Karen L. Chapman

Counsel Member

Denver, Colorado

Phone: 303.299.8258

Fax:

[email protected]

Education

  • J.D., Stanford Law School (1979)
    • Founder and President, Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation
  • B.S.,University of Colorado (1976)
    •  Business Administration (Finance)
    • Magna cum laude

Karen Chapman is a highly respected mergers and acquisitions and corporate financings strategist.

Karen leads teams that close sophisticated transactions valued in the hundreds of millions and billions of dollars. She plays a preeminent role in representing airlines in jet fuel storage and distribution system leasing, contract, and financing matters for facilities at major airports throughout the United States.

Her practice also includes sports law representations. She represents companies involved with a professional tennis league. Karen also handles negotiations of sponsorship and endorsement contracts and the structuring and documentation of equity interests in startup companies in exchange for services of sports marketing companies and athletes.

Experience

CORPORATE COUNSELING

  • Advising corporate clients on business matters, including entity formation, maintenance and mergers, partnership and joint venture matters, shareholder and related agreements, phantom stock plans, and other incentive programs.
  • Advised on the formation and operation of airline fuel consortia located at airports throughout the United States including Boston, Chicago (ORD), Washington Dulles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle-Tacoma.
  • Represented an airline fuel consortia on corporate, contract, financing, other matters.
  • Represented Ms. Billie Jean King in corporate, contract, and nonprofit matters.

 

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

  • Negotiated an $80 million acquisition of an architecture firm.
  • Negotiated acquisitions of engineering services firms with values ranging from $5 million to $90 million.
  • Negotiated the sale of a Colorado state bank to a national bank.
  • Counseled a media company in its acquisitions totaling nearly $800 million.
  • Negotiated a $2 billion cable system exchange agreement.
  • Advised an Australian mining company on its acquisition of a Nevada gold mine from a Canadian company.
  • Handling negotiation and documentation of venture capital investments.
  • Negotiated a joint venture agreement with a United Kingdom company to operate $350 million plant.
  • Represented an international design, consulting, engineering and management services company in negotiating its acquisition of a program and project management consulting firm.

 

FINANCING

  • Issuance of tax-exempt bonds to finance fuel system construction at Boston International Airport in the amount of $107 million, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the amount of $100 million, and at San Francisco International Airport in the amount of $125 million, and refunding of bonds at Los Angeles International Airport in the amount of $29,620,000 and $64,095,000.
  • Issuance of $61 million Senior Notes to finance fuel system construction at Oakland International Airport and $27 million Senior Notes to finance fuel system construction at San Jose International Airport.
  • Negotiated foreign financings including €80 million syndicated secured bank facility for a European borrower group of chemical manufacturer, €285 million high-yield bond offering for European chemical manufacturer, and DM 1.6 billion ($900 million+) syndicated multi-country (Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, Norway, France, Canada, and United States) financing.
  • Represented a manufacturing company in its $90 million asset-based financing.
  • Negotiated the $1.1 billion syndicated secured financing for an Argentinean cable company.
  • Negotiated a $437.5 million public senior secured and discount notes offerings.
  • Negotiated a standby letter of credit facilities and interest rate swap agreements.

Highlights

  • Best Lawyers in America, Denver
    • Corporate Law (2011 – 2024)
    • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law (2011 – 2024)
    • Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2010 – 2024)
    • Securitization and Structured Finance Law (2008 – 2024)
  • Lawyer of the Year,” Mergers & Acquisitions, Best Lawyers in America (2012)
  • Distinguished Achievement,” Aviation, Armbrust Aviation Group (2010)
  • Fellow, Colorado Bar Foundation
  • Boettcher Scholar