Aris Haigian

Aris practices in the corporate and securities sector, representing and advising clients on all aspects of corporate, securities and commercial law. He has substantial experience in mergers and acquisitions and in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, including initial public offerings and secondary placements, acting for issuers and underwriters alike. His general corporate representation extends to negotiating executive employment, shareholder and partnership agreements, joint ventures and strategic alliances, bank financings and a variety of other commercial matters. 

Aris has acted for trustees and borrowers in a number of complex debt offerings under the Trust Indenture Act, and for borrowers and lenders in major asset-based, term and revolving credit facilities, both secured and unsecured. He also advises boards of directors and special committees on their fiduciary and other duties in merger and acquisition transactions and on corporate governance questions. 

While in law school Aris was Articles Editor of the Fordham International Law Journal and wrote the Note "The Separate Entity Fiction Exposed: Disregarding Self-Serving Recitals of Juridical Autonomy in Nationalization Cases," an analysis of a case raising complex banking and corporate issues in an international business transaction that the United States Supreme Court ultimately decided.  

His Note was cited by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in support of its holding in a case presenting similar issues. He is also the author of "Roadmap for Implementing a Stock Repurchase Program," published in the New York Law Journal, which discusses considerations under applicable federal and state securities and related laws when a public company adopts a stock repurchase program. 

Aris joined Michael Best with the New York team of Kane Kessler, P.C.

Solutions in action

Aris has represented clients in the following matters: 

• Represented a public company in its $4.5 billion sale to a multinational defense contractor. 
• Represented a NYSE-listed company in its $1.1 billion acquisition of an NYSE-listed manufacturer and distributor of tactical wheeled military vehicles. 
• Represented a Fortune 500 public company in its $200 million acquisition of a consumer products company from a private equity firm. 
• Represented a nationwide health club chain in its sale to a public company for approximately $200 million in cash and publicly traded NYSE common stock. 
• Represented a NYSE-listed company in its $140 million acquisition of an AMEX-listed manufacturer and distributor of industrial products. 
• Represented a public company in the simultaneous acquisition of two privately owned companies in the outdoor sports and recreation industry for an aggregate purchase price of $135 million. 
• Represented a public company in acquisitions of several European companies engaged in manufacturing, marketing and distributing industrial and commercial products, at prices ranging from $20 million to $50 million. 
• Represented a private group of investors in the $20 million leveraged acquisition of a public corporation's multinational beauty packaging division. 
• Represented various public and private companies in numerous public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, including common stock, warrants, senior notes and senior subordinated secured notes, in amounts ranging from $10 million to $400 million. 
• Represented various public companies as borrowers in numerous credit facilities involving secured and unsecured revolving, term and asset-based loans ranging from $20 million to $1.1 billion, with major money center banks as lenders.