OConnor_Christine

Christine M. O’Connor

She/Her/Hers
Partner

Christine’s practice concentrates on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and general corporate matters. Her clients include private equity funds, private equity-backed companies, venture capital funds, fundless sponsors, family offices, individual investors, start-ups and strategic buyers, sellers and investors. Christine is well-versed in the financial services, software and tech, manufacturing and product distribution industries.

Her extensive experience includes:

  • Leveraged buyout transactions, including portfolio company acquisitions and dispositions, management employment and equity compensation arrangements and recapitalizations.
  • Representing venture capital funds and companies in connection with convertible note, common stock and preferred stock financings.
  • Representing companies in a wide variety of corporate governance and commercial contract matters.

Prior to joining Harter Secrest & Emery, Christine worked for the Cleveland, Ohio office of Jones Day.

PROFESSIONAL & CIVIC AFFILIATIONS

  • Member of the Board of Directors, South East Area Coalition
  • Member, Monroe County Bar Association

HONORS & AWARDS

  • Recognized by Chambers USA from 2016­-2022 in the field of Corporate/M&A (Upstate NY)
  • Named to the Chambers USA “Up and Coming” List in 2019-­2020
  • Named to the Chambers USA “Associates to Watch” List from 2016-2018
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale‐Hubbell
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Venture Capital Law
  • Selected to the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, 2017-2020
  • Recipient, “Forty Under 40” Award, Rochester Business Journal, 2017
  • Recipient, “Up and Coming Attorneys” Award, The Daily Record, 2017
  • Vanderbilt University Law School
    • Phi Beta Kappa
    • Notes Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

PRESENTATIONS

  • Steps to Start a New Business,” Eyes on the Future Radio Show, Greater Rochester Enterprise, January 2017
  • CLE Speaker, “Indemnification in Mergers and Acquisitions,” December 2012
  • CLE Speaker, “Escrow Services: Protecting Clients, Mitigating Risk,” February 2012

PRACTICE AREAS

ADMISSIONS

  • New York

CLERKSHIP

  • Judicial Extern to the Honorable Aleta Trauger, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee
  • Judicial Extern to the Honorable David Alan Ezra, U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii

EDUCATION

  • Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., Honors Scholar
  • Carnegie Mellon University, B.S., Chemistry, with high honors

Christine’s practice concentrates on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and general corporate matters. Her clients include private equity funds, private equity-backed companies, venture capital funds, fundless sponsors, family offices, individual investors, start-ups and strategic buyers, sellers and investors. Christine is well-versed in the financial services, software and tech, manufacturing and product distribution industries.

Her extensive experience includes:

  • Leveraged buyout transactions, including portfolio company acquisitions and dispositions, management employment and equity compensation arrangements and recapitalizations.
  • Representing venture capital funds and companies in connection with convertible note, common stock and preferred stock financings.
  • Representing companies in a wide variety of corporate governance and commercial contract matters.

Prior to joining Harter Secrest & Emery, Christine worked for the Cleveland, Ohio office of Jones Day.

PROFESSIONAL & CIVIC AFFILIATIONS

  • Member of the Board of Directors, South East Area Coalition
  • Member, Monroe County Bar Association

HONORS & AWARDS

  • Recognized by Chambers USA from 2016­-2022 in the field of Corporate/M&A (Upstate NY)
  • Named to the Chambers USA “Up and Coming” List in 2019-­2020
  • Named to the Chambers USA “Associates to Watch” List from 2016-2018
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale‐Hubbell
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Venture Capital Law
  • Selected to the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, 2017-2020
  • Recipient, “Forty Under 40” Award, Rochester Business Journal, 2017
  • Recipient, “Up and Coming Attorneys” Award, The Daily Record, 2017
  • Vanderbilt University Law School
    • Phi Beta Kappa
    • Notes Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

PRESENTATIONS

  • Steps to Start a New Business,” Eyes on the Future Radio Show, Greater Rochester Enterprise, January 2017
  • CLE Speaker, “Indemnification in Mergers and Acquisitions,” December 2012
  • CLE Speaker, “Escrow Services: Protecting Clients, Mitigating Risk,” February 2012

PRACTICE AREAS

ADMISSIONS

  • New York

CLERKSHIP

  • Judicial Extern to the Honorable Aleta Trauger, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee
  • Judicial Extern to the Honorable David Alan Ezra, U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii

EDUCATION

  • Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., Honors Scholar
  • Carnegie Mellon University, B.S., Chemistry, with high honors
OConnor_Christine
Christine M. O’Connor