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Lester J. Fagen is a member of the Cooley Business department, and concentrates his practice in the representation of private equity and venture capital investors and the representation of emerging and growth businesses in a variety of industries, including life sciences, software, IT, medical device and other technologies. He joined the Firm in 2007 and helped open Cooley's Boston office.
Mr. Fagen has more than 27 years experience serving as corporate counsel and providing representation in business formations, acquisitions and dispositions, reorganizations, financings and securities offerings. Mr. Fagen's principal role for these companies is to serve as outside general counsel coordinating their legal and transactional needs as they progress from formation to exit. He also has substantial experience in technology joint ventures, licensing and other commercial ventures.
Mr. Fagen's current practice involves the representation of private equity and venture capital funds in their investment and acquisition activities. In this capacity he has completed numerous private financings, including common stock, preferred stock and convertible debt financings employing a wide range of transaction structures. Mr. Fagen's merger and acquisition activities on behalf of these clients have included private to private, private to public and "going private" transactions, including numerous leveraged transactions involving senior and subordinated debt. Mr. Fagen also serves as general and transaction counsel to portfolio companies of private equity and venture capital funds.
Select mergers and acquisition transactions Mr. Fagen has completed include:
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The sale for $250 million of a software company to a Fortune 100 technology company - counsel to the company
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The sale for $700 million of a biotech company to a major pharmaceutical company in an all cash transaction- counsel to management
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The sale for $400 million of a private equity backed telecommunications company to a public company in a stock-for-stock merger – counsel to the company
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The acquisition and sale in a leveraged acquisition for $250 million of a provider of proprietary research and market data for the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology markets – counsel to private equity firms and the company
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The sale for $300 million to a private equity firm of royalty rights relating to a pharmaceutical license – counsel to academic medical center as seller
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The going private acquisition of a publicly held specialty retail company that was named "Going Private Transaction of the Year" by Buyouts Magazine – counsel to private equity firms.
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Acquisition of an online social media and marketing company – counsel to private equity firms
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Representation of a US biotechnology company in connection with a cross-border merger with a European biotechnology company – counsel to acquirer
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The sale of a venture-backed telecommunications software company in connection with a stock-for-stock merger with a leading publicly-held French telecommunications company - counsel to the company
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Representation of a venture-backed hardware company in connection with a complex cross-border acquisition by a Danish scanning technology company
Prior to joining Cooley, Mr. Fagen was a director and a member of the executive committee of Goulston & Storrs.
Mr. Fagen is recognized as a leader in both corporate/M&A and private equity in Chambers USA 2007, 2008 and 2009, and in venture capital law in Best Lawyers in America in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. He has been named by Boston Magazine as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer for five years, and was also designated as one of the 100 leading lawyers in Massachusetts. In 2007, he was named as one of the Law Dragon 500 Leading Dealmakers. Mr. Fagen frequently presents on private equity and technology related subjects.
Education- Columbia University School of Law
JD, 1982, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar - Amherst College
BA, 1976, magna cum laude
Admissions
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