Thomas E. Willett
Member

Mr. Willett is a leader of the Science and Technology Commercialization Industry Team. He practices in the Corporate Practice Group. Mr. Willett focuses his legal practice in the general corporate area, with an emphasis on securities law matters. Mr. Willett represents small, medium, and large business entities and provides advice and guidance in all aspects of their activities, including business planning, capital formation and ongoing operations. He has extensive experience in securities law, where he has served as counsel to issuers, underwriters and investors in numerous public offerings, private placements, and venture capital transactions. He also serves as counsel to several publicly traded companies in connection with ongoing securities law compliance matters.

Selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America, Mr. Willett also represents individuals and businesses in a wide variety of business transactions, including tender offers, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He has represented both buyers and sellers of businesses and has represented clients in transactions involving both public and closely held companies. He has also represented his corporate clients in the formation and operation of joint ventures and other strategic alliances. Mr. Willett also represents several foreign based corporations in connection with their operations and transactions in the United States.

Mr. Willett joined Harris Beach in 1979 after serving six years as a judge advocate in the United States Air Force.

Mr. Willett’s representative recent transactions include:

• Represented a real estate development company in connection with its acquisition by a publicly traded REIT in a $2.3 billion transaction;
• Represented the mortgage lending subsidiary of a publicly traded bank holding company in connection with its offer and sale of more than $200 million aggregate principal amount of its subordinated debentures in public offerings;
• Represented a manufacturer of coatings for medical devices from formation through the date of its acquisition by a publicly traded company;
• Represented a closely held software manufacturer in connection with its acquisition for $75 million by a private investment company;
• Represented a locally-based market research firm in its $75 million initial public offering; and
• Represented a closely held company in connection with its private placement of $100 million principal amount of its senior secured notes.