Jonathan Awner serves as Co-Chair of Akerman’s Corporate Practice Group. Ranked by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, and The Legal 500 as a preeminent corporate lawyer, Jonathan advises clients in transactions in automotive retail, aviation, distribution, hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, services, technology, and other industries. Described by a client quoted in Chambers USA as a “top-notch” lawyer who is “smart, hard-working and practical,” Jonathan focuses on middle-market domestic mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, public and private securities transactions, and corporate governance matters. 

Jonathan counsels in mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spin-offs, recapitalizations, joint ventures, private equity investments, and other business transactions. He has extensive experience representing strategic and financial buyers and investors, as well as corporate, individual and family sellers. 

Jonathan also represents public companies in public offerings of equity and debt securities, and securities law compliance matters. He has served as lead counsel to issuers in numerous underwritten offerings, including a $1.5 billion IPO. He also advises companies and investor groups in private placements of equity and debt securities, growth equity investments and joint ventures.

Jonathan is a trusted advisor to boards of directors, audit and special board committees, and senior executives of public companies on corporate governance issues, management succession, relations with institutional and activist investors, compensation practices for directors and officers, conflict of interest matters, and change-of-control transactions. His committee representations include leading investigations of alleged management misconduct, whistleblower complaints, stock option backdating, accounting irregularities, auditor resignations, violations of securities laws including insider trading, and responding to shareholder activists alleging poor operating performance or excessive compensation.

Notable Work 

Trivest Partners LP: Represent Trivest Partners, the oldest private equity firm in the Southeast, in dozens of middle market acquisitions and investments in founder-owned platform and add-on companies, as well as sell-side dispositions, for more than 15 years. Recent sale transactions for Trivest include National Carwash Solutions to AEA Investors LP, a private equity firm; AM Conservation Group to Kohlberg & Company, a private equity firm; North Star Seafood to Sysco Corporation, the world’s largest foodservice distributor; Take 5 Oil Change to Driven Brands, a Roark Capital Group portfolio company; Pelican Water Systems to Pentair, PLC, a global sustainable water solutions company; Oil Changers to Greenbriar Equity Group, a private equity firm; Jon-Don to Incline Equity Partners; and Big Truck Rental to Alinda Capital Partners, a private equity firm.

AutoNation, Inc.: Represent AutoNation, Inc., America’s largest automotive retailer, in securities matters as well as acquisitions and dispositions of hundreds of auto dealerships since 1996. Recent acquisitions include more than 40 Audi, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota and other stores and collision centers in markets coast to coast.

HEICO Corporation: Represent HEICO Corporation in securities matters and acquisitions of aviation and aerospace product manufacturers and distributors for more than 20 years. Recent acquisitions include Sensor Systems Inc. for a proportionate combination of cash and 575,000 shares of HEICO common stock, Aeroantenna Technology, Inc. for $316.5 million, and Robertson Fuel Systems, LLC for $255 million.

XPO, Inc.: Represent XPO, Inc., one of the largest and fastest growing providers of less-than-truckload freight transportation services, in securities and finance matters, corporate governance advice, and acquisitions.