Overview
Josh Ratner is global Vice Chair of the Private Equity practice and is based in the firm’s New York Office. Josh represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, family offices, venture capital funds, hedge funds and operating companies. He works with clients across various industries including consumer products, healthcare, financial services, technology, fitness, food, vitamins and supplements.
Josh has extensive experience in a wide variety of middle market transactions and general corporate matters, including leveraged buyouts, dispositions, joint ventures, growth equity investments, recapitalizations and other equity and debt financings. He advises private equity sponsors in structuring fund documentation, internal carry allocations and equity waterfalls.
Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Josh was the Managing Director and General Counsel, Private Equity of York Capital Management and its private equity investment arm, the York Special Opportunities Funds, where he was responsible for all business and legal affairs. He served on the board of directors of each of York’s portfolio companies, either as director or observer, and managed each investment from inception to exit.
Representations
M&A
- Advised Crossroads Health Management, LLC and its affiliates in connection with the sale of several skilled nursing facilities and the related issuance of tax-exempt revenue bonds
- Advised Latin American private equity fund in connection with the acquisition of restaurant franchise business located across several countries
- Advised APT Healthcare in connection with the acquisition of new strategic relationships and implementation of Master Service Agreements
- Advised Cano Health, LLC in connection with the acquisition of primary care practices
- Advised Cennox Group Limited in its acquisitions of:
- Bancsource
- Fire King
- Mick’s Vault
- Merlin
- Cashtester
- Secusystems
- ITech Installations Limited
- Advised GarMark Partners in connection with its investment in Chalk Couture Holdings, LLC
- Advised LLR and its portfolio company Kemberton Healthcare in connection with a sale to Revecore and GrowthCurve Capital
- Advised Kroll, LLC in connection with delivery of a fairness opinion relating to a merger transaction
- Advised Morgan Stanley & Co. and its Next Level Fund in connection with a venture capital investment
- Advised Nautic Partners and its portfolio company Innovative Renal Care in connection with its acquisition of American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. and related co-investment transactions
- Advised TA Associates on the sale of its portfolio company Paula’s Choice Holdings to Conopco, Inc., an affiliate of Unilever
- Advised Smarty Pants Vitamins on its sale to Conopco, Inc., an affiliate of Unilever
- Advised The Ziegenfelder Company on its sale to Armstrong Holdings, Inc.
- Advised Titan Home Improvement in connection with the:
- Acquisition of Paradise Home Improvement, LLC
- Acquisition of Home Smart Industries, LLC
- Advised York Capital in connection with the:
- Growth investment in AMC Health
- Acquisition of APT Healthcare
- Acquisition of Curio Brands
- Acquisition of Cennox Holdings Limited
- Acquisition of Good Feet and Dr.'s Own
- Carve-out and acquisition of Mode Transportation from Hub Group
- Acquisition of one of the largest franchisees in the Planet Fitness system
- Acquisition from Chevron of shallow-water Gulf of Mexico oil wells
- Acquisition and development of a gas-to-liquids plant
- Acquisition and development of American Car Center and its securitization transactions
- Acquisition of the Houlihan's restaurants and the subsequent purchase of a series of restaurants from its largest franchisee
- Acquisition and development of Peachtree Hills, a continuing care retirement community in Georgia
- Acquisition of The Bay Club and its subsequent sale
- Acquisition and building of several age-restricted and other residential communities
- Acquisition and subsequent sale of 12 car dealerships in California
- Acquisition and subsequent sale of a flotation device company for offshore oil rigs
- Acquisition of Shell Vacations, a timeshare vacation company, and its subsequent sale to Wyndham
- Acquisition of a discount retailer
- Creation of a lending platform and its subsequent sale to Medley Capital
- Acquisition of a mothballed ethylene plant, its conversion to a propane dehydrogenation plant, a public offering as an MLP and its subsequent sale to Flint Hills
- Acquisition and subsequent sale of Smith Brothers
- Advised MeadWestvaco, Inc. with respect to its $375 million sale of its Containerboard Division to Smurfit-Stone, Inc.
Equity Securities Offerings
- Advised Kismet Commerce, Inc. and its affiliates in connection with a Series A capital raise
- Advised Curio Brands in its recapitalization, equity issuances and ongoing corporate matters
- Advised Frazier Healthcare and its portfolio company OHI Orthotics, LLC in connection with certain refinancing and equity transactions
- Advised Duff & Phelps Corporation, a leading provider of independent financial advisory and investment banking services, with respect to its initial public offering of approximately $133 million of Class A Common Stock
- Advised NYMEX Holdings, Inc., the largest physical commodity-based futures exchange and clearinghouse in the world, with respect to its initial public offering of $383.5 million of common stock
General Corporate Matters
- Advised Hickory Recovery Network in connection with various matters
- Advised American Car Center in connection with various matters
- Advised Cord Grass Holdings in connection with several potential investments
- Advised The Good Feet Store in connection with general corporate matters
- Advised NYMEX Holdings, Inc. in connection with quarterly and annual disclosure documents, including Forms 10-Q and 10-K filings, quarterly press releases and proxy statements for annual shareholders meetings
Debt Financing
- Advised UK based fund in connection with a new capital call facility
- Advised Huntsman Advanced Materials LLC, an affiliate of Huntsman Holdings LLC, with respect to its issuance of $350 million senior notes issued in connection with its acquisition of the Vantico group of companies
Matters may have been completed before joining Paul Hastings.