Minnesota Lawyer Recognizes Faegre Drinker Partners in ‘The POWER 30: Mergers & Acquisitions 2024’

Minnesota Lawyer selected three Faegre Drinker partners — Morgan Burns, Randy Kahnke and Michael Stewart — as “The POWER 30: Mergers & Acquisitions 2024” honorees. The award highlights those whose mere presence on a case signifies the stakes, who have influenced the direction of the law, whose leadership in the community is pervasive and whose respect within the bar is undeniable.

To create the list of honorees, the publication interviewed respected attorneys and other leaders around the state, reviewed outcomes of significant cases handled by these and other attorneys and consulted its archives to highlight people whose achievements and influence are recognized as powerful attorneys in Minnesota.

Burns explained that M&A is a relationship business. Even though the amount of money in play may be enormous, it’s not only the money that is important; it’s being trusted with a transformational event in the client’s life, he said. “Clients need someone who is going to take it very seriously but not be paralyzed by it — fearless but not careless.” Read Burns’ profile.

The publication emphasized how the deal-making process can be disruptive to both buyers and sellers, particularly when it comes to protecting trade secrets. “It’s one of the biggest issues that comes up when deals fall apart,” Kahnke said. He also discussed due diligence and the ethical wall around confidential information. Read Kahnke’s profile.

Minnesota Lawyer noted that sometimes a company is for sale because it’s distressed, which means it is facing severe challenges to ongoing business transactions. “Companies have a lot of options. One of them is to go through a sale process,” Stewart said, in addition to other options, such as receivership or bankruptcy. Read Stewart’s profile.

See the full list of “The POWER 30: Mergers & Acquisitions 2024.” The full article is available for Minnesota Lawyer subscribers.