific Life and Aviation Capital Group in the minority investment by Tokyo Century in Aviation Capital Group, a transaction which won the Airline Economics Aviation 100 “2017 Overall Equity Deal of the Year” award.
- Apex Fund Services in its sale to Genstar Capital, a leading middle-market private equity firm.
- Adveq in its sale to Schroders.
- Empowerment Ventures and its wholly-owned subsidiary UniRush, a pioneer in the development of reloadable prepaid debit cards, in the sale of UniRush to Green Dot.
- The Carlyle Group and Conifer management in the sale of Conifer Financial Services to SS&C Technologies.
- Capital Group in a significant equity investment in Koba International, which owns and operates the D1 brand of hard-discount retail stores in Colombia.
- Capital Group in its 457 million reais ($142 million) investment in BK Brasil Operação e Assessoria a Restaurantes, which operates the Burger King.
- American Coastal Insurance Company and its parent, RDX Holding Corp., in its merger with United Insurance Holdings Corp.
- Apollo Global Management in a significant equity investment in Genco Shipping & Trading.
- Eaton Partners in its sale to Stifel Financial.
- J.C. Flowers and Ascensus in the sale of Ascensus to Genstar Capital and Aquiline Capital Partners.
- Conifer Financial Services in the sale of Conifer Securities, its broker-dealer division, to Cowen Group.
- Apollo Global Management in its acquisition of a majority interest in the asset management business of AR Capital (subsequently withdrawn), its acquisition of the wholesale distribution business of RCS Capital and its substantial minority equity investment in RCS Capital.
- Atlas Merchant Capital in its preferred stock investment in South Street Securities.
- Perella Weinberg Partners as a financial advisor to Willis Group in its $18 billion merger with Towers Watson.
- AmRisc management in its purchase of American Coastal Insurance Company from BB&T, and its sale of a majority interest in AmRisc, a managing general agency, to BB&T.
- J.C. Flowers in its acquisition of AmeriLife Group.
- The D. E. Shaw Group, a global investment and technology development firm, in the sale of a 20% equity interest in the management companies of The D. E. Shaw Group previously owned by Lehman Brothers to an entity managed by Hillspire, the family office that serves as the investment vehicle for Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and his family.
- Pediatric Services Holding Corporation, the parent of Pediatric Services of America, in its sale to J.H. Whitney Capital Partners.
- Northwestern Mutual in its $2.7 billion sale of Russell Investments to the London Stock Exchange Group.
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in the formation of a joint venture with Aircastle to invest in leased aircraft.
- Investors in settling on favorable terms a dispute arising out of a subscription agreement with a leading Chilean financial services company.
- Capital International and Acon Investments in their acquisition of Vetra Energia, S.L., an oil and gas exploration and development company operating primarily in Colombia.
- Markel Corporation in its $3.13 billion acquisition of Alterra Capital Holdings, a listed Bermuda reinsurer.
- Miller Buckfire in its sale to Stifel Financial.
- Senior management of The TCW Group, a leading diversified asset management company, in the acquisition of The TCW Group by management and private equity funds sponsored by The Carlyle Group.
- The Principal Financial Group in its acquisition of AFP Cuprum S.A., a pension manager in Chile.
- J.C. Flowers and Crump Group in the sale of the life and property and casualty insurance divisions of Crump to BB&T Corporation.
- International Lease Finance Corporation in its $228 million acquisition of AeroTurbine from AerCap.
- Capital Group in a significant minority investment in Constellation Overseas, the oil services subsidiary of the Queiroz Galvão Group.
- Capital Group, PineBridge and the International Finance Corporation in the $442 million indirect sale of their 39% stake in Jumbo Retail Argentina to Cencosud.
- iPayment in its 2011 recapitalization, including the redemption of the outstanding equity interest of its majority shareholder.
- The Carlyle Group in its acquisition of a majority interest in CVC Brasil Operadora e Agência de Viagens S.A., the largest tour operator in Latin America.
- Capital Group in its investment in Grupo IBMEC Educacional.
- American International Group in the sale of its investment advisory and asset management business to Pacific Century Group.
- J.C. Flowers in Shinsei Bank’s proposed, later terminated, $5.9 billion merger with Aozora Bank.
- Liberty Mutual in its $6.2 billion acquisition of Safeco Corporation.
- J.C. Flowers in its role as financial adviser to Bank of America in its agreement to acquire Merrill Lynch in a $50 billion all-stock transaction.
- AXA Group in its $1.5 billion acquisition of ING Seguros, the Mexican insurance subsidiary of ING Groep.
- J.C. Flowers in its investment in MF Global.
- NLMK in its proposed $3.53 billion acquisition of the John Maneely Company from The Carlyle Group.
- A consortium led by Capital Group in the establishment of Arcos Dorados and the related acquisition of all of the Latin American and Caribbean operations of McDonald’s.
- Liberty Mutual in its $2.7 billion acquisition of Ohio Casualty Group.
- A consortium led by Salford Capital Partners in the acquisition of Metromedia International Group.
- J.C. Flowers in its acquisition of the Retirement and Insurance Services Divisions of The Bisys Group.
- ThinkEquity Partners in its sale to UK broker Panmure Gordon & Co.
Education:
- Yale Law School, 1987, J.D.
- Kenyon College, 1983, A.B.
Bar Admissions:
- New York
Cost
Rate : $$$
