Van M. Jolas

Van Jolas has 35 years of experience in a wide range of corporate, transaction, finance, commercial and advisory matters, including:

• Mergers
• Stock and asset acquisitions and divestitures
• Public and private securities offerings
• Securities law reporting and compliance
• Corporate governance
• Corporate planning
• Business organization formations and restructurings
• Business and commercial contractual arrangements
• Antitrust counseling
• General corporate matters

He represents public and private companies engaged in the media, energy, building products, manufacturing, finance, services and technology industries.

In addition to his significant transactional, commercial and general corporate experience, Van also advises clients on the antitrust implications of proposed transactions and other business activities, including compliance and reporting under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, and provides consultation, analysis and advice regarding the antitrust implications of various business arrangements and relationships.

Van’s experience includes the representation of:

Public Companies

• A publicly traded Delaware corporation in consummating a reincorporation merger to become a publicly traded Texas corporation
• A publicly traded company in consummating a spin-off transaction of one of its wholly owned subsidiaries as a separate publicly traded corporation
• Several public companies in the preparation and filing of registration statements for their employee benefit plans, stock purchase plans and dividend reinvestment plans

Media

• Publicly traded broadcast television companies in multiple acquisitions and divestitures of broadcast television stations
• Newspaper publishing companies in multiple acquisitions and divestitures of newspaper publications
• A media company in its acquisition of several digital media companies
• A consortium of eight newspaper companies in the creation of a national advertising platform in the 30 largest designated market areas of the United States
• A video game development company in connection with its capital restructuring
• Assisted a video game development company in its sale to a publicly traded video game development company

Energy

• A publicly traded midstream company in its acquisition of another midstream company for approximately $1.5 billion
• Lucid Energy Group II, LLC, in the purchase of certain assets of Agave Energy Company and the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Agave Energy Holdings, Inc.
• An oil and gas production company in its $300 million acquisition of equity interests of two subsidiaries of BHP Billiton Ltd.
• An oil and gas company in its acquisition of offshore producing oil and gas leases and wells located in the Gulf of Mexico
• A publicly traded midstream company in the establishment of a joint venture arrangement to build and operate a 52-mile gas gathering pipeline
• A publicly traded midstream company in its acquisition of all of the membership interests of another midstream company
• A publicly traded midstream company in the sale of a gas gathering system and related processing facilities
• A chemical manufacturing client in its acquisition of the assets of a company that designs, develops and manufactures specialty chemicals and polymers for oil and gas exploration companies
• A private equity-backed proppant manufacturing company in the sale of all of its membership interests to another proppant company
• A private equity-based proppant manufacturing company in the sale of a newly constructed manufacturing and production facility
• An oilfield services company in the sale of its intellectual property rights

Other Transactions

• A private equity-backed building products company in multiple acquisitions preceding its initial public offering
• A health care company in the formation of a joint venture with a major hospital group
• A health care company in several acquisitions of, and investments in, technology and software development companies
• A sunglasses distribution and marketing company in the sale of its U.S. and foreign businesses
• A private investor in consummating more than 25 equity investment transactions in multifamily housing properties located throughout the United States
• An agricultural client in the acquisition of cattle feedyards
• A publicly held company in the acquisition of a minority interest in a privately held technology company

Recent Second HSR Requests

• A privately held natural gas pipeline company in the entry into a consent agreement and settlement of an investigation brought by the FTC challenging the non-compete provision contained in the acquisition agreement
• A privately held retail fuel station and convenience store company in the entry into a consent agreement and settlement of an investigation brought by the FTC challenging the sale of its business, resulting in the required divestiture of two retail fuel locations