Press Release

Boston, MA, Nov. 8, 2023 – Burns & Levinson attorneys – Caitlin Barrett, Alison Harrall, Mark Manning, Chad Porter, Frank Segall, and Josef Volman – have been selected for inclusion in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America. According to Lawdragon, these lawyers create “multibillion dollar mergers and other deals that change the course of industries. They chart the fates of corporations and thousands of employees in a heartbeat, working on a global scale with a staggering level of complexity where success comes down to the details of the deal.”

Caitlin Barrett is a partner in the firm’s Business Law Group, where she advises financial institutions and corporate borrowers on a broad range of commercial finance transactions, including asset-based financings, acquisition financings and working capital facilities of all sizes. She also advises purchasers and sellers in the structuring and negotiation of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other general corporate matters. She has represented companies in a variety of industries, including consumer products, manufacturing, retail, and technology. She was named to Boston Magazine’s Top Corporate Lawyers List in 2022 and 2023. She received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law (2009) and her B.S. from Georgetown University (2006).

Alison Harrall is a partner in the Corporate Group, where she focuses her practice on a broad range of transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital financing, and debt and equity financing. She represents middle-market and emerging growth companies across various industries including manufacturing, technology, health care, accounting, retail, and engineering through all stages of their life cycle. She works with venture capital funds, private equity funds, and financial institutions, and with both lenders and borrowers on a variety of commercial finance transactions. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Roger Williams University (2008) and her B.B.A., cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2002).

Mark Manning is a partner in the Corporate Group, where he concentrates his practice on middle market mergers and acquisitions and growth capital. He facilitates M&A deals across a wide variety of industry sectors for buyers and sellers, in addition to negotiating growth capital financings on behalf of emerging business and capital sources. Manning is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, serves as the firm’s hiring partner, and is a member of multiple internal committees steering the future of the firm, including its DEI Board. He received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law (1991) and his B.S., with distinction, from Clarkson University (1988).

Chad Porter is vice-chair of the firm’s Finance Group, where he handles a wide range of mergers and acquisitions, commercial financing arrangements, and private equity and investment transactions. He has over 20 years of experience helping clients navigate the complex ins-and-outs of middle market deals to achieve their desired results and drive deals over the finish line. Porter received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law (2001) and his B.S., magna cum laude, from Southern New Hampshire University (1998).

Frank A. Segall is chair of the Business Law Group, Finance Group, and Cannabis Business & Law Advisory Group. With a strong background in finance and business operations, Segall has negotiated complex business deals from several million dollars to $1 billion, including mergers, acquisitions, sales, syndications, loans, restructuring, bankruptcies, and equity investments. He is industry agnostic but has deep expertise across sectors such as manufacturing, distribution, technology, transportation, and retail. He is also nationally renowned for his pioneering deal work in the cannabis industry and was one of the first prominent corporate lawyers to enter the cannabis industry over a decade ago. Segall is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. In 2022, he was named a “Go To Business Transaction Lawyer” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and a “Cannabis MVP of the Year” by Law360, a few of many other industry awards. He received his J.D. from Columbia University (1984) and his B.A., cum laude, from Brandeis University (1981).

Joe Volman is the co-chair of the firm’s Business Law Group, where he focuses his practice on representing entrepreneurs and investors, startup and emerging companies, and PE/VC funds through all phases of the investment and exit process on both the sell and buy sides of M&A transactions. He has deep experience in the technology (particularly SaaS and fintech companies), business services, professional services, consumer businesses, life sciences, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, sports, food/beverage, and hospitality industries. Volman utilizes his vast network to help clients source deals and raise capital to drive growth and maximize returns on their investments. He has been ranked in The Best Lawyers in America for the past 11 years and was named 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” for Business Organizations (Boston), among other prestigious awards. Volman received his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law (1991) and his B.A. from Tufts University.