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.

Areas of Focus

Practices
Industries

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.

Perspectives

  • 1983

    Severance Taxes and the Commerce Clause: Commonwealth Edison v. Montana

    83 Wis. L. Rev. 427

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