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John Welch
Senior Partner
John Welch has practiced for more than 35 years in the corporate and corporate finance areas. He has significant experience in domestic and international mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, particularly in the healthcare, financial institutions, and renewable energy industries. Additionally, he advises clients on corporate matters such as employment agreements, stock option and other incentive compensation plans, and corporate governance issues.
His work for healthcare clients includes formation and equity financing for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and skilled nursing/assisted living facilities; representation of large physician practice groups; physician joint ventures and physician-health system collaborations, particularly relating to joint ownership and operation of ASCs; sale and recapitalization transactions for hospitals, surgery centers, and skilled nursing/assisted living facilities, behavioral health service providers and insomnia/sleep disorder service providers, and representation of national and regional home health care companies. His work for financial institutions includes capital transactions, merger and other acquisition transactions, branch sales and acquisitions, and counseling regarding board of directors’ duties in a variety of contexts.
- Serving as company counsel on multiple sell-side private equity transactions ranging from US$10 million to US$500 million in a wide variety of industries and providing post-closing representation.
- Representing the largest financial institution headquartered in Arizona in its 2016 US$1.4 billion acquisition of a division of GE Capital.
- Representing approximately 30 physicians in developing a specialty orthopedic and spine hospital, including raising approximately US$12 million in equity, negotiating joint venture agreements with a health system, negotiating an approximately US$25 million credit facility and coordinating the regulatory aspects of the project.
- Representing physician groups in multiple transactions involving the sale of controlling interests in physician-owned surgery centers to hospital systems and/or national surgery center operators.
- Representing the organizers of a series of skilled nursing facilities focused on short-term rehabilitation services in the formation of the real estate ownership and operating entities, in raising the debt and equity for such entitles, in negotiating the management contracts for the facilities, and in negotiating the lease between the real estate entity and the operating entity.
- Representing a Southern California hospital system in a complex hospital system/physician ASC collaboration involving multiple practice specialties and entities, including negotiating the unit sale agreements for the transaction, negotiating the terms of the joint venture relationship with the physicians, negotiating the buy-out of the existing management company, negotiating the management agreement for the facilities and related agreements.
- Representing the largest OB/GYN practice group in the southwest in a corporate reorganization of its parent and operating subsidiaries, including formation of staffing services and management services affiliates.
- Serving as company counsel on two private equity transactions for a regional home healthcare company and lead company counsel following the transactions.
- Representing multiple owners of express car wash centers in sales to private equity firms.
- Advising numerous financial institutions in merger and acquisition transactions, in recapitalization and other private capital transactions, and in regulatory matters in Arizona, Nevada and California.
- Serving as counsel to a Los Angeles-based wire products manufacturing company and its China-based parent company in a sale of the US-based subsidiary to a Vancouver, British Columbia-based, publicly traded strategic purchaser with US operations.
- Serving as counsel to a specialty construction company in sale to a private equity buyer. Also served as counsel to the company founder in his repurchase of the company from its private equity owner and in restructuring the company’s debt incurred in connection with its earlier sale. Serving as company counsel in the subsequent sale of the company to a private equity firm and as ongoing company counsel.
- Representing the partners of the national real and personal property tax practice of a Big 4 accounting firm in the acquisition of that practice from the firm and in related financing transactions, two subsequent sales to private equity companies, in multiple follow-on acquisitions for the company.
- Sale of one of the country’s leading independent retail mortgage companies to a private equity-backed independent mortgage banking company, creating the third largest independent mortgage banking company in the US.
Education
- University of Virginia, J.D., 1983
- University of Kansas, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, 1980
Admissions
- Arizona, 1983
Memberships & Affiliations
- Serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC)
- Member of the Securities Regulation Section of the State Bar of Arizona
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law
- Received the highest ranking for legal ability and professional ethics from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings