Joel works on corporate matters, assisting in the representation of strategic buyers and sellers, private equity sponsors, and portfolio companies in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, equity financings and other investment transactions. Joel also provides public and private companies with guidance on general corporate and governance matters. His work involves all stages of a transaction, including preparing term sheets; drafting, reviewing, and negotiating principal deal agreements and ancillary documents; conducting corporate, finance and commercial due diligence; facilitating closings; and handling post-closing issues.
Prior to working as a lawyer in private practice, Joel worked as a business appraiser and forensic accountant, appraising business entities and ownership interests in connection with M&A transactions, tax matters, financial reporting, litigation consulting and regulatory compliance.
While pursuing his law and business degrees, Joel researched and wrote a 200-page book on the legislative history of the Oklahoma General Corporation Act. His writing and presentation of the book, which remains in working paper form, earned him the Durrell Public Law Research Award as well as a scholarship from the Oklahoma City Mineral Lawyers Society. Joel's law review article regarding the relationship between tribal civil jurisdiction over non-tribal parties and the availability and cost of capital to tribal parties was also published in the American Indian Law Review and won the Salem Civil Rights Award.
Through the University of Oklahoma College of Law International Human Rights Clinic, Joel served as a contributing author to the "Report on the Republic of Suriname to the 25th Session of the Universal Periodic Review, Human Rights Council, April-May 2016." The purpose of the report was to provide to the United Nations a third-party review of the human rights concerns of indigenous and tribal peoples in Suriname and to recommend measures to address those concerns.
*Matter completed prior to joining Benesch.
Representative Experience
- Represented a private equity firm in the $400 million sale of a fast food restaurant chain.*
- Represented a private equity firm in the $280 million acquisition of a landscaping supplies manufacturer.*
- Represented a private equity firm in the $250 million acquisition of an oil and gas company.*
- Represented a private equity firm in the $217 million acquisition of a landscaping supplies manufacturer.*
- Represented the owners of an insurance brokerage firm in the $56 million sale of the brokerage firm to a strategic buyer.*
- Represented a private equity portfolio company in the $37 million acquisition of an automatic door installation company.