Executive Program in Mergers and Acquisitions: Producing a Positive Return in Troubled Times

The goal of this program is to provide world-class business and finance-related education to executives working in various aspects of the mergers and acquisitions field. Executive Program in Mergers & Acquisitions will provide the tools necessary to successfully assess and execute all phases of the M&A process, from planning and pre-deal preparation through implementation and post-closing issues, including integration. Top professionals from several disciplines in the M&A field will provide insights on both “Buy Side” and “Sell Side” issues. A complete faculty list is below.

Upon completion of the Executive Program in Mergers and Acquisitions, attendees will be equipped to: 

• Utilize a coherent framework and reliable M&A blueprint for analyzing, selecting, valuing, and executing  a successful merger or acquisition
• Identify good deals and good matches that minimize risk and ensure a positive net present value transaction
• Become more familiar with the key issues in drafting the acquisition agreement and related M&A documents
• Develop integration processes and procedures to ensure the success of the transaction

The Executive Program in Mergers and Acquisitions is specifically designed for managers and executives engaged in the M&A process. It will particularly benefit CEOs, CFOs, COOs, division and business unit heads, executives working in finance, strategy, law, and business development. Knowledge of finance is helpful but not critical to understanding program concepts. Professionals in companies of all sizes—established firms as well as small and developing firms—and in investment banking, accounting, and law firms are encouraged to attend.

Comprehensive and sophisticated in its scope, the program covers the market side, business side, and legal/regulatory side of M&A. Faculty professionals who work with M&A issues every day will deliver strategic perspective as well as a practical approach for immediate relevance, usability, and impact. Topics covered:

• The Role of M&A: Update on the M&A Marketplace. Views from the Professionals: M&A Investment Bankers for Mid-Market and Large-Cap Deals; M&A Commercial Banker; M&A Attorney
• Strategic Considerations in Selling the Business
• Strategic Considerations in Buying the Business
• Due Diligence in M&A
• Valuation in M&A: Discounted Cash Flow Technique
• Valuation in M&A: Comparable Companies, Comparable Transactions, and Other Valuation
• Valuation in M&A: Hypothetical Problem
• Financing Considerations in Choppy Markets
• Structuring the Deal: Tax, Corporate, Accounting, and Regulatory and Other Issues
• Drafting the Acquisition Agreement: Pre-Closing Issues
• Drafting the Acquisition Agreement: Pre-Closing Issues, Closing, and Post-Closing Issues
• Restructurings and Bankruptcy-Related M&A Transactions in the Current Credit Crisis
• Now the Real Work Begins: Integration of the Target into the Acquirer’s Organization

View a detailed agenda, including faculty, dates, and times.

The faculty will be experienced and recognized M&A professionals, including investment bankers, executives, lawyers, accountants, and M&A academicians who will provide current knowledge, strategies, rules and regulations. View a detailed bio list of this faculty here. 

Corinne Ball, Jones Day

David M. Cox, Evercore Partners

Chris Croft, Houlihan Lokey

Richard De Rose, Houlihan Lokey

Byron F. Egan, Jackson Walker LLP

Sara Elinson, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP

Gregg Feinstein, Houlihan Lokey

Ruth E. Fisher, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Keith A. Flaum, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP

Vincent F. Garrity, Jr., Duane Morris LLP

Joel I. Greenberg, Kaye Scholer LLP

Jerry R. Grossman, Houlihan Lokey

Robert T. Harper, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

David Hilty, Houlihan Lokey

Scott Kolbrenner, Houlihan Lokey

Rashida La Lande, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Timothy G. LaLonde, Evercore Partners Inc.

Erik D. Lindaur, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Timothy R.M. Main, JP Morgan

Brian McDonald, Houlihan Lokey

Kevin Miller, Alston & Bird LLP

Jennifer Muller, Houlihan Lokey

Daniel A. Neff, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Jeffery S. Perry, Ernst & Young

Joseph Rockey, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

Noel Ryan, Houlihan Lokey

Molly Stockley, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

H. Lawrence Tafe, III, Day Pitney LLP

Jeffrey Tarbell, Houlihan Lokey

Samuel C. Thompson, Jr., Center for the Study of Mergers & Acquisitions.

Robert Willens, Robert Willens LLC

Donald J. Wolfe, Jr., Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP

Credit Information

CLE Credits

The NYC Bar is an accredited CLE provider in New York, California, and Illinois. For those seeking CLE credit in New York or California, attendance at all 3 days of this program will provide a total of 13.5 credits: 11.5  in skills & 2 .0  in professional practice.
The credit breakdown for each day is as follows: May 5: 2.0 in professional practice; May 6: 4.5 in skills & May 7: 7.0 in skills. Illinois credit differs as it is based on a 60 minute hour. For those seeking CLE credits in Illinois, attendance at all 3 days will provide 12.0 general credits.

The Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board has approved this program for 12.0 hours of substantive law, practice and procedure CLE credit.  A Uniform Certificate of Attendance will be provided to participants who wish to self-report CLE credits to any other mandatory continuing legal education states.  Please visit the website for complete CLE information.

CPE Credits

Delivery Method: Group-Live. Program Level: Advanced
Prerequisities: Basic knowledge of M&A.  
Advanced Preparation: No advance preparation required

Attendance at all 3 days of the program provides a total of 17.0 CPE credits: 10.5 advisory; 2.0 specialized knowledge & applications related to specialized industries; 3.5 finance; 0.5 accounting; & 0.5 taxation. The CPE breakdown for each day is as follows: May 5: 2.0 specialized knowledge & applications related to specialized industries; May 6: 3.5 management advisory services & 3.5 finance; & May 7: 7.0 management advisory services; 0.5 taxation, & 0.5 accounting.

Penn State University is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.   Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org

The NYC Bar is an accredited provider of New York Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit. Attendance at all 3 days of this program provides a total of 17.0 CPE credits: 10.5 advisory; 4.0 accounting; 2.0 specialized knowledge & applications related to specialized industries & 0.5 taxation. The CPE breakdown for each day is as follows: May 5: 2.0 specialized knowledge & applications related to specialized industries; May 6: 3.5 advisory & 3.5 accounting & May 7: 7.0 advisory; 0.5 taxation & 0.5 accounting.

Please register here: Registration Form

Program Partners

Houlihan Lokey, an international investment bank, provides a wide range of services, including mergers and acquisitions, financing, financial opinions and advisory services, and financial restructuring. In 2007, the firm was ranked the No. 1 M&A advisor for U.S. transactions under $1.25 billion and the No. 1 M&A fairness opinion advisor by Thomson Financial. Please visit www.hlhz.com for more information.

The Dickinson School of Law Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law embraces the University’s mission to improve the lives of the people of Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world through exemplary legal teaching, scholarship, and service. Through an intensive and comprehensive program of study that includes both classroom-based and experiential learning, our students are prepared to practice law at the highest level in an increasingly global world. The law school’s Center for the Study of Mergers and Acquisitions, directed by Professor Samuel C. Thompson Jr., examines corporate, securities, tax, antitrust, and other legal and economic issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions. Please visit http://www.law.psu.edu/centers/ma for more information.

The City Bar Center for CLE of the New York City Bar is an accredited provider in the States of New York, California and Illinois. The Center offers over 150 programs a year covering most areas of the law. Classes are taught by prominent expert attorneys, members of the bench and business professionals. Please visit www.nycbar.org/CLE/ for more information.

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