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Image: Steve L. Camahort

Steve L. Camahort

Partner, Corporate Department

Overview

Steve Camahort is Chair of the Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice and a partner in the Private Equity practice. He is also the Office Chair of the firm’s San Francisco office. Steve has extensive experience in M&A and related corporate governance issues. He has worked for corporate clients, private equity funds, and financial advisors in negotiated and hostile transactions, with a particular emphasis on the technology and life science sectors. In the 2020 edition of Chambers Global, one source described him as “a solution finder and very knowledgeable on this issues” and another client praised him for his “excellent judgment in applying the law to specific situations.”

Recognitions

  • IFLR1000, Notable Practitioner (2023)
  • The Legal 500 USA, M&A: Large Deals $1Bn+ (2022-2023)
  • The Legal 500 USA, Private Equity Buyouts (2023)
  • Chambers Global USA Corporate/M&A (2023)
  • Chambers Global USA Corporate/M&A, International & Cross-Border (2022)
  • Steve has been cited in numerous guides to leading M&A practitioners, such as Chambers Global Guide to The World’s Leading Lawyers, the Best Lawyers in America (including as 2018 and 2014 Lawyer of the Year (M&A - San Francisco)), the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers, Northern California Super Lawyers magazine, The International Who’s Who of Mergers & Acquisition Lawyers, The Legal Media Group Guide to the World’s Leading M&A Lawyers, the PLC Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions Handbook, and Who’s Who Legal – California

Education

  • University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 1989
  • Cornell University, M.S. Physics, 1986
  • University of California, Santa Barbara, B.S. Physics (with high honors), 1983 

Representations

Corporate Clients

  • AdTheorent and FiscalNote in deSPAC transactions
  • DeepMind Technologies in its sale to Google
  • Ericsson in numerous transactions including its proposed acquisition of CradlePoint
  • Integrated DNA Technologies in its sale to Danaher
  • Keysight Technologies in numerous transactions including its acquisitions of Eggplant Software, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, and Sanjole.
  • LXP Industrial Trust in its successful defense against a proxy fight and unsolicited acquisition proposal by Land & Buildings Investment Management
  • Masimo in its acquisition of Sound United, a portfolio company of Charlesbank
  • Mitek Systems  in connection with a public unsolicited proposal from ASG Technologies Group, a portfolio company of Elliot Management, and associated shareholder activism by Elliott
  • Salesforce.com in numerous transactions, including its acquisition of Demandware and its proposed acquisition of LinkedIn
  • Sirna Therapeutics in its sale to Merck
  • Trend Micro in its acquisitions of HP’s Tipping Point business and Cloud Conformity
  • US Well Services (special committee) in its proposed sale to ProFrac Holding
  • Vicuron  Pharmaceuticals in its sale to Pfizer
  • Vontier in connection with its investment in Tritium Holdings and Tritium’s deSPAC transaction with Decarbonization Plus Acquisiton Corp II

Private Equity Clients

  • STG Partners in numerous transactions including acquisitions of Avid Technology, McAfee’s Enterprise business, FireEye’s Product business and MSC Software; and dispositions of First Advantage to Silver Lake, Capco to FIS, MSC to Hexagon AB and Symphony Teleca to Harman International.
  • Vector Capital in numerous transactions including acquisitions of Aspect Software, Saba Software, RAE Systems and ChyronHego; and dispositions of Saba Software to Cornerstone OnDemand, Teletrac to Danaher and RAE Systems to Honeywell.
  • Francisco Partners in numerous transactions including take-privates of LogMeIn and FrontRange Limited.

Investment Banking Clients

  • Goldman Sachs, Qatalyst Partners and other leading investment banks in numerous transactions including Qualcomm’s successful defense against the Broadcom’s hostile takeover proposal and proxy fight, Salesforce/Slack and HP in its successful defense against Xerox’s hostile acquisition proposal.

news

    Practice Areas

    Mergers and Acquisitions

    Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense

    Private Equity

    Corporate

    Technology

    Life Sciences and Healthcare


    Languages

    English


    Admissions

    California Bar

    New York Bar


    Education

    University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, J.D. 1989

    Cornell University, M.S. 1986

    University of California, Santa Barbara, B.S. 1983


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