Closing the Deal: Latest Trends in Deal Execution and Financing

Craig McCrohon is a partner at Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. Mr. McCrohon specializes in corporate, securities, and mergers and acquisitions law at the firm. He advises companies and investment funds regarding mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, director and officer liability, corporate finance, and financial institution regulatory and acquisition matters. His work has included bank organization and acquisitions; venture capital; securities offerings; and domestic, European, and Asian joint ventures. Mr. McCrohon is a graduate of Harvard University and received his joint law degree and M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business. He was a graduate student in law and economics at the London School of Economics. He worked with the legal staff of the United States Senate Committee on Banking and served as president of the Board of Directors of the Technology Executives Roundtable of the Evanston/Northwestern University Research Park. Mr. McCrohon was also named by the Chicago Lawyer as one of the "40 Under 40 Outstanding Illinois Attorneys" and is listed as one of the "Leading Lawyers in Illinois" for corporate and technology transactions, a listing that recognizes the top five percent of attorneys as selected by their peers. From 2012 to 2019, he served as Trustee, Investment Committee member, and from 2013 through 2018 investment chairman, of the $20 billion Illinois University Retirement System.

Justine Chiou is a managing director for William Blair based in the firm’s Chicago office where she leads the firm’s global education practice. She joined William Blair's investment banking team in 2011. Prior to William Blair, she worked for J.P. Morgan and Corporate Executive Board. In her spare time, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen, curled up reading, or spending time with her husband and two children.

Steve is a founding partner of May River Capital. Steve co-leads portfolio management at May River and assists in the overall management of the firm, including the development of investment theses, origination of new investment opportunities, deal structuring, negotiations, transaction execution, and internal operations. Prior to co-founding May River, Steve was a Partner at Baker McKenzie focused on mergers and acquisitions ranging from middle market U.S. transactions to multi-billion dollar, international transactions. Prior to his time at Baker McKenzie, Steve was an Associate with the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman and a Vice President of Business Development and General Counsel for the Erlen Group, a holding company including limestone mining, industrial real estate, warehousing and other industrial businesses. At the Erlen Group, Steve handled new business development and operational matters, including union negotiations, refinancings, litigation management, and commercial negotiations. Steve serves as a member of the board of directors of Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago’s legacy human services agency which reaches tens of thousands of families and individuals annually. He was previously a mentor with Link Unlimited, which provides educational college preparatory opportunities for economically disadvantaged African American high school students. Steve lives in Lakeview with his wife and two sons. Steve earned a B.A. from Yale University with distinction and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School where he was a White Scholar. May River Investment Involvement: Advanced Material Processing; Automated Handling Solutions; Dickson

Evan Palenschat advises clients on private credit and special situations investing, with a particular focus on debt financings and specifically in the area of leveraged finance. Evan has extensive experience advising private credit funds, financial institutions, private equity funds, hedge funds and public and private companies/borrowers/issuers, as well as alternative lending institutions. His practice involves all aspects of corporate transactional work and he also assists his clients in work-outs and other downside scenarios. Evan has represented his clients on countless transactions that include senior, second lien and subordinated financings, asset-based loans, work-outs, restructurings and bridge and mezzanine financings. Evan received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and also received an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois.