Practice:

• Corporate
• Securities Law

Bar Admissions:

Massachusetts
Texas

Experience:

Mr. Amidon has more than 20 years of experience helping a diverse group of clients, focusing on the general representation of business enterprises, with particular emphasis on business organization, capital formation, mergers and acquisitions, contracting, and complex corporate transactions. His clients include small- and mid-market companies in the high-tech, marketing and media communications, event organizing and publishing, general manufacturing, retail, restaurant and food services, defense and commercial electronics, printing and graphics, and insurance industries. Mr. Amidon also practices in the area of securities law, representing both issuers of securities and placement agents, venture capitalists and underwriters in both private and public offerings, and counseling companies and their directors and officers on securities law compliance and corporate governance matters. In addition, Mr. Amidon’s practice includes commercial lending, representing both borrowers and institutional lenders in secured and unsecured term loans, capital expenditures and working capital revolving credit loans, and letters of credit.

Prior to joining Burns & Levinson, Mr. Amidon served as Vice President and General Counsel of The Biltrite Corporation, a Waltham, Massachusetts rubber and vinyl products manufacturing company; General Counsel of Imark Communications, a Natick, Massachusetts B-2-B media communications company; and Vice President and General Counsel of Ullo International, an Orlando, Florida tradeshow, conference and event organizer. In each of these roles, he reported directly to the company’s CEO and was a member of the company’s leadership team, comprised of the most senior corporate executives and division presidents.

Earlier in his career, before his in-house experience, Mr. Amidon was a partner at the law firm of Gadsby Hannah in Boston, with a practice concentrating on corporate and securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance.

Representative Transactions:

• $60 million early-stage venture capital financing for a start-up tradeshow, conference and exposition organizer, and related acquisition of marketing communications (events and publishing) company.
• $40+ million acquisition of multiple cable television and telecommunications properties.
• $60+ million acquisition of a technology-focused conference, exposition and event management company.
• Acquisition of a large regional printing franchise in New England, including structuring and negotiating both the acquisition and the related working capital financings.
• Acquisition of the snack foods division of a major international food services company, including structuring and negotiating both the acquisition and the related working capital financings.
• Acquisition of a large national women’s couture boutique, including structuring and negotiating both the acquisition and the related working capital financings.
• Sale of large family-owned chemical and cleaning products company to Fortune 500 consumer products conglomerate.
• Acquisition of a major children’s and educational book publishing concern by an international educational publishing company.
• Acquisition of a large U.K.-based tradeshow, conference and exposition company and related secured and working capital financing with major money center bank group.
• Negotiation and documenting of multi-million dollar sponsorships and strategic marketing alliance programs with several Fortune 1000 computer, software and technology companies.
• $160 million secured financing with a syndicate of international banks complex commercial finance transaction, involving a large consortium of banks lending to a multinational manufacturing concern with operations on three continents.
• Representation of large regional bank in the sale of its trust division to major money center financial services institution.
• Representation of large regional bank in the restructuring of complex senior and subordinated debt arrangements with mid-cap electronics and manufacturing customer.
• Representation of issuers, underwriters and venture funds in numerous corporate finance transactions, including venture capital financings, and public and private equity offerings.
• Negotiation and documentation of many and diverse strategic alliances, joint ventures and other corporate partnering relationships.

Memberships:

• American Bar Association
• American Society of Corporate Secretaries
• Association of Corporate Counsel
• Boston Bar Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association

Education:

• J.D., Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas
• B.A., Economics and Business Administration, Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania

Recent Articles and Publications:

Speaking Engagements: