John LeClaire is a co-founder and the chair of the firm’s nationally ranked Private Equity Group, which was named the 2009 U.S. Buyout Firm of the Year by Buyouts magazine. The Goodwin Procter Private Equity Group serves leading private equity firms and growth companies operating in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Mr. LeClaire’s practice focuses on private equity transactions and relationships with growth companies. He joined Goodwin Procter in 1982 and has been a partner since 1989.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Mr. LeClaire is a frequent writer and speaker in the private equity/emerging companies area and a lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Business. He is regularly quoted in national publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Daily Deal, Buyouts and Mergers & Acquisitions: The Dealmaker’s Journal. Publications by Mr. LeClaire include:
- “The Q-Sale: Ensuring a Liquid Liquidity Event” in the October 5, 2009 edition of Buyouts
- “Nutraceuticals: Fiscally Healthy?” in the July, 2009 edition of Nutraceuticals World
- “Cash Flow: A Case For Taking It” in the April 27, 2009 edition of Buyouts
- “New Lessons to Avoid Disputes Post-Closing” in the October 20, 2008 edition of Buyouts
- “Financing Healthy Living” in the July 21, 2008 edition of INSIDER
- “Scraping By: The Pro-Buyer ‘Materiality Scrape’ Provision Finds a Foothold in Private M&A Negotiations” in the July 2008 edition of Mergers & Acquisitions
- “Partnering Right, Partnering Smart” in the May 26, 2008 edition of Buyouts
- “PE Holdings May Be Sitting on Preferred Stock Powder Kegs” in the September 2006 edition of Mergers & Acquisitions: The Dealmaker’s Journal
- “Schmuck Insurance and the Revival of the Moribund” in the July 10, 2006 edition of Buyouts
- “WatchMark Ruling Clarifies Pay-To-Play” in the March 2005 edition of Venture Capital Journal
- “Keeping the Money Safe” in the March 2004 edition of Venture Capital Journal
- “The Benchmark Case and the Limits of Preferred Stock Protection” in the November 2002 edition of Venture Capital Journal
- “Freeing the Captives: Current Trends in Private Equity Sponsorship of Divisional Carve-Outs and Spin-Offs” in the March 2002 edition of Venture Capital Journal
- “Performance Deals – A Crystal Ball in the Capital Structure” in the December 2001 edition of Venture Capital Journal
- “Speed Thrills - The Opportunity and Challenges of Investing at E-Speed” in the June 2000 edition of Venture Capital Journal
- “Three Sided Investments in the Age of the Internet” in Private Equity Analysts’ Year 2000 Guide to Corporate Investors
- “Going Private: Private Equity Investors Discover Market Orphans” in the November 1999 edition of Venture Capital Journal
Mr. LeClaire also published his first book, A Century of Sutton Sports, a collection of tales, oral histories and musings about small town sports and culture over a 100-year span.
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
Mr. LeClaire is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.
RECOGNITION
Mr. LeClaire is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon 500 and Leading Dealmakers in America. While attending law school, he was the Articles Editor for the Boston University Law Review.