Patrick Gadson
The Grace Building
1114 Avenue of the Americas
32nd Floor
New York, New York 10036
Patrick’s principal areas of practice are private equity, mergers and acquisitions and shareholder activism. Patrick is Co-Head of V&E’s Shareholder Activism practice, which advises public companies in competitive proxy solicitations, strategic investor relations, and corporate governance. He also counsels senior management, boards of directors, investment managers and both private equity and strategic investors in a wide variety of complex business transactions, corporate governance matters, strategic investor relations and other special situations. His experience includes advising clients in connection with shareholder activism related investments, hostile takeovers, public and private M&A transactions, strategic minority investments and corporate capital investments. Prior to joining Vinson & Elkins, Patrick practiced law at a leading shareholder activism law firm and a preeminent corporate law firm in New York City.
Patrick is a member of the firm’s Diversity Equity Committee.
Experience Highlights
Synalloy in the defense of the proxy fight by Privet Fund Management and UPG LLC
Comscore in defense of the activism campaign of Starboard Value
Owens Realty Mortgage in its proxy contest defense against Hovde Capital Advisors and Opal Advisors
Continental Grain in its activism campaign with D.E. Shaw against Bunge
Nutrisystem, Inc. in the defense of the activism campaign of Legion Partners Asset Management
Sandridge Energy in its proxy contest defense against Carl Icahn and in the defense of the unsolicited bid of Midstates Petroleum
Credentials
- Columbia Law School, J.D., 2011
- Cornell University, B.S., Industrial and Labor Relations, 2006
- Chambers USA, Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense (New York), 2021 and 2022; “Up and Coming” in Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense (New York), 2021 and 2022
- The Legal 500 U.S., M&A/Corporate & Commercial: Shareholder Activism: Advice to Boards, 2020–2022; “Next Generation Partner,” 2021–2022
- Selected to the 500 Leading Dealmakers in America, Lawdragon, 2021 and 2022
- Selected to the New York Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2022
- New York
- Deals & CasesJune 28, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 16, 2022
- Event RecapJune 15, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 1, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMay 10, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMay 3, 2022
- Press ReleaseMarch 30, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 29, 2022
- FactSet Awards Vinson & Elkins' Shareholder Activism Practice #1 Ranking for Company Defense in 2021Rankings & AwardsJanuary 24, 2022
- InsightJanuary 12, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJanuary 4, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsDecember 15, 2021
- InsightNovember 24, 2021
V&E SEC Proxy Update
- InsightSeptember 8, 2021
Republished with Permission by BDO in the Boardroom
- Rankings & AwardsMay 12, 2021
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 15, 2021
- Press ReleaseMarch 10, 2021
- Rankings & AwardsJanuary 19, 2021
- Rankings & AwardsDecember 21, 2020
- Press ReleaseNovember 18, 2020
- Rankings & AwardsAugust 17, 2020
- InsightAugust 4, 2020
V&E SEC Update
- Rankings & AwardsJune 16, 2020
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 9, 2020
- Rankings & AwardsJanuary 21, 2020
- V&E+May 7, 2019
- V&E+July 26, 2018
- “Best & Worst Things a Company Can Do When Approached by an Activist,” 13D Monitor Active Passive Investor Summit, April 16, 2019 (panelist)
- “What to Do When the Barbarians Are At Your Gate: A Shareholder Activism Bootcamp,” National Investor Relations Institute Annual Conference, June 10, 2018 (speaker)
- “Condensed Activism Bootcamp,” Corporate Governance Ohio Chapter Meeting, October 26, 2017 (speaker)