Thompson Hine LLP is a midwestern firm whose work is dominated by M&A transactions for small-to-medium sized public companies, start-ups, and investment managers. Team head Frank Chaiken splits his time between Chicago and Cincinnati and assists with a diverse range of corporate transactions, with a notable penchant for advising on foreign direct investment into the US. William Henry is based in Cleveland, where he advises private equity firms and Fortune 1000 companies on mergers and acquisitions as well as on commercial contracts and governance matters. Also in Cleveland is Tony Kuhel, who is noted for his ability to advise major corporate clients such as The Home Depot on corporate takeovers. Emma Off departed the firm in December 2023.

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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team knows our business practices and appetite for risk better than any other.' 

  • 'The attorneys are detail-oriented, thoughtful and very responsive.’

  • ‘Tony Kuhel is highly intelligent and works easily with different levels of our employees.’

Key clients

  • Hillenbrand
  • IMEG
  • PharMerica
  • Gorilla Glue
  • GE Aerospace
  • Emmi Group
  • Buckeye Power
  • The Home Depot
  • Crown Equipment Corporation

Work highlights

  • Advised The Home Depot on its acquisition of Home Express Delivery Service.
  • Advised Designer Brands on its acquisition of Keds.
  • Advised ProMach and its management team in connection with an investment from BDT Capital Partners and a reinvestment by Leonard Green & Partners.

Lawyers

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Frank is a partner in the firm and leads Thompson Hine’s Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group, which comprises the firm’s practices in the areas of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Securities, Investment Management and Funds, Venture Capital, Contracting and General Corporate. He focuses his practice on private M&A, on both the buy and sell sides, including transactions for private and private equity-backed companies and their sponsors; cross-border transactions (in-bound and out-bound); and corporate restructurings. Frank provides general counsel and trusted adviser services to clients and their senior management.
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Thompson Hine LLP
Will is a partner in the Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group. He focuses his practice in the following areas: Mergers and acquisitions, principally in the middle-market space; Private equity, including add-on acquisitions and exits; Commercial contract drafting and associated counseling; and Corporate organization and general governance matters. Will has extensive experience in middle-market M&A transactions, having negotiated and closed transactions ranging in value from less than $1 million to over $500 million, with an aggregate value exceeding $3 billion over his career. His clients include private equity firms as well as privately-held and publicly-held Fortune 1000 companies. With regard to corporate drafting and counseling, in addition to working on transactions, Will has assisted clients in the drafting and negotiation of complex commercial agreements, ranging from purchase and supply agreements to complex long-term partnership and joint venture agreements. He also advises on day-to-day corporate governance matters, including employment agreements, consulting agreements and separation agreements. Recently, he completed a secondment at a division of a Fortune 10 company.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Frank Chaiken

Other key lawyers

William Henry, Tony Kuhel