William R. Kunkel concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and other corporate governance and securities matters. He has represented public and private companies acting as acquirors or sellers, as well as several of the firm’s investment and merchant banking clients, in mergers, stock and asset acquisitions and divestitures, takeovers (negotiated and contested), leveraged buyouts, venture capital transactions, restructurings, joint ventures and other strategic alliances. Mr. Kunkel also has been involved in numerous initial public offerings, debt and equity underwritings and private placements, representing companies issuing securities and investment banking firms acting as underwriters or placement agents.
Mr. Kunkel is part of the Skadden team that represents clients on various aspects of recent federal lending, capital and liquidity support programs, including those established pursuant to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
Mr. Kunkel represented Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in its merger with Mars, Incorporated and its acquisition of Lifesavers, Altoids and other confectionery brands from Kraft Foods Inc.; Laidlaw International, Inc. in its merger with FirstGroup plc; General Binding Corporation in the spin-off of ACCO World Corporation from Fortune Brands, Inc. and the subsequent merger of ACCO and General Binding Corporation; Ivex Packaging Corporation in its merger with Alcoa Inc. and the related spin-off of its interest in Packaging Dynamics Corporation; Wesley Jessen VisionCare Inc. in its sale to Novartis AG following a hostile tender offer by Bausch & Lomb Inc.; Outboard Marine Corporation and Tolkem Corporation in their respective bankruptcies and the auction sale of their assets; Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as financial advisor to Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc. in its sale to Nestlé S.A; and Churchill Downs Inc. in its acquisition of Arlington International Racecourse.
He also has advised Amcore Financial, Inc. in its acquisition and divestiture of various banking businesses; the special committee of the board of directors of CCP Insurance, Inc. in its acquisition by Conseco, Inc.; Berlin Packaging L.L.C., a privately held company, in its sale to Investcorp, a private equity investment firm, following an auction process; and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in its acquisition of the non-U.S. confectionary business of the Joyco Group from Agrolimen SA and its acquisition of a Russian chocolate company.
In the corporate finance area, Mr. Kunkel recently represented Morgan Stanley as managing underwriter in an offering of debt securities of Abbott Laboratories; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. as managing underwriter in the initial public offering of common stock and trust preferred securities of Taylor Capital Group; and American Equity Investment Life Holding Company in its initial public offering of common stock and the private placement of its trust preferred securities.
Mr. Kunkel has represented clients such as Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., Centel Corporation and Woodhead Industries in proxy contests. He also has been involved in numerous debt exchange offers and has counseled clients on a wide range of other corporate matters, such as internal and SEC investigations, standstill agreements, stock repurchase programs, severance programs, shareholder rights plans, and charter and bylaw amendments.
Mr. Kunkel has lectured on various subjects relating to mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and other corporate law matters at Northwestern University School of Law, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Ray Garrett Jr. Corporate and Securities Law Institute, Practising Law Institute, The Directors Workshop and others. He has been recognized by Chicago Lawyer as one of the top ten M&A lawyers in Chicago, by Chambers Global as one of the world’s leading lawyers for business and by Chambers USA as one of America’s leading lawyers for business. He also has been repeatedly listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
