Michael A. Witt
Partner
Duane Morris LLP
190 South LaSalle Street, Suite 3700
Chicago, IL 60603-3433
USA
Phone: +1 312 499 6716
Fax: +1 312 277 7104
Email: MAWitt@duanemorris.com

Michael A. Witt is a partner in the Corporate and Finance practice groups in the Chicago office. Mr. Witt has extensive experience representing banks and lending institutions in various financing transactions. He also has extensive experience representing business entities, private equity firms and individuals in various business and financing transactions, including the buying and selling of companies and acquisition financing arrangements.

Mr. Witt is an active member of the Benefits Committee of The Lungevity Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to finding a cure for lung cancer.

Mr. Witt is a 1995 graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was a member of the Loyola Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of Illinois. Mr. Witt also attended Queen Mary's College in London.

Areas of Practice

• Commercial Finance
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Corporate and Business Law
• Corporate Finance

Representative Matters

• Represented Partytime Productions, Inc. (PTP) in the acquisition of certain assets of its largest rival in the Middle West, HDO Productions, L.P. Assisted PTP in connection with a multi-tranche Small Business Association-guaranteed loan provided by Ridgestone Bank.
• Represented Dade Behring Inc. in connection with an approximately $500 million lease-receivables transaction with GE Capital
• Represented LaSalle Bank National Association on several loans to medical groups, hospitals and various nursing homes
• Represented Wells Fargo Foothill on three separate loan facilities to manufacturing entities aggregating to approximately $100 million of indebtedness
• Represented JPMorgan Chase Bank in connection with various loan facilities to manufacturing companies and an Iowa turkey cooperative
• Represented Fifth Third Bank in acquisition financing transactions
• Represented a private equity firm in connection with the purchase of the stock of a manufacturing business for a purchase price of approximately $25 million
• Represented the issuer in a $160 million Rule 144A senior note offering
• Represented a consortium of buyers in connection with a purchase of various wholesale floral companies throughout the United States and Canada
• Represented a high-tech startup company in its series of capital raises and a licensing arrangement with a Fortune 500 company and a private equity fund in its purchase of convertible preferred stock in a high tech company
• Represented an individual in connection with his purchase of an import business
• Represented Quotesmith.com in connection with its purchase of Life Quotes Inc.
• Represented a privately held golf company in connection with its sale to a public company
• Represented a purchaser of several trade publications throughout the United States and Canada
• Represented a subordinated lender in a $8 million loan to an Indian tribe in the state of Washington
• Represented an underwriter in connection with a $35 million bond offering
• Represented issuers in connection with a private placement of $100 million of debentures
• Worked as a member of the team of lawyers representing BT Commercial Corp. in its debtor-in-possession financings to Levitz Furniture and Venture Stores
• Worked as a member of the team of lawyers on the multibillion-dollar ComEd/PECO Energy and Nevada Power/Sierra Pacific Resources mergers
• Represented a syndicate of lenders on a $400-million term loan financing to fund a refinancing of a loan.
• Represented a national bank on a $60-million acquisition financing to fund the purchase of 11 skilled nursing homes in the state of Missouri.
• Represented a national bank on a $100-million acquisition financing to fund the purchase of eight assisted-living facilities in the state of Texas.
• Represented a national bank on a $30-million secured revolving loan facility to fund working capital needs of a group of skilled nursing homes in the state of Illinois.
• Represented a national bank as agent on a $160-million syndicated credit facility to refinance indebtedness to an agricultural company in the state of Iowa.
• Represented a public company on a $60-million revolving loan transaction used to finance working capital needs.
• Represented a nursing home as borrower on a $50-million term loan.
• Represented a Chicago-based factoring company on a $25-million factoring arrangement with a publicly traded wholesale company.
• Represented a foreign private issuer on a $100-million securities offering.
• Represented a seller of a $15-million family-owned business in the state of Montana.
• Represented a private equity fund on a $200-million purchase of a financial industry company.
• Represented a family-owned business in the restructuring of its corporate operations.
• Represented a privately held company on a $50-million software agreement with a trading company.
• Represented a foreign privately held company in establishing operations in the United States.
• Represented a public company in establishing form purchase-and-lease order documents.

Professional Activities

• The Chicago Bar Association
• American Bar Association
  - Negotiated Acquisitions Committee
• Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries
• Illinois State Bar Association

Admissions

• Illinois
• Supreme Court of Illinois

Education

• Loyola University School of Law, J.D., 1995
  Member, Loyola Law Journal
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.A., 1992

Experience

• Duane Morris LLP
  - Partner, 2005-present
  - Associate, 2000-2004
• Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Chicago, Illinois
  - Associate, 1995-2000

Civic and Charitable Activities

• The Lungevity Foundation
  - Benefits Committee

Selected Speaking Engagements

• Co-presenter, "Starting a New Business: Some Legal and Practical Tips," Chicago, Illinois, October 19, 2010
• Co-guest lecturer, Venture Capital Structural Matters, Villanova Law School, Villanova, Pennsylvania, , 2005-2010
• Lecturer, Villanova Law School's e-Business Class, March 2005