Brian M. Stadler

Brian Stadler specializes in mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance.  He represents private equity firms and public and private companies in a wide variety of M&A matters, including leveraged buyouts, strategic mergers, minority investments, joint ventures, carve-outs and takeover defense.  While he has counseled clients in a broad range of industries, Brian has extensive experience in M&A transactions involving REITs and other real estate companies.  He has advised Blackstone on more than 30 take private transactions, including eight in a recent 13-month period and the landmark Equity Office Properties and Hilton acquisitions.

During his more than three decades of practice, Brian has been consistently recognized for his work, including a ranking in Band 1 for Private Equity Buyouts by Chambers and being named a “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer, a Private Equity MVP and a Real Estate MVP by Law 360, a Leading Lawyer in REITs by The Legal 500 and Highly Regarded by IFLR 1000 in M&A and Private Equity.  Chambers praises him as “phenomenal” and “top of the class in terms of legal skills, expertise and service.” 

Work Highlights

• Blackstone in more than 30 take private transactions, including its $39 billion acquisition of Equity Office Properties (prevailing in the largest LBO at the time against a deal jump by Vornado), its $26 billion acquisition of Hilton, its $13 billion acquisition of American Campus Communities, its $10 billion acquisition of QTS, its $10 billion acquisition of Apartment Income REIT Corp, its $7.6 billion acquisition of PS Business Parks and its $6 billion acquisition of Extended Stay America (in a joint venture with Starwood Capital)
• Blackstone in the $18.7 billion acquisition of the U.S. logistics business of Global Logistics Properties, the largest-ever private real estate transaction
• Blackstone in its $14.6 billion recapitalization of BioMed and its $8 billion acquisition of BioMed
• Seagram in its $46 billion combination with Vivendi and Canal Plus and its $11 billion acquisition of PolyGram
• Invitation Homes in its $20 billion merger with Starwood Waypoint Homes
• Wachovia in its $14.7 billion merger with First Union and concurrent defense against a hostile takeover bid from SunTrust
• Rockwood in its $6.2 billion merger with Albemarle, its $2.3 billion acquisition of Dynamit Nobel from MG Technologies and in its agreement to acquire Talison Lithium for C$724 million
• BREIT in its issuance of $4.5 billion of common shares to UC Investments and UC Investments’ related strategic venture with Blackstone
• Glimcher Realty in its $4.3 billion sale to Washington Prime Group
• Vivint Solar in its $3.2 billion sale to Sunrun
• Thomas H Lee Partners, Bain Capital, Providence Equity Partners and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. in their $2.6 billion acquisition of Warner Music from Time Warner
• Hellman & Friedman in its $2.4 billion acquisition of Getty Images and $640 million acquisition of Internet Brands