Kyle A. Harris
Partner
“Exceptional knowledge and service.”
Next Generation Partner, M&A: Large Deals, The Legal 500 U.S.
Rising Star
Dealmaker Quarterly
Rising Star for M&A
Law360
Rising Star
Legal Media Group Expert Guides
Rising Star
New York Law Journal
Kyle A. Harris’ practice focuses on public and private mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters.
His experience spans the range of M&A activity, including both domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, carve-outs, divestitures, joint ventures, and other complex corporate transactions, as well as shareholder activism and takeover defense. He also regularly advises companies and their boards on fiduciary duties, corporate governance, and securities law matters. He is an adjunct professor of law at NYU School of Law, where he teaches a course on mergers and acquisitions.
He has significant experience in transactions across a broad array of industries, with particular experience in business services, chemicals, healthcare, industrials, and telecommunications.
Widely recognized by leading legal publications, Kyle was ranked in The Legal 500 U.S. in the M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+) category in 2023. He was named a “Rising Star” by New York Law Journal in 2024 and a “Rising Star” in M&A by Law360 in 2020, recognizing him as one of five outstanding M&A lawyers in the U.S. under the age of 40 “whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.” He was also named a “Rising Star” by The Deal in 2020 and by Expert Guides in 2021 and 2022.
Kyle is also active in the firm’s pro bono practice and educational pipeline work. Among other matters, he represented the Envision Freedom Fund (formerly the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund) in a number of significant initiatives, including the launch of the New York Immigrant Freedom Fund and the multi-state National Bail Out Campaign. He serves on the board of directors of The Bronx Defenders and is a member of the New York State Attorney General’s Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health. He also oversees Cleary’s partnership with the Washington Irving Campus of high schools.
Kyle joined the firm in 2011 and became a partner in 2020.
Notable Experience
WPP in its minority investment in Mediaocean and its acquisition of Fenom Digital.
Heidelberg Materials in its announced $600 million acquisition of Giant Cement Holding Inc. (GCHI).
Surescripts in its strategic partnership with TPG Capital.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust, Kellanova’s largest stockholder, in Mars’ announced $35.9 billion acquisition of Kellanova.
RTX Corporation in its sale of the Goodrich Hoist & Winch business of its Collins Aerospace Division to Signia Aerospace, an Arcline Investment Management portfolio company.
Turtle Creek Asset Management in matters related to its investment in Gildan Activewear.
Wendel in its settlement agreement with IHS Towers.
DECATHLON, the world’s largest sporting goods retailer, in its acquisition of Bergfreunde.
A special committee of the board of directors of Chewy Inc. in transactions between Chewy and affiliates of BC Partners.
FGS Global in an investment by KKR.
Compass Minerals in its $252 million strategic equity investment partnership with KM&T.
International Flavors & Fragrances in its $1.3 billion sale of its Microbial Control business unit to Lanxess, $45.4 billion Reverse Morris Trust merger with DuPont’s Nutrition & Biosciences business, and $7.1 billion acquisition of Frutarom.
Finsbury Glover Hering in its merger with Sard Verbinnen & Co., and previously represented Finsbury in the formation of Finsbury Glover Hering.
AdvanSix in its acquisition of U.S. Amines.
dMY Technology Group III in its merger with IonQ to become the first publicly traded pure-play quantum computing company.
Astound Broadband in its $8.1 billion sale to Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners.
América Móvil in its $6.25 billion sale of TracFone Wireless to Verizon Communications and $905 million acquisition of Nextel Brazil.
Barclays as financial advisor to Regal Beloit in its Reverse Morris Trust merger with Rexnord’s process and motion control business.
Ness in its acquisition of Risk Focus.
Warburg Pincus in numerous transactions, including:
- its investment, along with Berkshire Partners, in Ensemble Health Partners.
- its acquisitions of Certified Labs, CityMD, Guardsmark, Food Safety Net Services, and Universal Services of America.
- the merger of equals of Universal Services of America and AlliedBarton Security Services, creating Allied Universal.
Allied Universal in numerous matters, including its sale of a significant equity stake to CDPQ and investment funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus at a valuation of more than $7 billion, and in its acquisition of SOS Security.
MEDNAX in its sale of American Anesthesiology and in its defense against an activism campaign led by Starboard.
Bemis in its $6.8 billion all-stock combination with Amcor.
Dun & Bradstreet in its $6.9 billion all-cash sale of the company to a private equity consortium.
Kindred Healthcare in numerous transactions, including:
- its $4.1 billion sale to a consortium led by TPG, Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe, and Humana, which included the concurrent separation of Kindred’s specialty hospital business from its home health and hospice businesses (named “Outstanding Deal of the Year” by The Deal).
- its unsolicited tender offer to acquire Gentiva Health Services and the resulting $1.8 billion negotiated acquisition.
- the sale of 15 long-term acute care hospitals, an inpatient rehabilitation facility, and a skilled nursing facility to Vibra Healthcare.
- the sale of seven skilled nursing facilities to Signature HealthCARE.
TPG Capital in its $2.25 billion acquisition of RCN and Grande Communications.
RCN in its $2.36 billion acquisition of Wave Broadband.
Google in its $1.1 billion agreement with HTC relating to the smartphone design business.
The Raine Group in its investments in Imagine Entertainment and Important Studios.
Kroll Bond Rating Agency in its sale to Wharf Street LLC.
Allergan in its proposed $160 billion merger with Pfizer.
Silver Point Capital in its sale of Affinity Gaming.
GlaxoSmithKline in its unsolicited tender offer to acquire Human Genome Sciences and the resulting $3.6 billion negotiated acquisition.
Cascade Investments in the reorganization of its portfolio company, Optim Energy, and Section 363 sale of Optim’s Twin Oaks power plant to Blackstone.
Citigroup as financial advisor to Orbital Sciences Corporation in its Morris Trust merger-of-equals with the aerospace and defense groups of Alliant Techsystems.
Lafarge in the divestiture of its cement operations in Ecuador to UNACEM and in various North American divestitures in connection with its €40 billion merger of equals with Holcim.
Pluspetrol in its acquisition of interests in Petrodelta S.A. from Harvest Natural Resources and in its proposed acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Harvest Natural Resources.
Selected Activities
trigger- Adjunct Professor, New York University School of Law
- Board of Directors, The Bronx Defenders
- Member, New York State Attorney General’s Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health
- Senior Editor, The Journal of Constitutional Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Publications
Events
February 13, 2024
Trends and Developments in Cross-Border Shareholder Activism
October 17, 2023
October 4, 2023
September 26, 2023
Governance Watch Webcast: Shareholder Activism: Beyond the Headlines
April 13, 2023
October 18, 2022
May 5, 2022
April 5, 2022
January 13, 2022