Joe von Kaenel serves public, private, and not-for-profit corporations and their boards of directors and board committees, providing advice on corporate governance, compliance, and investigations. His practice includes corporate finance and securities, acquisitions and mergers, corporate reorganizations, and divestitures.
In the securities area, Joe guides issuers in the sale of securities and advises them with respect to SEC reporting obligations and Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance. He has represented clients in a wide variety of merger and acquisition transactions ranging in size from less than $1 million to over $1 billion.
With extensive experience structuring a wide variety of venture capital and other business transactions, Joe regularly counsels clients in minority shareholder matters and other business disputes. He has represented institutional clients in making investments in private equity funds, hedge funds, and other alternative investments and fund formation.
Experience:
- Representation of institutional investors in making over $1.5 billion of investments
- $200 million 144A transaction for energy company
- $53 million sale of a private software company to a public company
- $48 million sale of a private packaging company to a public company
- $315 million sale of an animal healthcare company to a private equity fund
- $400 million sale of a wireless communications company to a public company
- Representation of ownership group in purchase of a major sports franchise
- Representation of a major sports franchise in new stadium financing
- Representation of financial services company in sales of over
- $40 million of trust preferred securities
- Representation of issuer in $13 million private equity investment
- $33 million purchase of chemical division of a public company
- Representation of hospitality services company in acquiring and financing over $60 million of hotel properties
- Representation of compensation committee of a public company
- Representation of NYSE company in connection with an investigation by its audit committee
- Representation of audit committee of a public company
- Representation of a public company in a $30,000,000 public offering of common stock
- $500 million sale of a U.S. subsidiary of a U.K company to Berkshire Hathaway
Professional Activities:
- The Missouri Bar
- American Bar Association (Business Law Section; Member, Mergers and Acquisitions, Audit Responses, Institutional Investing, and Legal Opinions Committees)
- Missouri Secretary of State's Working Group on Proposed Investment - Adviser Registration Exemption (2007)
Community and Charitable Activities:
- Civic and Charitable Activities
- St. Louis Arch Angels
- FinServe Tech Angels (Board Member)
- Guardian Angel Settlement Association (Board Member and former Treasurer)
- Association of Yale Alumni (former Representative)
- Hosea House (former Board Member and President)
- Yale Club of St. Louis (former President)
- Planned Parenthood, St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (Board Member)
Significant Accomplishments:
- Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers®(2012-Present);
- Super Lawyers®, Business Edition (2015)
- The Best Lawyers in America®; Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Corporate Law and Mergers & Acquisitions Law (2007-present)
- AV® Peer Review Rated, Martindale Hubbell
- BEST M&A Providers, St. Louis Small Business Monthly, 2022-2023
Publications/Presentations:
- Speaker, "The Organization: Governance, Compliance & Strategy," Saint Louis University MBA Governance and Compliance class (October 2011)
- Moderator, “Local Efforts on Climate and Energy Initiatives,” Fourth Annual Midwest Energy and Climate Policy Conference, St. Louis, MO (June 2010)
- Speaker, "Alternative Investments for Pension Plans," Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (October 2009)
- Speaker, "Recent Securities Law Developments - Significant Recent Cases and SEC Initiatives," Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (March 2009)
- Speaker, “The Disney Case: A Cautionary Tale for Directors,” St. Louis Corporate Counsel Institute Seminar (April 2006)
- Speaker, “Internal Controls Reporting,” National Business Institute Seminar (November 2006)