Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Lyle Ganske advises significant companies, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, takeover preparedness, corporate governance, executive compensation, and general corporate counseling.

He has extensive experience with M&A involving a broad array of industries, including telecom, energy, manufacturing, retailing, and process industries. Representative transactions include: Nextel Communications' $46.5 billion merger-of-equals with Sprint, Albertsons' $17.4 billion acquisition by a consortium of investors, Federated Department Stores' $17 billion acquisition of May Department Stores, International Steel Group's $4.5 billion merger with Mittal Steel, and Procter & Gamble's $3.3 billion divestiture of Folgers.

Lyle also has been involved in numerous hostile takeover defenses, including Diebold, Incorporated, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., U.S. Shoe, and GenCorp. He has represented public companies in proxy contests and most recently successfully represented A. Schulman, Inc., Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., and STERIS Corporation against proxy solicitations.

American Greetings, General Electric, Goodrich, Nationwide Financial Services, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Scientific-Atlanta, and Sherwin-Williams are among other companies Lyle has advised on substantial matters.

Lyle is Partner-in-Charge of the Cleveland Office. He is a frequent speaker on M&A and corporate governance issues and has coauthored many articles, including "Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Avoiding the Solvency-Related Pitfalls in Spinoff Transactions" in The Business Lawyer. He serves on the boards of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (Executive Committee and co-chair, Commission on Economic Inclusion), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and Business Volunteers Unlimited (chair).

Areas of Practice

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• M&A
• Corporate Governance
• Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
• Financial Services
• Metals & Mining
• Consumer Products & Retail
• Corporate Compliance Programs

Representative Cases

• Acquisition by Andrew Corp.
• Acquisition by Investor Group
• Acquisition by Regus Group
• Acquisition by Service Corporation International
• Acquisition of AGENCY.COM
• Acquisition of Allegiant Bancorp
• Acquisition of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc , (2008)
• Acquisition of Anker Coal Group
• Acquisition of BHC Communications
• Acquisition of Claymont Steel
• Acquisition of CoalQuest Development
• Acquisition of Crossmann Communities
• Acquisition of Cytyc Corporation
• Acquisition of Extex , (2008)
• Acquisition of Gartmore Global Investments
• Acquisition of Gibson Greetings
• Acquisition of GLS
• Acquisition of Horizon Natural Resources
• Acquisition of Liberty House
• Acquisition of MascoTech
• Acquisition of Myers Industries
• Acquisition of Nationwide Financial Services
• Acquisition of Provident Financial Group
• Acquisition of Sersi Italia
• Acquisition of the electronics business of Rockwood Holdings
• Acquisition of The Purdy Corp.
• Acquisition of THI Holdings
• Acquisition of Torrington
• Acquisition of Union Federal Bank
• Acquisition of Wendy's
• Acquisition of Zilog , (2009)
• American West bankruptcy buyout
• Contract Manufacturing Agreement with Tata Infotech
• Disposition
• Equity Capital Raise
• First of America Bank Acquisition
• FTD Acquisition
• Japanese Joint Venture
• Management Buyout
• May Department Stores Merger
• Merger with Energy East Corporation
• Merger with Fort Wayne National
• Merger with Ispat International
• Merger with LG&E Energy
• Merger with Newell Companies
• Merger with Sierra Pacific
• Merger with Sprint
• Merger with Union Electric
• Merger with Valero Energy
• Merger-of-Equals with Geon
• OMNOVA Spin-Off
• Pirate Capital Proxy Contest
• Proxy Contest
• Proxy Solicitation by Bolger & Co.
• Proxy Solicitation by Tiger Management
• Recapitalization
• Rights Offering
• Sale of First Franklin
• Sale of Integrated Steel Assets
• Sale of Interest in NSK Torrington
• Sale of Lord & Taylor
• Sale of National Processing
• Sale of Oxy Vinyls interest
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Shareholders' Rights Plan
• Spin-Off of Engineered Industrial Products Division
• Stock Repurchase
• Stock Repurchase
• Takeover Defense
• Takeover Defense
• Takeover Defense
• Takeover Defense
• Takeover Defense
• Takeover Defense
• Unsolicited Proposal

West Practice Categories

Business Organizations, Business Successions, Closely Held Businesses, Corporate Governance, Directors' & Officers' Liability, Dissolution, Formation & Business Planning, Franchising, Joint Ventures, Limited Liability Companies, Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures, Non-profit & Tax-exempt Organizations, Partnerships, Reorganizations, Shareholders' Rights, Trade Associations

Bar Admissions

• Ohio

Education

• Ohio State University

Published Works

• Investor Group Intentionally Triggers "Poison Pill", 2009
• Nominating and Governance Committee Action Items for Autumn 2008: No Time To Waste, 2008
• The CSX Decision Regarding Beneficial Ownership and Group Formation, 2008
• It's Time to Rethink the Lawyer's Role in Dealmaking, 2007
• Ohio Opens the Door for Majority Voting in Director Elections, 2007
• Two Delaware Chancery Court Cases on Backdating and Spring-Loading Stock Options Increase the Stakes for Directors, 2007
• Majority Voting for Directors, 2006
• Shareholder Activists Attack Parachute Payments in M&A Transactions, 2005
• Merger Agreement Representations Take on a Life of Their Own, 2005
• Recent Actions by the SEC Under Regulation FD, 2002
• SEC Reminds Companies of Disclosure Requirements, 2002
• Recent SEC Amendments to Disclosure Requirements Relating to Equity Compensation, 2002

Address

North Point
901 Lakeside Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114-1190

Phones

1.216.586.7264 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.216.579.0212 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com