Description of field of expertise

Chauncey M. Lane is a corporate attorney in Holland & Knight’s Dallas office. Mr. Lane structures and negotiates complex transactions for strategic buyers and sellers as well as private equity firms in the technology, financial services and manufacturing industries.

A thought leader on rapidly evolving deal trends and strategies, Mr. Lane is regularly called on to advise clients on their most significant transactions, including stock and asset acquisitions, going private transactions, leveraged buyouts, carve-outs, platform acquisitions, add-on acquisitions and recapitalizations. Mr. Lane regularly leverages his transactional skills and knowledge to advise clients on cross-border transactions in Europe and South Asia, among other international jurisdictions.

Mr. Lane also serves as an adviser to venture capital funds and other alternative financing vehicles, where he regularly leads significant investment transactions into emerging growth companies and strategic partnerships. Often serving as outside general counsel and a trusted business adviser to his fund clients, Mr. Lane has a breadth of knowledge on the many issues that venture-backed operating companies regularly face. 

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Lane, a U.S. Army veteran, has a passion for helping his fellow veterans and handles several pro bono cases on their behalf each year.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Lane was an attorney at a multinational law firm in Dallas. During law school, he was a member of the Texas Tech Law Review.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Build meaningful relationships early and often.  The practice of law, whatever area of practice you go into, is driven by relationships, both internal and external.  Through strong relationships, you will unlock opportunities and through these opportunities you will continuously learn and grow throughout your career.  This is particularly true in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, whether your role is participating on a deal team or sourcing deal flow.  Never lose focus on the importance of meaningful relationships.

 

Final thoughts…

Find the learning opportunity to every experience you have.  Learn from failure just as much as you learn from success.  Learn from bad experiences just as much as you learn from good experiences.  In fact, it is often the failures and bad experiences that teach us the most.