Paul Pryzant

About Paul Pryzant

With over 40 years of experience doing mergers and acquisitions, I’ve learned that my most important job is to listen to my client’s goals for the deal and to close their transactions in a quick, efficient, and cost-effective manner that allows them to sleep better at night before and after the closing. Entrepreneurs selling their businesses face big challenges, especially when negotiating with a private equity firm or strategic buyer which has purchased numerous companies. The M&A process can be complex for sellers and misguided decisions can have bad consequences. I help sellers successfully and efficiently sell their company, and minimize their potential liabilities to the buyer. I also help translate the complexities of the M&A process into plain English that sellers can understand, so they can make the right decisions for their company.Buyers face challenges working with entrepreneurs selling their company, especially when these owners are new to the M&A process and may not be adequately represented by experienced M&A counsel. My objective is to help the buyers I represent quickly build trust with the target company and their counsel, and help guide the transaction to closing quickly and efficiently. Additionally, I keep buyers focused on the most important issues exposed during due diligence, and help to creatively solve the inevitable problems that arise during a transaction.For both buyers and sellers, I have a long track record of helping the parties uncover and deal with any misunderstandings and other issues that occur before closing. Clients appreciate when transactions go smoothly both before and after closing since post-closing claims can impede both parties from achieving their respective goals.As part of my practice, I regularly work with strategic buyers, and private equity funds and their portfolio companies, to acquire software and other high-tech companies that help my clients obtain new cutting-edge technologies, and add new products and services.Additionally, I enjoy working with emerging growth companies and their angel Investors, from the startup phase through the financing and growth process to the final exit. I currently serve as the general counsel to the Houston Angel Network (HAN) which has more than 100 angel investors. If you are interested in learning more, please contact me at p•••••••@seyfarth.com.

Experience

1. Partner

   Seyfarth Shaw LLP

   Feb 2015 — Present

   With more than 900 lawyers across 17 offices, Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides transactional, litigation and advisory legal services to clients worldwide. Seyfarth provides a broad range of legal services, including corporate, securities, tax, finance, labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, and real estate. With 11 offices in the major U.S. cities, and offices in London, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Australia, clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies and reflect virtually every industry and segment of the economy. Our M&A practice advises a broad range of clients, from public and privately held companies to private equity firms and family-owned businesses, with a practice focused on middle market transactions. Our clients are in diverse industries such as business services, technology, health care, life sciences, food and beverage, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, and cable/telecommunications. During the last two years, our M&A team has handled more than 200 M&A transactions, and was recognized for its Tier 1 middle market M&A practice by The Legal 500, with recognition for our quick response times and practical approach. Learn more about our M&A practice at Seyfarth has an innovative approach to the practice of law, with its distinctive client service model—called SeyfarthLean®—that combines the core principles of Lean Six Sigma with robust technology, project management, process improvement, and practical tools.Clients appreciate the tangible benefits provided by SeyfarthLean, including:• More consistent, high-quality legal services• Increased efficiency• Improved communication and collaboration• Right-sized staffing approaches• Committed, transparent pricing• Reduction in overall cost of services

Education

• University of Pennsylvania

  B.S. Wharton School

  1974 — 1978

• The University of Texas School of Law

  J.D.

  1978 — 1981

Skills

• Corporate Law
• Start-Ups
• Negotiation
• Private Equity
• Joint Ventures
• Venture Capital
• Securities
• Intellectual Property
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Corporate Governance
• Licensing
• Due Diligence