Louis M. Rappaport

Biography

CO-CHAIR, CORPORATE, M&A, AND SECURITIES PRACTICE GROUP

Areas of Focus
Private Equity            
Mergers + Acquisitions        
Corporate 
Technology
Business Services

Louis Rappaport focuses his practice on U.S. and global private equity and strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, roll-ups, corporate carveouts and distressed transactions.  Clients such as private equity fund sponsors, strategic buyers and their portfolio companies trust Louis to complete their leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, and asset and stock acquisitions. He also regularly represents sellers of middle-market privately-held businesses (including private equity sponsored businesses, entrepreneur driven businesses and multigenerational family-owned businesses) to financial and strategic buyers and advises clients on private capital raising transactions. 

Louis has structured, negotiated, and closed deals in a wide range of industry sectors, including technology, business services, software, manufacturing, healthcare, consulting services and staffing, among others. Clients value his ability to assemble an efficient team of professionals with the business and legal skills and industry knowledge needed to help them achieve their business goals. 

Corporate clients of all sizes rely on Louis for counseling and advice. He serves as “outside general counsel” to a myriad of business clients and advises on general corporate counseling, corporate governance, and commercial contracts.  He is adept at navigating shareholder relations matters and business disputes. Louis also advises on financing, IP licensing and tech transfer matters, outsourcing, and executive compensation and incentive equity matters. He regularly advises on business formation, strategy and planning matters, structures limited liability companies, partnerships and joint ventures and provides guidance to investors and owners of emerging businesses in connection with equity financing matters and venture capital investments.

Chambers USA has recognized Louis as a leader in the field of mergers and acquisitions who “is adept at guiding clients through the full range of related transactions”. Clients state “he is just superb in all respects – knowledge, experience, professionalism – as well as being a pleasure to work with. He is a tireless advocate for his clients.”

Experience

Private Equity and Strategic Investment Transactions

  • Brighton Cromwell, a technology-enabled supply chain integrator providing distribution, logistics, and kitting solutions to the Department of Defense, prime contractors, and OEMs globally, in its sale to Triman Industries, a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners, LP, a private equity firm.
  • Invisors, a Workday Services Partner, in connection with a minority growth investment from WestView Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm.
  • ImageFIRST Healthcare Laundry Specialists, Inc., a multigenerational family-owned business providing commercial laundering and linen rental services to healthcare facilities nationwide, in its sale to an affiliate of the private equity firm Calera Capital.
  • Mereo Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, in connection with its investment in Luna Labs, a recently divested division of Luna Innovations Incorporated, a publicly traded company and global leader in advanced fiber optic-based technology.
  • Togetherwork Holdings, LLC, a portfolio company of GI Partners, and a leader in group management software and payments, in several transactions, including:
    • its acquisition of Gingr L.L.C., the preeminent provider of management software for dog daycare boarding and grooming businesses.
    • its acquisition of E-Websity, Inc. dba CapturePoint, the preeminent provider of management software and payment management solutions for county/municipal recreation and public-school districts.
    • its acquisition of CircuiTree, the preeminent provider of camp management software.
  • TopBloc, LLC, a leading Workday services partner based in Chicago, Illinois, in its sale of a minority interest to BV Investment Partners.
  • World Wide Land Transfer, a national title insurance and settlement services agency, in an investment from Corridor Capital, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm.
  • Winxnet, Inc., a Maine based I.T. outsourcing and consulting firm, in the sale of a majority of its equity interests to an affiliate of the Riverside Company, a global middle market private equity firm.

Mergers & Acquisitions and Entrepreneur-Side Transactions

Technology

  • Candid Partners, a leading cloud consulting firm, in its sale to McKinsey & Company, management consulting firm.
  • Kintyre Solutions, Inc., a system integrator with practices focused on observability and investigation platforms, cloud computing optimization, and security engineering, in its sale to CDI LLC, a provider of the most up-to-date hybrid IT technology solutions.
  • Prosperoware, an enterprise software company for the adoption and governance of collaboration systems, in its sale to Litera, a global leader in legal technology solutions.
  • SurePoint Technologies, the leading cloud provider of financial and practice management solutions for law firms, in its acquisition of Cole Valley Software, the maker of ContactEase, a leading customer relationship management (“CRM”) solution for legal professionals.
  • Veracity Consulting Group, LLC, a digital transformation firm, based in Richmond, Virginia, that delivers innovative solutions to the Fortune 500 and leading healthcare organizations, in its sale to Resources Connection, Inc., a multinational business consulting firm operating as Resources Global Professionals.

Business Services

  • CMF Associates LLC, a preferred operating partner for private equity firms seeking financial, management and accounting consulting and leadership, in the sale of its business to CBIZ, a professional services and accounting firm that provides a comprehensive range of business services and solutions.
  • eLocal Holdings LLC, a leading provider of performance-based advertising services, in several transactions, including:
    • its acquisition of both Felix Calls, LLC (a pay-per-action advertising business) and CityGrid Media, LLC (a local content and advertising network) from InterActiveCorp (IAC) and its affiliates.
    • its sale of a majority interest to HomeServe PLC, an international home repairs and improvements business.
  • ImageFIRST Healthcare Laundry Specialists, a leading provider of healthcare linen rental and hospital laundry services, in the following nine separate asset acquisitions of targeted industry entities operating in multiple jurisdictions across the United States:
    • Maverick Industrial Services, located in Texas. The transaction closed on February 1, 2021.
    • Southern Medical Linen Service, located in Georgia. The transaction closed on April 16, 2021.
    • Houston RED C, LLC, located in Texas. The transaction closed on April 30, 2021.
    • Premier Linen Services, Inc., located in Florida. The transaction closed on May 7, 2021.
    • Revolve Laundry (San Diego) LLC, located in California. The transaction closed on August 26, 2021.
    • Elite Healthcare Laundry, located in Minnesota. The transaction closed on November 5, 2021.
    • Puget Sound Laundry Services, located in Washington. The transaction closed on December 10, 2021.
    • Pratt-Abbott Uniform & Linen, located in New England. The transaction closed on December 17, 2021.
    • Textile Care Services, located in Utah. The transaction closed on December 31, 2021.
  • The Evanston Group, a life sciences consulting firm providing specialty talent to the industry's largest global biotech leaders, in its sale to Eliassen Group, a leading national strategic consulting and talent solutions firm.
  • S&P Consultants, a healthcare IT consultancy with a 25-year track record, in its sale to Nordic Consulting, a global health and technology consulting company.
  • Xyvid, Inc., which conducts Event DX business in the United States, in its sale of the company to V-Cube, Inc., which provides planning, development, offering, operation, and support of visual communication and DX services for enterprise customers.

Capital-Raising Transactions

  • eLocal USA, LLC, a consumer oriented online search directory of businesses, in a growth equity investment from LLR Partners, a middle market private equity firm.
  • HealthVerity, Inc., which provides integrated technology and real-world data infrastructure driven by identity, privacy, governance, and exchange, in connection with several capital-raising transactions:
    • its $100 million Series D round of financing led by Durable Capital Partners LP, with participation from all existing investors, including Flare Capital Partners, Foresite Capital, and Greycroft.
    • its $25 million of Series C funding led by existing investor Foresite Capital with participation from Flare Capital Partners, Greycroft Partners and other existing investors.
    • a Series A round of financing led by Flare Capital Partners with participation from Greycroft Partners and Laboratory Corporation of America.
  • Susquehanna Growth Equity, a private equity group investing in growth capital and buyout opportunities in software, information services, internet and financial technology sectors, which led a $25 million Series D financing round investment in Payoneer, Inc., a leading online payments company.
  • vybe, an operator of urgent care centers intended to provide treatment for a broad range of illnesses and injuries, with regard to a growth equity investment by NewSpring Health Capital, the dedicated healthcare fund of parent private equity company NewSpring, and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (“PCOM”).

News & Views

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Recognitions

  • 2020–2024, Corporate/M&A & Private Equity Law, listed in Chambers USA
  • 2013–2020, 2022–2023, “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” in Mergers & Acquisitions, listed in Super Lawyers
  • 2017–2021, 2023, listed in The Legal 500 United States

Affiliations

Memberships

  • Philadelphia Bar Association
  • Association for Corporate Growth
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Villanova University School of Law
Professional Activities

As an adjunct lecturer for nearly 20 years at his alma mater, Villanova University School of Law, and at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Louis has taught law and business students on topics including mergers and acquisitions transactions, business negotiation skills, and venture capital transactions.

He has served as a past member of the Investment Advisory Committee for Benjamin Franklin Technology Partners in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Louis has also served as speaker/panel member at IMPACT Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Dealmakers Conference and Fast Growth Icons business conferences. He is an active member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG”), Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey

Education

  • University of Delaware, BS, magna cum laude
  • Villanova University School of Law, JD, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif