The corporate work at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is underpinned by the firm’s expertise in areas including tax, data security, IP and antitrust, allowing it to offer integrated advice on all aspects of buy- and sell-side M&A. The team handles transactional matters for a broad spread of clients, with the team notably active across deals in the media, financial services and software sectors. Thomas Poletti heads up the practice from Los Angeles and advises a range of clients on both stock and cash acquisitions as well as disposals; he is also very well-versed in SPAC work in the cannabis space. In Washington DC, ‘first-class lawyer’ Scott Schwartz wins plaudits for his work on the risk management aspects of M&A deals. Craig Miller, who is based in San Francisco, frequently leverages his expertise to lead transactions involving clients from the financial services sector. LA-based Veronica Lah is another name to note.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Scott Schwartz is a first-class lawyer with a wealth of experience - an expert in his field.'

  • 'Collectively or individually, the client wins. always pleasant; always up to speed. the client never has to guess. tremendous client service and even better communication skills.'

Key clients

  • American River Bankshares
  • Bertelsmann Printing Group
  • BMG Rights Management
  • CVB Financial Corp.
  • Digital Brands Group, Inc.
  • Eurostar
  • Friendly Hills Bank
  • Mann+Hummel
  • Tick42
  • Northern California National Bank
  • Porch Group, Inc.
  • QAD Inc.
  • Rouse Services
  • Valley National Bank

Work highlights

  • Represented Porch Group in its acquisition of Floify for a combination of $76.5m in cash and $10m in Porch Group common stock.
  • Represented QAD Inc. in its successful $2bn acquisition by leading software investment firm Thoma Bravo.
  • Represented +HUMMEL in its acquisition of Pamlico Air.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Thomas Poletti

Other key lawyers

Scott Schwartz, Craig Miller, Veronica Lah