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Marita Makinen is an advisor to public and growth-stage private companies, particularly in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, finance, governance and securities law requirements.
Ms. Makinen is the Chair of Lowenstein Sandler's M&A practice and has over 18 years of experience as a mergers and acquisitions attorney, including 10 years as a partner in the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Ms. Makinen has represented both public and venture-backed companies in strategic acquisitions and divestitures and in exit and change of control transactions. With a focus on the technology and consumer industries, Ms. Makinen has expertise in transactions involving complex capital structures, talent retention needs and intellectual property assets. Ms. Makinen also has significant experience in structuring and implementing joint ventures, spin-offs and distressed company transactions.
Because Ms. Makinen regularly serves as a long-term counselor to companies, she approaches the mergers and acquisitions practice with an eye to the longer-term implications of a transaction on a company and its prospects for future success. She brings this same insight to the structuring and implementation of financing transactions, including registered offerings, PIPEs and debt financings.
Ms. Makinen is also an expert advisor in the area of public company reporting obligations, and regularly speaks on related topics. Ms. Makinen brings a clear focus to the interpretation of SEC rules and regulations, and provides her clients with practical disclosure advice that is grounded in an understanding of their business.
Ms. Makinen’s recent transactions include representation of:
- An investor group led by Bessemer Venture Partners in the sale of Endeca Technologies, Inc. to Oracle Corp.
- Ulticom Inc., a public company in the communications technology sector, in its sale process and merger with affiliates of Platinum Equity LLC
- The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. in its acquisition of Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics, a maker of photo studio-inspired prestige cosmetics, from Smashbox founders Dean and Davis Factor, great-grandsons of the makeup legend Max Factor, and private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners
- Hollywood Media Corp. in its sale of online ticket sales agent Theatre Direct NY to Key Brand Entertainment, a developer, producer and distributor of live theatre in North America
- L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc., a public company in the secure identification sector, in its acquisitions of Digimarc Corporation, Bioscrypt Inc., McClendon and Advanced Concepts, Inc.
- NextWave Wireless Inc., a public company in the communications technology sector, in its acquisitions of PacketVideo Corporation, IPWireless Inc. and Go Networks Inc.
- Viisage Technology Inc. in its acquisition of Iridian Technologies, Inc., a venture-backed provider of biometric identification technologies
- Galvex Holdings Ltd. in the sale of certain assets and equity interests to SPCP Group LLC in a 363 sale process
- Viisage Technology Inc. in its $770 million merger with Identix Inc., each a public company in the secure identification sector
- The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Hughes Supply, Inc. in the $3.47 billion sale of the company to Home Depot Inc.
- Whirlpool Corporation in its $2.6 billion acquisition of Maytag Corporation.
- MCI, Inc. in the sale of OzEmail Pty Ltd. to iiNet Ltd.
- Nextwave Telecom Inc. in the $3 billion sale of its PCS spectrum licenses to Verizon Wireless Inc.
- Universal American Financial Corp., a public company, in its acquisition of Heritage Health Systems, Inc., a private company operating Medicare Advantage plans
- UnitedHealth Group Inc. in its $2.9 billion acquisition of Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc.
- L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. in connection with common and preferred stock PIPE issuances and its $175 million offering of convertible senior notes
- NextWave Wireless Inc. in connection with preferred stock PIPE issuances and subsequent exchange offer for third lien notes; and in the issuance and maturity extension of $870 million of first, second and third lien notes
Recent Speaking Engagements:
- Moderator, "Private Companies: Going Public," Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals Essentials of the Corporate Secretarial Function Seminar, Orlando, Florida, February 1-3, 2012
- Panelist, "SEC Reporting in the Small/Mid-Cap Company," Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals' 65th Annual National Conference, Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 23, 2011
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In CityBizList, AmLaw Daily and ABF Journal articles, Lowenstein Sandler's addition of Marita A. Makinen as Member in the firm's Corporate Department is highlighted.,
CityBizList, AmLaw Daily, ABF Journal, April 12, 2011
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Columbia University School of Law
(J.D., 1993),
Senior Articles Editor, Columbia Business Law Review; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Olin Junior Fellow in Law and Economics
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Michigan State University
(B.A.),
cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
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New York
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- Member, Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals
- Member, Financial Women's Association - Directorship and Corporate Governance Committee
- Member, 85 Broads
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