Robert E. Burwell
(he/him/his)
Member / Co-chair, Retail and Consumer Products
+1.415.432.6107
Rob, who serves as Co-Chair of Mintz's Retail & Consumer Products Industry Group, advises corporate and private equity clients on significant M&A transactions, financings and governance matters. He counsels clients in a range of sectors, including retail and consumer, life sciences, manufacturing, financial services and energy and sustainability. Drawing on almost three decades of experience handling a wide variety of transactions, he combines strong negotiation skills, a practical, commercial mindset, sensitivity to tax and accounting issues and a proven ability to lead teams of the firm’s industry and subject-matter experts to help clients achieve their objectives in a cost-efficient manner.
His clients include private equity firms, an international retailer that owns and operates membership warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean and various branded personal care and lifestyle companies. Before joining the firm, Rob was a partner in the San Francisco office of another international law firm.
Experience
- Represented Muse Group, a leader in music content and creation, in its combination with sheet music publisher and music-learning provider, Hal Leonard, with growth financing provided by Francisco Partners
- Represented Good Feet Holdings, a York Capital portfolio company and owner of premium wellness brands The Good Feet Store and ING Source, in its acquisition of Stretch*d, an assisted stretching and recovery service provider
- Represented Presidio Investors portfolio company Resolve Tech Solutions, a technology services provider in the Federal and commercial sectors, in the acquisition of Wise Men Solutions, an IT consulting company
- Represented Mako Networks, a provider of secure, cloud-managed networks for distributed enterprises, in a growth equity investment by Abry Partners
- Represented the owners of multiple Planet Fitness franchises in Puerto Rico and Canada in the sale of stores and territorial rights to Easy Mile Fitness
- Represented Optodot Corporation, a developer and licensor of nano-composite battery separators and infrared optical coating technologies, to Meta Materials Inc., a Nasdaq-listed developer of high-performance functional materials and nanocomposites
- Represented Spark451, a marketing and technology firm providing enrollment strategies for the higher education market, to Jenzabar, Inc., a leading technology innovator in higher education
- Represented Brooks Automation, a Nasdaq-listed leader in automation solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing and life sciences industries, in the $3 billion sale of its automation business to Thomas H. Lee, a private equity firm investing in middle-market growth companies
- Represented Calera Capital portfolio company Arnott Industries, a provider of aftermarket air suspension products for luxury cars, trucks and SUVs, in the acquisitions of JRI Shocks and Strutmasters
- Represented PriceSmart, a Nasdaq-listed operator of membership warehouse clubs in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, in the sale of the cross-border package forwarding and online marketplace businesses operated by its Aeropost subsidiary to Click to Collect Company Ltd., a company based in Nassau, Bahamas
- Represented TSU One, a diversified utility services company supporting electric utilities and other infrastructure providers in Texas and Oklahoma, in connection with a growth equity investment by CIC Partners, a Dallas-based middle-market private equity firm
- Represented Presidio Investors, an Austin, TX and Oakland, CA-based capital investment firm focused on buyouts in lower middle market companies, in the acquisition of Resolve Tech Solutions, a mid-sized consulting and IT services firm
- Represented Myriad Genetics, a Nasdaq-listed molecular diagnostics company, in the $200 million sale of Myriad RBM, Inc., a provider of research services for the pharmaceutical industry, to Q2 Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of IQVIA Holdings Inc
- Represented Tatcha, a privately held prestige skincare company, in connection with its 2019 sale to Unilever in transaction valued at approximately $500 million
- Represented Presidio Investors, an Austin, TX and Oakland, CA-based capital investment firm focused on buyouts in lower middle market companies, in the simultaneous acquisition of 15 regional home automation companies
- Represented Brooks Automation, a Nasdaq-listed leader in automation solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing and life sciences industries, in the sale of the company's Semiconductor Cryogenics business to Edwards Vacuum LLC ( a member of the Atlas Copco Group) for $675 million in cash
- Represented Myriad Genetics, a Nasdaq-listed molecular diagnostics company, in its acquisition of Counsyl, Inc., a molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine company for $375 million in cash and Myriad common stock
- Represented lead investor in Great Brands, a Brooklyn-based direct-to-consumer sneaker brand, in its sale to Steve Madden
- Represented Tatcha, a privately held skincare company, in connection with a minority investment by Castanea Partners
- Represented Series A and Series B investors in Draper James LLC, a lifestyle brand company formed by Reese Witherspoon
- Represented Myriad Genetics, a Nasdaq-listed molecular diagnostics company, in its acquisition of Assurex Health, an informatics-based precision medicine company for $410 million
- Represented Calera Capital, a leading middle market private equity firm, in a leveraged recapitalization of a supplier of wallcoverings to the corporate, healthcare, hospitality and education building markets
- Represented original founding team in reacquiring Salary.com from IBM in a leveraged acquisition transaction led by H.I.G Capital
- Represented Blue Belt Technologies, a medical device company, in a $275 million sale to Smith & Nephew
- Represented a staffing company in a leveraged recapitalization transaction involving publicly traded principal debt and equity investor Main Street Capital
- Represented LinQuest Corporation, a space- and communications-related engineering services company, in a leveraged recapitalization transaction
- Represented Charlotte Russe in the acquisition of a children’s clothing company through a pre-packaged bankruptcy transaction
- Represented a privately held food service company in its acquisition of the franchisor of the Shakey's chain of pizza restaurants
- Represented Jurlique, an Australian skincare company controlled by a private equity firm, in connection with its $335 million sale to a Japanese buyer
- Represented JH Partners, a private equity firm, focused on consumer and marketing-driven growth companies, on its investments in 12 different companies
- Represented Italian luxury linens company Frette SRL in a sale to a London-based private equity firm
- Represented lifestyle brand NapaStyle in the sale of its flagship store and related assets
- Represented Tatcha, a San Francisco-based skincare company, and Peace Love World LLC, a Florida apparel company, in the negotiation of multi-year master sales agreements with QVC
- Represented Genstar Capital, a middle-market private equity firm, on its leveraged acquisitions of a spring manufacturer and a leading supplier of enterprise software and software as a service (SaaS) solutions for health services providers
- Represented a music publisher, a Spectrum Equity portfolio company, in connection with its sale to a leading music rights management company
- Represented Bumble Bee Foods, North America’s largest branded seafood company, on acquisition matters
viewpoints
Making “Material Adverse Change” Mean What You Choose It to Mean — Neither More nor Less
April 9, 2014 | Alert | By Robert Burwell, Scott Ford
When a Non-binding Term Sheet Becomes Binding
July 8, 2013 | Alert | By Robert Burwell
News & Press
Mintz Advises Greater Asia Pacific in Cross-Border M&A Deal
December 13, 2024
Mintz advised Greater Asia Pacific, a Hong Kong holding company, in the sale of the controlling interest in Microtek Product Services Co. Ltd. to Centre Testing International Group Co., Ltd. (CTI), a publicly traded Chinese company in the lab tasting space.
Thomson Reuters Recognizes 10 Mintz Attorneys as “Stand-out Lawyers”
February 20, 2024
Mintz is pleased to share 10 attorneys have been named by their clients as Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyers.”
Mintz Advises Muse Group on Combination with Hal Leonard and Growth Investment by Francisco Partners
December 19, 2023
San Francisco Managing Member Stephen Osborn and Member Robert Burwell led Mintz’s advisory team in facilitating a transformative combination for Muse Group with Hal Leonard, securing growth investment from Francisco Partners. This impactful collaboration merges Muse’s leadership in music content and creation with Hal Leonard’s renowned sheet music and music-learning expertise. The deal underscores Mintz’s commitment to supporting innovative technology companies in the Bay Area’s Private Equity landscape.
Five Mintz Attorneys Named 2020 BTI Client Service All-Stars
December 11, 2020
Service Providers: Fashion and Retail Lawyers
March 24, 2020
Two Mintz Members Named BTI Client Service All-Stars
March 28, 2019
Mintz Represents Myriad Genetics in Acquisition of Assurex Health
September 08, 2016
Events & Speaking
American College of Corporate Directors Director Education Forum
American College of Corporate Directors
The 12th Annual Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing
Information Management Network (IMN)
Laguna Beach, CA
Recognition & Awards
Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers (2024)
BTI Client Service All-Star (2019)
San Diego Super Lawyers: Corporate and Securities Law (2007 – 2010)
Lawdragon Magazine: “500 Leading Dealmakers in America” (2007)
Involvement
- Co-chair, Stanford Law Society of San Diego (2006 – 2008)
- Member, Stanford Law School Board of Visitors (2006 – 2008)
- Member, Stanford Associates (2013 – present)
Recent Insights
Mintz advised Greater Asia Pacific, a Hong Kong holding company, in the sale of the controlling interest in Microtek Product Services Co. Ltd. to Centre Testing International Group Co., Ltd. (CTI), a publicly traded Chinese company in the lab tasting space.
Mintz is pleased to share 10 attorneys have been named by their clients as Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyers.”
Mintz Advises Muse Group on Combination with Hal Leonard and Growth Investment by Francisco Partners
San Francisco Managing Member Stephen Osborn and Member Robert Burwell led Mintz’s advisory team in facilitating a transformative combination for Muse Group with Hal Leonard, securing growth investment from Francisco Partners. This impactful collaboration merges Muse’s leadership in music content and creation with Hal Leonard’s renowned sheet music and music-learning expertise. The deal underscores Mintz’s commitment to supporting innovative technology companies in the Bay Area’s Private Equity landscape.
