Overview

John Sagan is senior counsel in Mayer Brown’s Chicago office and a member of its Corporate & Securities practice.  John concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions; public offerings of both equity and debt securities, representing both issuers and underwriters; investment company regulation under the 1940 Act; venture capital and private equity funds; private placements of both equity and debt securities; and general corporate representation.  In addition, John is the former co-chair of the firm's Committee on Professional Responsibility and co-chair of the firm's Partner Promotion Committee.

In April 2011, John was featured in Thomson Reuters’ Currents publication, where he discussed longtime client Caterpillar’s $8.6 billion acquisition of Bucyrus International, Midwest M&A trends, post-merger integration and corporate governance issues.  John was also recently featured in The Deal’s M&A trend video interview series, where he discussed the state of M&A and manufacturing in the Midwest.

Spoken Languages

  • English

Experience

  • Represented Bodycote plc in its purchase of the heat treating business and assets of Bluewater Thermal Processing, LLC and its subsequent purchase of Specialty Manufacturing Services, Inc.
  • Represented DeVry, Inc., in the $235 million acquisition of American University of the Caribbean, a privately held medical school with a campus located in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles.
  • Represented Caterpillar, Inc. in its $8.6 billion acquisition of Bucyrus International, Inc., a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-productivity mining equipment for the surface and underground mining industries.
  • Represented Progress Rail Services Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., in the $820 million acquisition of Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., a leading manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives and diesel power engines, from private equity firms, Berkshire Partners LLC and Greenbriar Equity Group LLC.
  • Represented Ryerson Inc. in the sale of its 50 percent interest in Tata Ryerson Ltd. to Tata Steel Ltd. The 50/50 joint venture between Tata Steel and Ryerson is one of India's leading steel service centers.
  • Represented NorthShore University HealthSystem in its merger with Rush North Shore Medical Center. The new name of NorthShore's fourth hospital will be Skokie Hospital.
  • Represented Kerry Group plc and its wholly owned subsidiary Mastertaste Inc. in the sale of Manheimer Fragrances Inc., a division of Mastertaste, to Symrise Inc., a global supplier of fragrances, flavorings and raw materials and active ingredients for the perfume, cosmetics and food industries.
  • Represented Whirlpool Corporation in the sale of its Hoover vacuum business to Techtronic Industries, Co., Ltd.
  • Represented Caterpillar Inc. in the $1 billion acquisition of Progress Rail Services, Inc. Progress Rail was majority owned by One Equity Partners LLC, a private equity affiliate of JP Morgan Chase & Company, Inc.
  • Represented Ryerson Tull Inc. in the $410 million acquisition of Integris Metals, Inc., which offers specialized product expertise in stainless steel, carbon steel and aluminum, from Alcoa Inc. and BHP Billiton Ltd.

Education

Lawrence University, BA

University of Wisconsin Law School, JD, cum laude
Research and Writing Editor, Wisconsin Law Review

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • New York
  • Wisconsin

Activities

  • Trustee, Evanston Public Library, 1997-2004; President of the Board, 1999-2004
  • Metropolitan Chicago Advisory Board, Salvation Army, 1993-1996
  • American Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Wisconsin Bar Association