Christopher D. Graham

Chris Graham is the Office Managing Partner of the Providence office and serves as Co-Chair of the Firm's Corporate and Transactional Department.

Chris advises business clients of all types, although he invests much of his time on matters involving private equity. He has led teams of lawyers in many different types of corporate transactions, both domestic and cross-border.

Chris counsels startup enterprises and assists in their capital formation, represents emerging companies and private equity investors in different rounds of equity financing, and negotiates acquisitions, dispositions and management buyouts for corporate buyers and sellers, private equity funds and management teams. He frequently represents borrowers in financing transactions, including highly leveraged financings that are integral parts of private equity buyouts. His clients include private equity funds, Fortune 500 companies, international conglomerates, privately held manufacturing companies and numerous technology and life science startups.

Chris' work in private equity provides him with a unique understanding of the concerns of each party involved in a typical transaction and a considerable network of personal contacts so that he is well suited to assist clients in planning and implementing strategies as well as anticipating issues and crafting creative and cost-effective solutions.

In addition, Chris enjoys an active general corporate practice with background in secured lending and municipal finance. He is general counsel to many closely held businesses as well as to businesses acquired by his private equity clients, handling issues ranging from employment matters to commercial contract disputes. He also serves as counsel to several nonprofits.

Chris’ experience includes the representation of:

• Enhanced Energy Group, Inc., operating as CarbonPoint Solutions, in its sale to Caterpillar Inc.
• KPS Mid-Cap Investments, an affiliate of KPS Capital Partners, in the acquisition of Libertas Copper LLC (dba Hussey Copper)
• R3 Education Inc., a private equity-backed owner of three offshore medical schools and related properties, in the sale of its shares to an international buyer
• Nabsys 2.0 LLC, a pioneer in whole-genome mapping, in the issuance of $21,000,000 of preferred equity
• Voda Inc., an emerging company bringing predictive software tools to the water industry, in a $3 million convertible note round
• Dental Partners LLC, a dental practice management business, in the sale of its units to a private equity-backed platform
• MindImmune Therapeutics, Inc., a drug discovery company, in a series of convertible note and preferred stock offerings
• An international specialty materials conglomerate in the acquisition and disposition of several business units with domestic and overseas operations
• Heritage Village Water Company in its merger with Connecticut Water Service Inc. (NASDAQ: CTWS) in a stock-for-stock exchange
• Firestone Financial Corp. in its stock-for-stock acquisition by Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB)
• The specialty pharmacy subsidiary of a large retail drug store chain in over 25 acquisitions of retail and mail order pharmacy operations
• A Fortune 500 company in strategic venture investments and a series of corporate restructuring projects
• Private equity funds in numerous management buyouts, dispositions, recaps and debt financings of media, manufacturing and service businesses within the United States and internationally
• Venture-backed clients in acquisitions, equity and debt financings and general corporate and commercial law matters
• Several entrepreneurs in the formation, development and implementation of their business plans and the formation of their companies' capital, including companies engaged in drug discovery, digital media and cleantech IT
• Family-owned manufacturing and service businesses in debt refinancings, employment-related matters, shareholder issues and commercial disputes
• Outside counsel to an international manufacturer of luxury goods, including advising on several bolt-on cross-border acquisitions