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Patrick Gadson
Patrick Gadson
Partner — Shareholder Activism and Mergers & Acquisitions
E: pgadson@velaw.com T: +1.212.237.0198
VCard BIO PDF
Partner — Shareholder Activism and Mergers & Acquisitions

Patrick Gadson

Patrick Gadson
New York
T: +1.212.237.0198
F: +1.917.849.5386

The Grace Building
1114 Avenue of the Americas
32nd Floor
New York, New York 10036

E: pgadson@velaw.com
VCard BIO PDF
Patrick Gadson

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 Executive Committee.

Experience Highlights

  • Synalloy in the defense of the proxy fight by Privet Fund Management and UPG LLC

  • Comscore, Inc. in defense of the shareholder activism campaign of Starboard Value LP

  • 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 defense of the shareholder activism campaign of Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC

  • 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” in M&A/Corporate & Commercial: Shareholder Activism: Advice to Boards, 2021–2022
  • National Black Lawyers Top 100 Black Lawyers, 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
  • “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)

News & Insights

Event Recap
Navigating the 2023 Annual Meeting and Reporting Season
November 17, 2022
Video
Event Recap
REIT Activism: Recent Developments and How the Universal Proxy Could Impact Annual Meetings
October 24, 2022
Video
Event Recap
De-SPACtivism: How Post De-SPAC Public Companies Can Prepare for a Tidal Wave of Proxy Fights, Hostile M&A and Short Attacks
Energy Transition
October 20, 2022
Video
Rankings & Awards
The Deal Names Steve Gill as Dealmaker of the Year, Shortlists Vinson & Elkins for Three Awards
October 3, 2022