Brian W. Duwe

Brian W. Duwe leads Skadden’s Chicago office and concentrates his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and general corporate and securities matters. Mr. Duwe has represented buyers, sellers and their financial advisors in a wide variety of transactions, including negotiated and contested public acquisitions, private acquisitions and divestitures, management buyouts, restructurings, spin-offs, and joint ventures and other strategic alliances. He also has counseled issuers, selling shareholders and investment banks in public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities.

In addition, Mr. Duwe advises clients regarding general corporate and securities matters, including securities law compliance, corporate governance issues, disclosure issues, stock repurchase programs, shareholder agreements, severance arrangements and proxy contests. He has counseled numerous clients regarding shareholder activism, the implementation of shareholder rights plans and other corporate control matters.

Mr. Duwe’s clients have included, among others, Abbott Laboratories; Ball Corporation; CF Industries Holdings, Inc.; Deere and Company; Exelon Corporation; Guidant Corporation; Hartmarx Corporation; Pactiv Corporation; Sara Lee Corporation; Solo Cup Company; Steelcase, Inc.; Stryker Corporation; Suros Surgical Systems; Unitrin, Inc.; US BioEnergy Corporation; U.S. Can Corporation; and VeraSun Energy Corporation.

Among his numerous M&A representations, Mr. Duwe represented CF Industries Holdings, Inc. in its unsolicited $4.7 billion acquisition of Terra Industries and simultaneous defense of a hostile offer by Agrium, Inc. In its inaugural issue on innovative lawyers in the United States, the Financial Times recognized the deal as the most innovative M&A transaction in 2010.

Mr. Duwe also has represented financial advisors and underwriters in various securities offerings and M&A transactions.

Mr. Duwe lectures on corporate and securities law topics. He repeatedly has been selected in the Mergers & Acquisitions Law section of The Best Lawyers in America and in the Corporate/M&A section of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

To view a list of Mr. Duwe's representative transactions, please click here.