Daniel H. Aronson
Partner
Daniel H. Aronson (Danny) chairs the Corporate, Securities and M&A practice at Berger Singerman LLP. Consistently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Who's Who Legal and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite as a preeminent corporate lawyer, Danny counsels clients in all aspects of their formation, growth, financing, governance and transactional activities, including in initial entity selection and ongoing structuring, strategic planning, talent acquisition, retention and compensation, contract negotiations, sophisticated financings, securities offerings and joint ventures, venture capital and private equity transactions, and domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He is a trusted advisor to clients of all shapes and sizes, including entrepreneurs, family and closely held businesses, mid-cap and Fortune 100 public companies, substantial family offices, private companies and private investment funds, and their boards, management and significant owners. He also advises private equity, venture capital, private investment and real estate opportunity funds in fund formation, acquisition, investment, governance, dispute resolution and "exit" activities.
Danny serves clients across a broad range of sectors and industries, including automobile dealerships, business services, consumer products, energy, environmental, financial services, gaming, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, logistics, marine products, media and entertainment, medical devices, security systems, software and information technology and telecommunications.
A long-standing Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Danny has written and published extensively on corporate, corporate governance, finance, capital markets, contract negotiation, securities regulation and transactional topics, and has authored two books providing insights and practical guidance regarding access to venture and private equity capital. He’s also a frequent speaker, lecturer and panelist at business and practicing attorney institutes and symposia as well as leading university law and business schools. Danny is AV “Preeminent” Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Danny is a member of the Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Committee of the Florida Venture Forum, where he has served as Board Chair and Chair or Co-Chair of the Forum’s annual Venture Capital Conference for several terms in previous years. He also serves on the Executive Advisory Board of the University of Florida’s (Warrington College of Business) Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center and is a faculty member and speaker at the annual Federal Securities Institute in Miami, Florida. In addition, Danny is an active participant in the committees and activities of the American Bar Association Business Law Section and the Florida Bar Business Law Section, as they relate to his principal practice areas, including participating in analyzing, drafting and commenting on Florida’s corporate, limited liability company and M&A related statutes.
Danny received his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Annual Survey of American Law, and his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude.
Overview
Daniel H. Aronson (Danny) chairs the Corporate, Securities and M&A practice at Berger Singerman LLP. Consistently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Who's Who Legal and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite as a preeminent corporate lawyer, Danny counsels clients in all aspects of their formation, growth, financing, governance and transactional activities, including in initial entity selection and ongoing structuring, strategic planning, talent acquisition, retention and compensation, contract negotiations, sophisticated financings, securities offerings and joint ventures, venture capital and private equity transactions, and domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He is a trusted advisor to clients of all shapes and sizes, including entrepreneurs, family and closely held businesses, mid-cap and Fortune 100 public companies, substantial family offices, private companies and private investment funds, and their boards, management and significant owners. He also advises private equity, venture capital, private investment and real estate opportunity funds in fund formation, acquisition, investment, governance, dispute resolution and "exit" activities.
Danny serves clients across a broad range of sectors and industries, including automobile dealerships, business services, consumer products, energy, environmental, financial services, gaming, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, logistics, marine products, media and entertainment, medical devices, security systems, software and information technology and telecommunications.
A long-standing Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Danny has written and published extensively on corporate, corporate governance, finance, capital markets, contract negotiation, securities regulation and transactional topics, and has authored two books providing insights and practical guidance regarding access to venture and private equity capital. He’s also a frequent speaker, lecturer and panelist at business and practicing attorney institutes and symposia as well as leading university law and business schools. Danny is AV “Preeminent” Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Danny is a member of the Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Committee of the Florida Venture Forum, where he has served as Board Chair and Chair or Co-Chair of the Forum’s annual Venture Capital Conference for several terms in previous years. He also serves on the Executive Advisory Board of the University of Florida’s (Warrington College of Business) Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center and is a faculty member and speaker at the annual Federal Securities Institute in Miami, Florida. In addition, Danny is an active participant in the committees and activities of the American Bar Association Business Law Section and the Florida Bar Business Law Section, as they relate to his principal practice areas, including participating in analyzing, drafting and commenting on Florida’s corporate, limited liability company and M&A related statutes.
Danny received his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Annual Survey of American Law, and his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude.
Representative Matters
Danny has advised and assisted clients, in a variety of markets and business cycles, in structuring, negotiating and successfully closing hundreds of millions of dollars of equity and debt financing transactions and billions of dollars in merger, acquisition and sale transactions. Representative clients and services, grouped by industry sector, include:
- Communications: IDS Telcom and Seven Seas Communications (structuring, governance, financing and sell-side M&A); Peoples Telephone (board representation, governance, financing and public securities compliance)
- Consumer Products / Retail: Champion Products, Elder-Beerman Stores and Vector Products (governance, financing and sell-side M&A); American Stores (M&A / acquisitions); and Tata Harper Skincare (structuring, governance, private equity financings)
- Energy / Resources: American Natural Resources (governance, financing and sell-side M&A); FPL Group (board representation and governance; securities compliance and reporting); Florida Steel Corp. and NL Industries (board representation; public securities offerings; and sell-side LBO / M&A); and Siegel Oil & Gas (sell-side M&A)
- Financial Services / Insurance: The CHELA Financial Companies and The Seitlin Companies (board representation, governance and sell-side M&A); Servus Financial Corp. (structuring, spin-off transaction, financing and sell-side M&A); and Southeast Banking Corp. (board representation and governance)
- Food & Beverage / Restaurants / Gaming: Churchill Downs and Penn National Gaming (buy-side M&A); Fontainebleau Las Vegas (sell-side M&A); McDonalds (financing, board representation and governance); Offerdahl's (structuring, governance and sell-side M&A); Pollo Tropical (structuring, roll-up, financing, IPO and sell-side M&A)
- Hotels & Resorts: Hilton Hotels (financing and governance); Travel Services International (board and governance representations; buy-side M&A; IPO)
- Healthcare & Life Sciences / Physician & Medical Groups: American Laboratories (structuring, governance, VC investment transaction); AmeriPath (structuring, governance, financings, buy-side M&A and IPO); Anesthetix (sell-side M&A); Miami Jewish Health Systems (governance and financing)
- Logistics / Security: Integrated Security Systems (structuring, governance and sell-side M&A); Ryder Corp (board representation and governance; securities compliance and reporting)
- Media & Entertainment: The Poynter Institute for Media Studies (board representation and governance), Ingersoll Newspapers (equity and debt financings; buy-side M&A), Knight-Ridder (McClatchy) (board representation and governance; securities compliance and reporting)
- Medical Devices: Johnson and Johnson, McKesson Corp, Bioheart, Symbiosis (corporate, securities/financing, governance, compliance and/or M&A matters)
- Pharmaceuticals: Johnson and Johnson, McKesson Corp, Andrx Corp., C.R. Bard, Schering-Plough, Noven Pharmaceuticals (corporate, securities/financing, governance, compliance and/or M&A matters)
Danny has also counseled private equity, LBO, venture capital, private investment and secured debt/real estate opportunity funds in fund formation, strategic positioning, investment, acquisition, governance, dispute resolution and "exit" activities. Significant fund clients (including representing portfolio companies, investments and affiliates) have included: Apax Partners, Apollo Global Management, Citicorp Venture Capital, Draper Atlantic (New Atlantic Ventures), H.I.G. Capital, GTCR, HPH Capital Management, H&P Capital Management, Merrill Lynch Capital Management, Noro-Moseley Partners, Snapper Creek Equity Management, Southeast Ventures, Stonehenge Growth Equity, Summit Partners, Tres Mares Group, Trivest Partners, Warburg Pincus Ventures, Vestar Capital Partners and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.
Awards & Honors
- Chambers and Partners USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers, Corporate/M&A and Private Equity (Florida), 2006-2023
- Florida Venture Forum, Founder's Award Recipient (Jan. 2020), recognized for outstanding dedication to the Florida Venture Forum and to Florida's venture capital industry (Orlando)
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Recognized (2006 to present) in Corporate, Securities/Capital Markets, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity, Venture Capital and Mergers & Acquisitions Law Categories
- Best Lawyers' 2020 Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2019 Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2018 Leveraged Buyouts & Private Equity Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2015 Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2014 Leveraged Buyouts & Private Equity Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2014 Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2012 Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Best Lawyers' 2011 Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year (Miami)
- Florida Trend, Legal Elite, 2005 to present
- Florida Super Lawyers, 2006 to present
- South Florida Legal Guide, Top Lawyers, 2005 to present
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Preeminent™ Peer-Review rated
- Who's Who Legal
- The International Who's Who of Merger & Acquisition Lawyers, 2007 to present
- M&A and Governance, 2019 to present
Community Activities / Associations
- Florida Venture Forum (Florida's largest statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs)
- Chair of the Board, 2015-2016, 1997 and 1998
- Executive Committee and Board Member, 1998-present
- Chair or Co-Chair, Florida Venture Capital Conference, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2013 and 2014
- Adjunct Professor, University of Florida Levin College of Law (Gainesville, FL), 1993-to-2019 – Corporations and Securities Regulation classes; Securities Regulation, Business Documents Drafting and Business Transactions and Document Drafting courses; Curriculum and Adjunct Faculty advisor
- Executive Advisory Board, University of Florida (Warrington College of Business) Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, 1998 to present
- Faculty Member and Moderator/Panelist, Annual Federal Securities Institute, 2001 to present
- The Florida Bar, Business Law Section - Corporations, Securities & Financial Services Committee; Chapter 607 Drafting Subcommittee; Chapter 517 Drafting Subcommittee; Task Force on BLS Survey regarding Choice of Jurisdiction for Corporate Incorporation
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section - Committees on: Business Law Education; Federal Regulation of Securities; LLCs, Partnerships & Unincorporated Entities; Middle Market and Small Business; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity and Venture Capital; and State Regulation of Securities
- Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Planning and Distribution Committee
- City of Miami Beach, Police-Citizens Relations Committee
In the News
Twenty-three Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in 2022 Edition of Florida Super Lawyers
June 27, 2022
Berger Singerman Recognized by Chambers USA for Nineteenth Consecutive Year
June 1, 2022
Thrity-nine Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 19, 2021
Nineteen Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in 2021 Edition of Florida Super Lawyers
June 24, 2021
Thirty-Five Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 19, 2020
Twenty-Seven Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in 2020 Edition of Florida Super Lawyers
June 8, 2020
Daniel H. Aronson Honored by Florida Venture Forum With its Third Ever “Founder’s Award”
February 6, 2020
Twenty-one Berger Singerman Attorneys Listed in South Florida Legal Guide as Top Attorneys
October 31, 2019
Thirty Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2020 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 14, 2019
Twenty-Eight Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in 2019 Edition of Florida Super Lawyers
May 29, 2019
Berger Singerman Recognized by Chambers USA for Sixteenth Consecutive Year
April 24, 2019
South Florida Legal Guide Names 21 Berger Singerman Attorneys as Top Lawyers
March 7, 2019
Thirty Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2019 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 14, 2018
Thirty-One Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in 2018 Edition of Florida Super Lawyers
June 17, 2018
Berger Singerman Recognized by Chambers USA for 15th Consecutive Year
May 2, 2018
South Florida Legal Guide Names 23 Berger Singerman Attorneys as Top Lawyers
January 9, 2018
New Study Unveils Florida Economic Impacts of Florida Venture Forum Programs Generated an $8.8 Billion Impact Over 16 Year Period
August 27, 2017
Thirty Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2018 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 14, 2017
Seven Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2017 Edition of Florida Trend's "Legal Elite"
June 21, 2017
Thirty-Two Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2017 Super Lawyers Florida Edition
June 8, 2017
Berger Singerman Receives High Marks by Chambers USA for Fourteenth Consecutive Year
May 29, 2017
Twenty-Eight Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 14, 2016
Twelve Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2016 Edition of Florida Trend
June 21, 2016
Thirty-Six Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2016 Super Lawyers Florida Edition
June 13, 2016
Berger Singerman Receives High Marks by Chambers USA for Thirteenth Consecutive Year
June 1, 2016
Events & Speaking Engagements
Daniel H. Aronson, Moderator, “Corporate Venture, Development & Innovation Panel”, 2021 (30th Annual) Florida Venture Capital Conference
March 3, 2021
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker & Panelist, "Current Issues & Themes Impacting Private Equity Transactions – Structuring and Negotiating ‘Earn-Outs’ in M&A Transactions," 38th Annual Federal Securities Institute and M&A Conference
February 13, 2020
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker, 29th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference, Opening Lunch Welcome, Florida and Forum Venture Data and the Forum’s Economic Impact on Florida
January 29, 2020
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker & Panelist, Florida Bar Business Law Section Program, "The Inc. is Finally Dry – The Update and Modernization of the Florida Business Corporation Act," Panel on Mergers and Share Exchanges (including "Mop Up" and “Short Form” Mergers); Conversions, Domestications; Sales of Assets; and Appraisal Rights
December 9-10, 2019
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker & Panelist, “Perspectives on Cutting-Edge Issues in Venture Capital and Private Equity - ‘Variance Seeking VCs’,” American Bar Association Business Law Section 2019 Annual Meeting
September 11, 2019
Daniel H. Aronson, Moderator & Speaker, "Current Issues & Themes Impacting Private Equity Transactions," 37th Annual Federal Securities Institute
February 11, 2019
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker, "Developments in Private Equity & Venture Capital Deals," 36th Annual Federal Securities Institute
January 31, 2018
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker, "The Florida Venture Forum's Economic Impact on the State of Florida Address," 27th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference
January 29, 2018
Daniel H. Aronson, Moderator, "Venture Capital & Private Equity for Smaller Company Transactions," 35th Annual Federal Securities Institute
February 7, 2017
Daniel H. Aronson, Moderator & Speaker, "Selected Venture Capital and Private Equity Topics," 35th Annual Federal Securities Institute
February 7, 2017
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker, Welcome and Opening Remarks, 26th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference
February 1, 2017
Daniel H. Aronson, Moderator, "Venture Capital and Private Equity Funding for Smaller Company Transactions," 34th Annual Federal Securities Institute
February 3, 2016
Daniel H. Aronson, Speaker, Welcome and Opening Remarks, 25th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference
January 27, 2016
Prior Affiliations
- Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod (2007-March 2010)
- Greenberg Traurig (1992-2007)
- Steel Hector & Davis (1989-1992)
- Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz (1984-1989)
Education
J.D., New York University School of Law
- Editor-in-Chief, Annual Survey of American Law
B.A., Vanderbilt University
- Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
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