John C. Partigan
Partner
Securities Practice Group Leader

Practice Areas

Experience

John Partigan concentrates his practice in mergers and acquisitions and federal securities law matters. His mergers and acquisitions practice includes public and privately negotiated acquisitions and divestitures in a variety of industries, including digital media, broadcast and cable television, publishing, telecommunications, energy and software.

Mr. Partigan’s experience includes representing Gannett Co., Inc. on its $2.6 billion cash tender offer for and merger with Central Newspapers, Inc., and on its acquisition of HighSchoolSports.net, X.com, Planet Discover, Inc., WATL-TV and Captivate Networks. He has also represented Gannett in connection with its purchase of additional membership interests in CareerBuilder, Topix and ShopLocal from The McClatchy Company, its acquisition of the partnership interest of Knight-Ridder Newspapers in the Detroit Newspaper Agency, its $2.7 billion disposition of its cable television business and its $1.1 billion acquisition of nineteen daily newspapers from Thomson Newspapers, Inc. He has represented UK2Net Limited on its acquisition of the web hosting business of MidPhase Services, Inc.; PSINet Inc. on its acquisition of internet service providers and its $275 million disposition to GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC of the stock of its transaction processing systems division; and Choice One Communications, Inc. on its $563 million acquisition of USXchange.

Mr. Partigan’s securities practice includes representing issuers in connection with primary and secondary public offerings of debt and equity securities, including initial public offerings, stock repurchase programs and private placements of debt and equity securities. He is regularly involved in advising clients regarding disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws. Mr. Partigan is the chairman of the firm’s Securities Team. He is a member of the NASDAQ Listings Qualifications Panel (2004-present).

Articles

• “Considering Listing on AIM? Consider Risks and Rewards,” Financial Executive, May 1, 2008
• “Proxy Disclosure of Change-in-control “Gross-Up” Payments,” Nixon Peabody Alert, February 21, 2007
• “New York stock exchange eliminates treasury share exception and adds notice requirement for issuance of treasury shares,” Nixon Peabody Alert, January 1, 2007
• “The Impact Of Section 409a On M&A Transactions,” Mergers and Acquisitions Journal, September 23, 2005
• “Perks - What 2005 Proxy Statements Reveal,” Financial Executive, July/August 2005
• “New Rules Speed Up the Reporting of Deals: Swifter and More Detailed 8-K Filings Address the Real-time Disclosure Obligations Outlined in Sarbanes-Oxley,” Mergers and Acquisitions Journal, September 1, 2004
• “Disclosure of Issuer Repurchases and the New Rule 10b-18,” Securities Regulatory Update, December 8, 2003

Admissions

Mr. Partigan is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York State.

Education

Albany Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
Willamette University, B.A., cum laude

Affiliations

Mr. Partigan is a member of the American Bar Association (Negotiated Acquisitions Committee and Federal Regulation of Securities Committee, Business Law Section), the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. He is a member of the Nasdaq Listings Qualifications Panel (2004–present).