Corporate M&A & Transactions
Cross-border acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, and strategic disposals. We have led over 340 transactions with an aggregate value exceeding $2.7B.
Transactions
Established 1987 · Chicago, Illinois
Counsel
for the
consequential.
When the stakes demand more than competence,
Hawthorne & Vane delivers the calibre of counsel
that determines outcomes.
37
Years in practice
$4.2B
Transactions closed
94%
Dispute win rate
6
Practice disciplines
Practice Areas
Six disciplines.
One standard of excellence.
Our practice groups operate with the precision and depth that sophisticated commercial matters require. Each discipline is led by partners with sector-specific authority earned over decades.
Commercial Litigation
High-value disputes before federal courts, state courts, and arbitral tribunals. Our litigators have a 94% favourable-outcome rate across 18 years of reporting.
Disputes
Capital Markets & Finance
Debt and equity offerings, structured finance, private placements, and regulatory compliance across domestic and international markets.
Finance
Real Estate & Infrastructure
Complex property acquisitions, development finance, ground leases, and public-private infrastructure partnerships for institutional investors and developers.
Real Estate
Employment & Executive Matters
C-suite engagement and severance negotiations, restrictive covenant enforcement, whistleblower defence, and board-level employment governance.
Employment
Regulatory & Compliance
SEC and CFTC investigations, anti-bribery and corruption programmes, sanctions compliance, and proactive regulatory risk management for Fortune 500 entities.
Regulatory
Track Record
Results that
speak plainly.
Three decades of consequential work leaves a record that requires no embellishment. These figures represent closed matters only — verified outcomes for real clients.
342+
Major transactions successfully closed, spanning 22 industries and 14 jurisdictions
$4.2B
Aggregate deal value across M&A, structured finance, and capital markets mandates
94%
Favourable outcome rate across all commercial litigation and arbitration proceedings since 2006
18
Jurisdictions in which our attorneys hold standing admission or are admitted pro hac vice
Notable Matters
The mandates that
defined the decade.
M&A / $890M
Meridian Energy Holdings — Strategic Acquisition of ClearPath Utilities
Lead counsel in a contested $890M acquisition of a regulated utility operator across three Midwest states. Navigated dual-track FERC and state PUC approval processes while managing a parallel proxy contest from activist shareholders.
Litigation / Federal Court
Constellation Capital Partners — Defeated $340M Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim
Represented a private equity fund against a former portfolio company in a complex fiduciary dispute before the U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois. Motion to dismiss granted in full at Rule 12(b)(6) stage, preserving management fees and carried interest structures.
Capital Markets / IPO
Aurelian BioSciences — $420M Nasdaq IPO & Concurrent Debt Offering
Issuer's counsel on a dual-track Nasdaq IPO and $120M senior secured term loan closing simultaneously. Structured the offering to maintain founder control provisions while satisfying institutional investor governance requirements.
Regulatory / SEC
Blackthorn Asset Management — SEC Whistleblower Defence & Settlement
Managed an 18-month SEC Division of Enforcement investigation arising from a whistleblower complaint. Negotiated a no-admit-no-deny settlement with civil penalties substantially below initial staff demand, with no admission of fraud.
The Attorneys
Partners who lead.
Not manage.
Every engagement at Hawthorne & Vane is led by a senior partner — not delegated to associates. Our clients speak directly to the attorney making decisions on their matter.
Eleanor Vane
Managing Partner — Corporate M&A
Former senior counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell. Harvard Law, '91. Recognised by Chambers USA as Band 1 in Corporate/M&A for Illinois six consecutive years. Fluent in transactional German.
Harvard Law, J.D. '91
Chambers USA Band 1
Marcus Thorne
Senior Partner — Commercial Litigation
Former AUSA for the Northern District of Illinois. Georgetown Law, '94. Tried 47 jury cases to verdict and argued before the Seventh Circuit on seventeen occasions. Nationally recognised in white-collar defence.
Georgetown Law, J.D. '94
Former AUSA, N.D. Ill.
Priya Kasturi
Partner — Capital Markets & Finance
Formerly of Skadden, Arps. Columbia Law, '99. Structured and executed over $1.8B in equity and debt capital markets transactions. Recognised by The Legal 500 USA in securities: capital markets and finance.
Columbia Law, J.D. '99
Legal 500 USA Recognised
Alistair Pemberton
Partner — Real Estate & Infrastructure
Twenty-two years of practice across commercial real estate, infrastructure finance, and land-use entitlements. Yale Law, '02. Represented institutional clients in ground-lease structures exceeding $600M in aggregate value.
Yale Law, J.D. '02
IFLR1000 Recognised
Our Approach
The method behind
the mandate.
We reject the model of large-firm assembly lines. Every Hawthorne & Vane engagement begins with a candid assessment of your position, your adversaries, and the realistic range of outcomes.
Our partners speak plainly to clients about risk, cost, and probability — then execute with precision. We do not bill hours to study subjects we already know.
Partner-led, always
The partner you engaged is the partner who leads your matter. We do not staff-down after origination.
Candour over comfort
We advise clients on the merit of their position before committing resources — not after. Hard truths early save expensive lessons later.
Precision, not volume
We maintain a deliberately limited client roster. Selective intake ensures the depth of attention that consequential matters demand.
Commercial judgment
Legal advice that ignores business reality is incomplete advice. Our counsel integrates commercial pragmatism with legal rigor from the first conversation.
Insights
Perspectives from
the practice.
Contested Acquisitions in a Higher-Rate Environment: What the Bid Premium Compression Means for Deal Certainty
As financing costs have compressed bid premiums across the mid-market, acquirers face a fundamentally different risk calculus. We examine how deal certainty provisions — including reverse termination fees and specific performance rights — must be restructured to reflect new realities.
Read the full analysisThe SEC's New Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules: Compliance Without Creating a Roadmap for Adversaries
The Commission's material cybersecurity incident disclosure requirements create a tension: transparent disclosure versus operational security. We outline a disclosure framework that satisfies regulators without telegraphing vulnerabilities.
Read the analysisArbitration Clauses in the Post-Epic Systems Era: When Institutional Rules and Contract Language Conflict
After Epic Systems, class arbitration waivers are increasingly tested at the institutional rules level. We analyse how JAMS, AAA, and ICC arbitration clause drafting must evolve to avoid enforceability gaps at the threshold stage.
Read the analysisNon-Compete Enforceability After the FTC's Proposed Rule: A State-by-State Planning Guide for Employers
With federal non-compete law in flux, the variance between state regimes has never mattered more. We map the current enforcement landscape across twelve key states and provide a drafting checklist that survives scrutiny at each level.
Read the analysis
Initial Consultation
Tell us about
your matter.
We offer a confidential 45-minute initial consultation at no charge. A senior partner will review your submission before we schedule.
Chicago Office
233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 4100
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Direct Contact
counsel@hawthornevane.com
+1 (312) 847-1928
+1 (312) 847-1928
Response Time
All enquiries acknowledged
within one business day
within one business day
Submission received.
A partner will review your matter and respond within one business day. All correspondence is strictly confidential.