Sheppard Mullin Adds Corporate Partner

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2015 — Jeffrey L. Kateman has joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the firm's Corporate practice group and co-leader of the firm’s Private Equity team, based in the firm's Century City office. 
Kateman joins from Latham & Watkins. 
 
"Jeff is a very well-known and highly regarded Los Angeles dealmaker and part of our ongoing strategic goal to continue building our private equity capabilities.  His transactional practice mix is both complementary and supplementary to our existing capabilities.  We are very pleased to welcome Jeff to the firm," said Jon W. Newby, vice chairman of Sheppard Mullin. 
 
"I am thrilled to join Sheppard Mullin.  The firm’s commitment to building and sustaining its strong corporate practice in Los Angeles, combined with the opportunity to help expand its private equity practice, were very attractive to me.  I was also impressed by the firm’s entrepreneurial culture and robust Century City office," Kateman commented. 
 
Kateman's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, both in the US and globally, the representation of private equity firms in leveraged acquisitions of privately held and public companies and general corporate matters including corporate governance and takeover defense.  He has also represented special committees of boards of directors, bidders and financial advisors in going-private and other conflict of interest transactions.  Kateman has been involved in acquisitions and dispositions in a broad range of industries, including cleantech, education, entertainment and media, health and medical devices, internet and technology, laser and fiber optics, pharmaceutical, retail and consumer products, and sports.
 
Kateman’s recent representative matters include:
· Houlihan Lokey, Inc. in its Initial Public Offering and related transactions
· Avery Dennison Corp. in the sale of its office and consumer products and designed and engineered solutions groups to CCL Industries, Inc.
· Black Canyon Capital and ClearLight Partners in the sale of TASI Holdings, Inc. to Berwind
· ClearLight Partners in various mergers & acquisitions transactions, including the acquisition of Walker Advertising, Inc. 
· Norwest Equity Partners in various mergers & acquisitions transactions, including the sale of CVI Melles Griot to IDEX Corporation and the acquisition of Pentech Holdings, Inc.  
· Video Equipment Rentals in its sale to an affiliate of Catterton Partners
· Sonova Holding AG in the acquisition of Advanced Bionics Corporation and of InSound Medical  
 
Kateman received a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1992 and a B.A. from Columbia University in 1989. 
 
Sheppard Mullin has 230 attorneys based in Los Angeles (170 Downtown and 60 Century City).  The firm’s Corporate practice group includes 150 attorneys firmwide.
 
Kateman is the ninth Corporate partner to join Sheppard Mullin in 2015.  Last month, Corporate partner Craig Mordock joined Sheppard Mullin in the firm's Orange County office from Jones Day.  In July, Sheppard Mullin added Corporate partners Joe Daniels and Johneth Park.  Daniels joined the firm’s New York office from Loeb & Loeb and Park joined in Seoul from Simpson Thacher.  In June, the firm added Corporate partners Steve Chananie and Hwan Kim.  Chananie joined the firm’s New York office from Garfunkel Wild and Kim joined in Washington, D.C. from Squire Patton Boggs.  In April, Corporate partners Mike McKinnon in Orange County and Adam Ettinger in Century City joined from Greenberg Traurig and Strategic Counsel Corp., respectively.  In March, the firm added Corporate partner Andy Felner in New York.  Felner joined Sheppard Mullin from FDX Capital LLC/FDX Offshore LLC.   
 
About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm with 700 attorneys in 15 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia.  Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.  In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100.  For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.