Leslie M. Apple

Les Apple has been a partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna since joining the Firm in 1995 and is co-chair of the Firm’s Corporate and Business Practice Group. Mr. Apple primarily concentrates his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, investment advisor and broker-dealer compliance, and banking and finance, including de novo bank formation. He also regularly engages as strategy counsel to financial institutions and as lead counsel on project financings. Mr. Apple’s clients include and have included public and private companies, registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, banks and investment funds.

Representative Accomplishments

• Lead counsel on the sale of a 1,100-employee company to a private equity fund.
• Lead counsel on a $60 million management buyout of a 175-employee division of a multinational company.
• Lead counsel to a North American manufacturer in connection with a series of acquisitions totaling $200 million and involving more than 1200 employees.
• Lead counsel on de novo bank formations.
• Lead counsel to an U.S. – Austrian joint venture in the sale of the constituent companies.
• Lead counsel on going-private transactions.
• Special counsel on bank merger and acquisition transactions.
• Strategy counsel on hostile takeovers and takeover defense.
• General corporate counsel to a number of privately owned businesses on banking and business strategy matters.
• Special counsel to Boards of Directors on governance matters.
• Lead counsel on an $100 million bank and partnership fraud investigation and litigation proceedings

Affiliations

Mr. Apple is a member of the American Bar Association’s Business, Banking and Taxation Sections. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Business Law and Taxation Sections and a member of the Albany County Bar Association. Mr. Apple was named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in the practice area of Corporate Law and selected to Super Lawyers® Top Rated Mergers & Acquisitions Attorney.