Robert Leavitt Email & Phone Number

Greater Chicago Area

Handles a broad range of commercial, corporate and banking matters for businesses and banks, including banking services and operations, mergers and acquisitions, private placements and capital raises, asset based lending and leasing, work-outs, corporate formations and governance, outsourcing, licensing and joint venturing, capital equipment sales and leasing, and general commercial contracts.

Bannockburn, Il

Handled a broad range of commercial, corporate and banking matters for businesses and banks, including mergers and acquisitions, private placements and capital raises, corporate formations and governance, banking services, operations and compliance, outsourcing, licensing and joint venturing, real estate matters, capital equipment sales and leasing, asset based lending and leasing, work-outs and general commercial contracts.Representative Transactions: Structured, documented, negotiated and closed well over twenty acquisitions in the span of a year for a publicly traded company in the medical waste disposal and paper shredding industries, totaling in excess of $60 million. The acquisitions took the form of asset purchases, stock purchases and reverse subsidiary mergers. Renegotiated a $30 million senior loan facility for a publicly traded company in the auto parts industry with U.S. and Canadian subsidiary borrowers, and subsequently drafted and negotiated several additional amendments and a forbearance agreement for this facility.

Northbrook, Illinois

Handled a broad range of commercial, corporate and banking matters for businesses and banks, including mergers and acquisitions, private placements and capital raises, corporate formations and governance, banking services, operations and compliance, outsourcing, licensing and joint venturing, real estate matters, capital equipment sales and leasing, asset based lending and leasing, work-outs and general commercial contracts. Representative Transactions: Structured, documented and negotiated a $3 million private placement capital raise for an energy drink manufacturer, including preparation of the private placement memorandum, stock purchase agreement, voting rights agreement, investors’ rights agreement, amended certificate of incorporation and various directors and shareholders’ consents. Advised a national bank on the structuring and implementation of their new international low value payments system through the use of a U.K. based payments processor.

Chicago, Illinois

Represented clients from small startups to banks and Fortune 500 enterprises in a variety of industries regarding all aspects of their businesses, including mergers and acquisitions, private placements and capital raises, corporate formation, governance and compliance, outsourcing, licensing and joint venturing, real estate transactions, asset based lending and leasing, and management and employee matters.Representative Transactions: Structured, documented and negotiated a $16 million private placement capital raise for a golf café franchise, including preparation of the private placement memorandum and subscription agreement. Negotiated, documented and closed a $90 million sale of a short-line railroad coupled with a refinancing of the seller’s $65 million senior debt. Documented, negotiated and closed a $90mm senior secured credit facility for a client in the transportation industry, including equity, real estate, and railroad rolling stock collateral. Planned and implemented a freeze-out of a disloyal member, manager and employee of a privately held limited liability company through the use of a reverse merger and injunctive relief. Designed and implemented a new corporate structure for a major Chicago area food retailer and its affiliates that significantly enhanced their ability to protect their assets and reduce their tax liabilities.

Northbrook, Illinois

Provided legal support for the day to day business, transactions, projects, and operations of high tech companies and banks, on a scheduled basis at the clients’ premises.

Brown Deer, Wisconsin

In-house counsel to Metavante Corp., which was a leading provider of software development and data processing services to financial institutions. Responsible for providing legal advice and support to senior management regarding business acquisitions, alliances and investments, product development, marketing, client transactions, licensing, outsourcing, and operations.Representative Transactions: Negotiated, documented and closed a $3.2 million dollar investment (preferred stock purchase) in one of the company’s key suppliers. Structured and negotiated the business process outsourcing agreement with a major insurance company moving into the financial services business. This contract generated annual revenues in excess of $1.25 million.

Chicago, Illinois

Provided legal support for all aspects of the business of Citibank's Global Cash Management Services division, including drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, managing a small legal department and corporate governance matters, handling legal compliance and audit issues. Advised all of Citibank on matters relating to various account and cash management services, including its cross-border, multi-currency payment and collection services (WorldLink). Provided legal support for Official Check, Money Order and Travelers Cheques products and services to financial institutions. Developed all customer legal documentation, handled compliance and regulatory matters, advised on bank operational issues.Representative Transactions: Invented, implemented, and documented an innovative legal structure for Citibank’s new cross-border, multi-currency payment and collection service, WorldLink, which became Citibank’s single most profitable product. Researched and analyzed applicable laws and regulations of over 26 countries ensuring necessary compliance while achieving all business objectives. Devised uniform client documentation used in over 90 countries. Led action team in the Division’s client implementation process improvement project. Devised and implemented new cycle time and defects measurements. Reengineered and streamlined client documentation. The project resulted in extensive process improvements and a 25 to 30 percent reduction of defects worldwide. Promulgated and implemented industry positions and strategies regarding anti-money laundering, wet settlement, escheatment and other laws and regulations affecting non-bank money transmitters as a lead member of the Ad-Hoc Money Transmitters’ Industry Group. Negotiated, documented and closed the $15 million sale of Citibank’s Official Check and Money Order business.

B.A., Philosophy, Psychology

Activities and Societies: Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity

Llm, International Business

Activities and Societies: Wolfson College

Jd, Law

Activities and Societies: Law Review. Moot Court Society. Elected to Executive Board, Student Bar Association.

High School Diploma

Activities and Societies: Hamill House, Upper House, Jewish Student Organization (JSO).Founding member of the JSO.