Mr Stephen Besen > A&O Shearman > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

A&O Shearman Offices

A&O Shearman
599 LEXINGTON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10022-6069
NEW YORK
United States
Visit website 1 212 848 4000 1 212 848 7179

Mr Stephen Besen

Stephen Besen photo
+1 212 610 6364 stephen.besen@aoshearman.com View profile View profile

Work Department

M&A

Position

Partner

Career

Clients rely on his broad-based experience in structuring and negotiating acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures, as well as advising on general corporate legal matters.

Stephen has been recognized as one of the leading lawyers in corporate/M&A and private equity by Chambers USA and Legal 500. In 2022, Legal 500 said that “Stephen Besen is highly engaged and always readily available (even when taking into account the time differences). He combines an in-depth knowledge with excellent communication and negotiation skills and is able to remain his calm under stressful circumstances. He runs his team as a tight ship and makes sure there is appropriate (but not over the top) resourcing for our files, with equally capable other partners (tax, IP) and associates. Stephen is a real pleasure to work with, also from a personal perspective.” In 2008, Stephen was named “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer for his role advising SABIC on the $11.6 billion acquisition of GE Plastics.

Stephen regularly represents industrial/infrastructure clients, asset management firms and financial institutions both domestically and internationally.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)

Deploying a ‘commercial approach to negotiating transactions’, A&O Shearman has vast experience handling take-private acquisitions, complicated joint ventures, and cross-border M&A. Boasting an array of corporate specialists in the healthcare, tech, and finance sectors, the firm frequently acts on behalf of major domestic and international companies, with New York-based practice heads Scott Petepiece and Daniel Litowitz regularly providing ‘consistent top-tier advice’ when managing spin-offs, consortium investments, and stock mergers. Also in New York, Clare O’Brien is an expert on public company restructurings, while Creighton Condon is knowledgeable on shareholder activism. From Menlo Park, Daniel Mitz concentrates on representing global tech corporations. Former Global Managing Partner George Casey left the firm in January 2024. Following the recent merger between A&O Shearman and Allen & Overy LLP, the ‘hardworking, approachable’ team now has added expertise across the finance, tech, and energy sectors, regularly handling multi-jurisdictional acquisitions as well as sales of equity interests. Based in New York, Bill Schwitter chairs the corporate team and brings extensive experience managing securities issues and financing arrangements to the practice, while Kfir Abutbul is an expert on restructurings and workouts. The ‘very smart and experienced’ Stephen Besen focuses on joint ventures, Dario de Martino is knowledgeable on tender offers and divestitures, and Romain Dambre concentrates on carve-outs.

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Top Tier Firm Rankings

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