• Ernest S. Wechsler counsels clients in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, minority investments and corporate restructurings, as well as in general corporate matters. His clients include private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, strategic acquirers and sellers, and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), with transactions impacting a range of industries and market sectors, including financial, technology, manufacturing, agribusiness and consumer products, and energy, among others. 

    Time and again, market-leading firms including Argand Partners, BlackRock Inc., Cornell Capital, Focus Financial Partners Inc., Paine Schwartz Partners, PIMCO and Sentinel Capital Partners, among others, look to Ernie to guide them in their largest and most significant transactions. Clients rely on Ernie to bring his measured, market-based judgment and solution-oriented approach to his role as the leader of multidisciplinary deal teams.

    Chambers Global, Chambers USA and Legal 500 US have repeatedly recognized Ernie as a leading lawyer. Chambers sources laud him for his deal work, noting he is “incredibly commercial and offers sound judgment and legal advice,” he “consistently provides thoughtful and practical guidance and counsel, and he is a huge asset to us in completing our biggest and most complicated M&A,” and he is “a great partner to us. His commercial awareness is the best I have seen and we always receive high-quality work product.” (Chambers USA 2022)

    Experience

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of Bandon Holdings, the largest franchisee of Anytime Fitness, with more than 213 Anytime Fitness clubs in 24 states.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners and its portfolio company, Controlled Products LLC, a manufacturer and distributor of premium synthetic turf products for sports, training, leisure and landscaping, in its acquisition of The Recreational Group, a designer, manufacturer, and installer of premium recreational surfacing products, from Eagle Merchant Partners.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its sale of portfolio company Captain D’s, a leading seafood quick service restaurant chain.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of SPL, a leader in testing, inspection, and certification services for energy and environmental markets.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in its acquisition of Aperio Group LLC, a pioneer in customizing tax-optimized index equity separately managed accounts, from Golden Gate Capital for $1.05 billion.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in the sale of Pet Supplies Plus to Franchise Group Inc., an all cash transaction valued at approximately $700 million.

    • Represented Paine Schwartz Partners in its acquisition of Kynetec, an agricultural and market research company.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in the acquisition of eFront, the world’s leading end-to-end alternative investment management software and solutions provider, for $1.3 billion.

    • Represented BlackRock in its strategic investment in SpiderRock Advisors, a leading provider of customized options strategies in the U.S. wealth market.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in its acquisition of Cachematrix, a leading provider of financial technology that simplifies the cash management process for banks and their corporate clients.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in its acquisition of FutureAdvisor, a robo-adviser based in Silicon Valley.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in a transaction with Bank of America to transfer investment management responsibilities of approximately $87 billion of assets managed by Bank of America.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in its strategic investment in iCapital Network, a financial technology platform focused on democratizing access to alternative investments.

    • Represented BlackRock Inc. in its strategic investment in Scalable, an Anglo-German robo-adviser.

    • Represented BlackRock on its strategic investment in Acorns Grow, developer of the country’s fastest-growing micro investing app.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of Controlled Products, a manufacturer and distributor of premium synthetic turf products.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of Pet Supplies Plus, a leading pet specialty chain.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of Holley Performance Products, a market leader in branded performance products for automotive enthusiasts.

    • Represented Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of Revenew International LLC, a Houston-based provider of cost recovery and containment services relating to procurement and payment processes.

    • Represented Cornell Capital in its acquisition of CalTex, the largest manufacturer and provider of automotive appearance protection products in the United States. 

    • Represented Cornell Capital its sale of Spectrum Automotive Holdings Corp., a leading agent, marketer and administrator of finance and insurance products for the U.S. automotive market.

    • Represented Paine Schwartz Partners in establishing an animal health and nutrition investment platform, Axiota Animal Health Inc., with a strategic acquisition of Warburton Technology Limited, a leading producer of trace-mineral injections for cattle.

    • Represented Argand Partners LP in in its acquisition of Midwest Can Company LLC and Container Specialties Inc., a leading manufacturer of portal fuel containers, from GenNx360.

    • Represented Capstar SPAC in its merger with Gelesis, a biotherapeutics weight management company using proprietary biomimetic superabsorbent hydrogel technology, in a $900 million transaction.

    • Represented Focus Financial Partners Inc., a leading partnership of independent fiduciary wealth management firms, in the acquisition of Ancora Holdings Inc., a premier wealth management firm based in Cleveland.

    • Represented Focus Financial Partners in the merger of Loring Ward Holdings with Focus partner firm, The Buckingham Family of Financial Services.

    • Regularly represents Focus Financial Partners in its M&A transactions under which companies join the Focus partnership.

    • Represented The NPD Group, a global market information provider, in its acquisition by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman.

    • Represented Stone Point in the acquisition of a company that provides vehicle service contracts through automobile dealerships.

    • Represented Stone Point in the sale of its interest in an investment advisory business.

    • Represented Community Veterinary Partners in its sale to Cortec Group.

    • Represented Fiera Capital Inc., the U.S. division of Fiera Capital Corporation, in its agreement to acquire management of City National Rochdale Emerging Markets Fund, investing primarily in Asian emerging markets.

    • Represented Fiera Capital Inc. in its agreement to acquire Larch Lane Advisors LLC.

    • Represented Del Monte Pacific Limited and its U.S. subsidiary, Del Monte Foods Inc., in the sale of its Sager Creek specialty vegetable product business to McCall Farms Inc., a privately held company.

    • Represented the majority equity owners of Stanley Martin Communities in its sale to Daiwa House USA.

    • Represented AmTrust Financial Services Inc., a multinational insurance holding company, in its acquisition of Warranty Solutions, a Wells Fargo company, which provides vehicle service contracts and auto-related finance and insurance products to automobile dealerships nationwide.

    • Represented ACP Re Ltd., a Bermuda reinsurer, in a merger to acquire all the outstanding shares of Tower Group International Ltd., a publicly traded, Bermuda-based holding company for numerous property-casualty insurers and reinsurers.

    • Represented National General Holdings Corp., a specialty personal lines insurance holding company, in its acquisition of Elara Holdings Inc., the parent company of Direct General Corp., a Tennessee-based auto and life insurance company.

    • Represented Millennium Partners in the sale of its Sports Club/LA and Reebok Sports Club/NY health and fitness club businesses and certain related assets to Equinox Fitness.

    Credentials

    Education

    • J.D., Columbia Law School, 1990
      • Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
    • B.S., magna cum laude, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, 1987

    Bar Admissions

    • New York, 1991
  • *No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the Super Lawyers selection methodology can be found here.