Mike DeGraff

Mike DeGraff is a Partner in the Chicago office. He advises clients on a wide array of special situations including contested and friendly M&A, activist investor defense, litigation support, bankruptcies, management changes, and ongoing media and investor relations programs.

Notable assignments include advising Colfax on its separation into two companies, OneSpan on its settlement with Legion Partners, SEACOR on its sale to American Industrial Partners, Gogo on its sale of its commercial aviation business, TreeHouse Foods on its settlement agreement with JANA Partners, Woodward on its merger with Hexcel, Winnebago on its acquisitions of Barletta, Newmar, Grand Design and Chris-Craft, Gardner Denver on its combination with Ingersoll Rand's Industrial Business, Alexion on its acquisition of Achillion, Lamb Weston on its spin-off from Conagra, General Mills on its acquisition of Blue Buffalo, Albemarle Corporation on its acquisition of Rockwood Holdings, Hillshire Brands on its sale to Tyson Foods, The Timken Company on its proxy contest against Relational Investors, Walgreens on its acquisition of Duane Reade, Sun-Times Media Group on its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, IntercontinentalExchange on its bid for the Chicago Board of Trade, Bally Total Fitness on its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and IHOP on its acquisition of Applebee's.

Prior to joining the firm, Mike worked at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs where he facilitated discourse between influential Chicago figures and prominent political and corporate leaders from around the globe.

Mike graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a B.A. degree in History and Political Science.