Glaser Weil is Pleased to Announce that George Wall has Joined the Firm as Partner and Chair of the Mergers & Acquisitions Dept.

Glaser Weil LLP is pleased to announce that George Wall, an attorney known for his expertise in complex financial transactions, has joined the firm as a partner and Chair of its Mergers and Acquisitions Department.

Mr. Wall will work principally out of Glaser Weil’s new offices in Newport Beach, as well as its Century City office, and will oversee its growing M&A practice.

During a legal career of more than 40 years, Mr. Wall has served as lead counsel on many complex, high-profile transactions. He represented part of the group that purchased the Sacramento Kings basketball team from the Maloof family in 2013 for more than $530 million. In 2012, Mr. Wall represented Alacer Corp., the maker of Emergen-C health products, when it was acquired by Pfizer Inc.

Mr. Wall has worked on more than 400 transactions in his career. His past clients also include McDonald’s Corp., apparel company Ocean Pacific and real estate developer George Argyros, the former U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

The addition of Mr. Wall benefits Glaser Weil in two key areas: he will bring expertise to the firm’s growing mergers and acquisitions practice and enhance its presence in Orange County.

“George’s reputation and background in mergers and acquisitions will be a tremendous asset to the firm’s clients,” said Peter Weil, managing partner of Glaser Weil. “We are excited to have him join our group. It will greatly enlarge the firm’s footprint in the growing Orange County market.”

Glaser Weil, formed in 1988, is a full-service law firm with headquarters in Century City and offices in Downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco and Newport Beach. The firm’s clientele includes a diverse mix of international, national and local corporations and private entrepreneurs, including a number of highly visible clients headquartered in Orange County.

“I am thrilled to join the terrific attorneys at Glaser Weil and am excited about expanding the firm’s transactional practice,” Mr. Wall said. “The firm is committed to growing in this area and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Mr. Wall said he has always been interested in mergers and acquisitions because it allows him to work with successful entrepreneurs who have achieved success in many sectors and learn what separates them from the rest.

“I feel a special responsibility to make sure clients on the sell side are fully protected after they have spent a lifetime building a successful company,” he said.

James D. Turner, former chairman of Alacer Corp., said his first encounter with Mr. Wall was memorable. Mr. Wall represented shareholders who were trying to force the sale of the company earlier than the Board wanted. When the Board eventually decided to sell the company, it sought out Mr. Wall because of the preparation and tenacity he showed in the prior meeting.

“You can’t help but respect George. He’s so good, so knowledgeable and he works hard at what he does,” Mr. Turner said. “When it came time to put the company on the market, the first thing we did was contact George to help shepherd us through the whole process.”

Alacer Corp. agreed to be acquired by Pfizer Inc., for undisclosed terms, in a deal that closed in 2012.

“It could not have gone better,” Mr. Turner said. “We achieved a record-setting multiple of EBITDA through George’s help on terms that were very difficult to negotiate because of certain litigation that we had pending. He absolutely maximized our value.”

William F. Farley, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fruit of the Loom who now runs a private equity firm, said he values Mr. Wall’s legal guidance.

“He’s a businessman’s lawyer,” Mr. Farley said. “He looks at it from two perspectives: What’s the law and what’s the best way for my client to achieve the business result we’re trying to achieve? He’s passionate about his clients and trying to obtain a good result for them.”

Before joining Glaser Weil, Mr. Wall was a Partner at Rutan & Tucker.  He has served as a Director of ANFI Inc., a NASDAQ company, and many nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Wall earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and his Juris Doctorate at the University of Miami. He is admitted to practice law in California and Florida.