W. Chris Coleman

Chris Coleman’s practice encompasses a broad range of business transactions and general representation of business entities, including public and private securities offerings and public company reporting; mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and financing; forming, structuring and capitalizing new entities; reorganizing and recapitalizing existing entities; and business contracts. Chris currently serves as the leader of the firm's Food Industry Group.

Over the course of his career with McAfee & Taft, Chris’ client list has included businesses engaged in virtually every major industry, including manufacturing, energy, real estate, financial services, engineering services, software, food manufacturing and distribution, retail and communications. While Chris’ recent focus has been assisting clients in mergers and acquisitions, as both buyer and seller, and investment transactions, representing both private equity investors and the companies seeking investors, his role has also been to oversee all of the legal needs of many of these clients. This role has ranged from negotiating business contracts and relationships to overseeing litigation strategies, and from evaluating incentive programs and exit strategies to structuring and negotiating workouts and business restructurings. 

This broad base of experience, combined with the ability to identify and fully understand client needs and pull together the expertise of other legal specialties within the firm, have proved invaluable to clients requiring highly integrated legal solutions to complex legal matters.

Chris' expertise has earned him inclusion in Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law; corporate compliance law; corporate governance law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; securities/capital markets law; securities regulation; venture capital law) and Oklahoma Super Lawyers. He has also been named "Best Lawyers' 2011 Oklahoma City Corporate Governance and Compliance Lawyer of the Year" and "Best Lawyers' 2012 Oklahoma City Securities/Capital Markets Law Lawyer of the Year," an honor only given to a single lawyer in each legal specialty in each community.

• Outside general counsel to public food company providing variety of services, including public debt offerings, acquisitions of public and private targets, advising board of directors, and conducting ultimate auction of the company. 
• Represented issuers in Rule 144A and public offering of debt and preferred securities for telecommunications companies. 
• Represented underwriter in public offering of technology company. 
• Represented issuer in IPO of oil and gas exploration company and Rule 144A debt transactions and public offering of debt and equity. 
• Lead counsel for solid waste disposal company in a series of roll-up transactions over several years, resulting in an IPO and subsequent sale of the company. 
• Represented majority shareholders in sale of manufacturing company with plants in US,  Argentina, New Zealand and China, sold to a European public company.
• Represented oil field service companies in negotiating sales to private equity investors and strategic buyers. 
• Represented public food company in sale of foodservice division. 
• Represented a portfolio company in recapitalization transaction with additional private equity investors. 
• Represented management and minority investors of a portfolio company in recapitalization transaction. 
• Represented private equity investors in auction and sale of a portfolio company. 
• Represented public retail company in purchase of a target company in an auction process. 
• Represented founders in formation of bank holding company, private placement of equity to investors, and acquisitions of banks and bank assets. 
• Represented shareholders in sale of closely held bank holding company in a tax-free exchange for registered public bank stock. 
• Represented various issuers in ongoing public reporting and corporate governance.
• Represented issuers in preparation of private placement memoranda and private placements for banking institutions, technology companies and oil and gas companies. 
• Represented several oil and gas and real estate companies in deed in lieu, restructuring, bankruptcy avoidance and other workout transactions.
• Represented a tribal business corporation in connection with its acquisition of a Small Business Administration 8(a) government contracting company.