Richard N. Gale

Partner

Rich has a broad-based transactional practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic business combinations.

Richard Gale Portrait

Rich regularly advises clients on complex commercial matters, including licensing arrangements, financing transactions, and general corporate counseling, and frequently supervises and coordinates related litigation strategy. In addition to his corporate work, Rich maintains an active transactional tax practice.

Rich previously served on the firm’s Executive Committee and as Chair of the Financial Management Committee for more than 25 years, reflecting his long-standing leadership role within the firm.

Client Work

Rich serves as outside general counsel to a wide range of mid-market companies and often works closely with owners and senior executives as a trusted member of the management team. His work regularly includes advising on business formation and structure, acquisitions and divestitures, recapitalizations, and internal reorganizations. A substantial portion of his practice is devoted to the negotiation, formation, and unwinding of complex joint ventures.

His transactional experience spans a broad range of industries, including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, real estate, and alcoholic beverages. 

Sports 

Rich is highly active in the professional sports sector. He has represented ownership groups and investors in some of the most significant transactions in the industry, including the 2005 acquisition and 2026 $1.7 billion dollar sale of the Tampa Bay Rays and Robert L. Johnson’s sale of the Charlotte Bobcats. He has also advised investors in connection with ownership interests in the Washington Commanders, Memphis Grizzlies, and Atlanta Hawks.

Rich’s representative experience includes:

  • Sale of a majority ownership interest in the Tampa Bay Rays from Stuart Sternberg to an ownership group led by Patrick Zalupski
  • Sale of a majority ownership interest in the Los Angeles Lakers from the Buss family to Mark Walter
  • Sale of Snapfish to Apollo
  • Sale of Kenwood Vineyards to Pernod Ricard
  • Sale of Chesapeake Eye Care to Centre Partners
  • Sale of Rapid Advance to Rockbridge Growth Equity
  • Sale of a controlling interest in Miraval Resort (Tucson, Arizona) to KSL Capital Partners
  • Sale of Bisnow Media to The Wicks Group
  • Acquisition of Whistle Labs
  • Sale of ARPC to Madison Dearborn Partners

Healthcare 

Rich has extensive experience advising healthcare clients on mergers and acquisitions, physician and hospital joint ventures, and the acquisition, syndication, and sale of diagnostic imaging centers, dialysis centers, and outpatient surgery centers. His work includes representing both buyers and sellers of large physician practices, including transactions involving physician practice management companies.

Financial Investors and Borrowers

Rich represents borrowers in asset-based lending transactions and regularly advises angel investors and venture capital funds on equity and equity-like investments in technology and growth-stage companies.

Nonprofits 

Rich advises clients on a wide range of federal and state tax matters, with particular emphasis on matters affecting not-for-profit organizations and their affiliated for-profit subsidiaries.

Recognitions

- The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers (2018-2026)

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