Frank J. Aquila
| Francis "Frank" J. Aquila | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 3, 1957 New York City |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Brooklyn Law School Columbia University |
| Occupation | Corporate lawyer |
| Employer | Sullivan & Cromwell |
Francis J. Aquila (born February 3, 1957) is a corporate lawyer whose practice focuses on mergers & acquisitions and corporate governance matters. Following graduation from Columbia University (BA, 1979) and Brooklyn Law School (JD, 1983), Aquila joined Sullivan & Cromwell L.L.P. where he became a partner in 1992.
Aquila received the prestigious Burton Award for Legal Achievement twice, first in 2005 for his article "Back to the Future! Recent Hostile Bids Make Takeover Defenses Relevant" (The M&A Lawyer, June 2004), and again in 2010 for his article "Latin American Firms Pursue Global Status" Latin Business Chronicle, May 26, 2009. Frank Aquila is listed in the Lawdragon 500, a guide to the 500 leading lawyers in America. Aquila has been consistently ranked as one of the top m&a lawyers by Chambers and Partners and by The Best Lawyers in America. Frank Aquila has been featured twice in The American Lawyer, "Daddy's Weekend on the Phone" (January 2002) and "Supersonic Lawyers" (May 2004); and once in the Wall Street Journal, "Business Trips Leave Little Time for Luxuries" (May 31, 1996).
Aquila regularly appears as a guest on CNBC, Fox Business,Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Radio discussing topics relating to mergers, acquisitions and corporate governance. A frequent writer and speaker on these topics, Aquila has chaired a number of Practicing Law Institute programs focused on private equity and going private transactions. Aquila is also a featured columnist for Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
Frank Aquila generally represents large multinational corporations in significant transactions and has represented British Airways, Diageo, Amgen, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, EchoStar, InBev, Sainsbury, Payless ShoeSource, Pharmacia, Burger King, Pillsbury and Medtronic.
Mr. Aquila served as lead counsel to InBev in their successful unsolicited bid for Anheuser-Busch [1], the largest all-cash acquisition ever according to Dealogic. For his work on the InBev/Anheuser-Busch transaction, Aquila was named "Dealmaker of the Week" by the American Lawyer for "standing out from the rest in his tenacity and creativity in getting the deal done." In 2009, Aquila was ranked # 7 among the "Dealmakers of the Year" by the American Lawyer. Aquila was the 2010 recipient of the Atlas Award as M&A Lawyer of the Year from the M&A Global Network. Aquila is featured in the book Dethroning the King: The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon by Julie MacIntosh.
Aquila was selected by the American Bar Association in September, 2009 as a "Legal Rebel" as part of its "Legal Rebels" Project. He was profiled in the October, 2009 issue of the ABA Journal.
Aquila is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education; he also serves on the Board of Directors of Dress for Success Worldwide, the Board of Trustee of Brooklyn Law School, the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution and the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army of Greater of New York. Aquila is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. He has previously served as a member of the Democratic National Committee and the Education and Training Council of the Democratic Party.
