Sara Michaelchuck Webber
Overview
As a partner in Kirkland’s Global Environmental Practice Group, Sara advises clients on a wide variety of complex environmental issues, primarily in the context of corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures and real estate investments in the U.S. and around the world. Sara has managed the environmental aspects of more than one thousand transactions involving all types of businesses and operations. Sara is the go-to environmental transactions counsel for many private equity firms, real estate investment firms and public companies who rely on her to identify and evaluate environmental liabilities and develop creative, practical and commercial solutions to allocate, mitigate and manage the risks associated with those liabilities. Sara’s business-minded support spans the entire course of the transaction from pre-deal counseling to pursuing post-closing resolution of identified environmental compliance and contamination issues. Sara has extensive experience in managing the environmental due diligence process, negotiating environmental indemnities, and securing environmental insurance coverage for environmentally sensitive businesses and contaminated real estate portfolios.
Sara has been recognized by attorney ranking directories, such as Chambers USA and The Legal 500. In The Legal 500, Sara is mentioned in regards to her experience in M&A and real estate investments. Chambers USA recognized Sara as “an exceptional attorney with an ability to understand and explain complex environmental risks to non-experts."
Experience
Representative Matters
Audax Group in numerous acquisitions, including:
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the acquisition of Preferred Compounding
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the acquisition of Techniks Industries
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the acquisition of Wheel Pros
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numerous M&A bidding processes
Bain Capital in numerous acquisitions, including:
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the acquisition of Apex Tool Group
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the $1.6 billion acquisition of the Styron division of The Dow Chemical Co.
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the acquisition and sale of Sundial Brands
Bain Capital and Cinven on their EUR 5.3 billion joint public takeover offer for the German pharmaceutical company Stada Arzneimittel AG; to date the largest private equity transaction ever realized in the German market
Bain Capital, Oaktree Capital Management and International Market Centers Inc. in the sale of International Market Centers Inc. to Blackstone Group LP
The Blackstone Group in its $6.1 billion acquisition of TeamHealth
BP in the sale of its global Aviation Turbine Oil business
Cambrex Corporation in its $2.4 billion agreement to be acquired by Permira
The Carlyle Group in numerous transactions, including:
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the acquisition of NetMotion Wireless Inc.
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the sale of WorldStrides
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the acquisition and sale of Service King Collision Centers
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a PIPE investment in SEACOR Holdings
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the acquisition of International Studies Abroad
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the acquisition of Explorica, Inc.
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numerous portfolio company matters and M&A bidding processes
Celanese Corporation in its proposed joint venture with Blackstone to create a global acetate tow supplier
Corning in connection with the unwinding of its 73-year-old Dow Corning joint venture with Dow Chemical in exchange for 100% of a newly formed corporation that will hold a 40% stake in Hemlock Semiconductor Group and approximately $4.8 billion in cash
Cyanco, the largest global producer of sodium cyanide, in its sale to Cerberus Capital Management
GTCR in its acquisition of Consumer Cellular, Inc.
Harren Equity Partners in its acquisition of Circa Corp of America
Irving Place Capital in its acquisition of CD Cartondruck AG
Horsehead Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: ZINC) in its Chapter 11 restructuring
iQor Holdings Inc., a HGGC portfolio company, in connection with its multi-national carve-out acquisition of the global aftermarket services business of Jabil Circuit, Inc. for $725 million
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners in its acquisition of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC
Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation in its $4.7 billion acquisition of ILG
Oaktree Capital Management, Oaktree Transportation Infrastructure Fund, GFI Energy Group and their portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including:
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the acquisition of Dow’s North American rail infrastructure assets, in partnership with Watco Companies
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the acquisition of Elgin National Industries, Inc.
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the sales of Elgin Equipment Group and Elgin Fastener Group
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the acquisition of Osmose Holdings, Inc.
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the sale of Osmose Holdings, Inc.’s Wood Preservation and Railroad Services businesses
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the sale of Tecta America Corp.
Phibro Animal Health Corporation in its initial public offering
Pritzker Group Private Capital in its sale of Carter-Waters LLC
Questar Corporation (NYSE: STR) in its $4.4 billion sale to Dominion Resources, Inc. (NYSE: D)
Quad-C Management, Inc. in multiple acquisitions in the specialty hospital sector
Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in its $750 million sale to Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Sentinel Capital Partners in its acquisition of Driven Performance Brands Inc.
Taminco Corporation in its acquisition of the formic acid business of Kemira Oyj and in connection with its initial public offering
Thoma Bravo in its acquisition of AxiomSL
Thoma Bravo in its sale of its portfolio company Ellie Mae to Intercontinental Exchange
TPG Growth in connection with an investment in Novolex
The underwriters in several notes offerings of over $1 billion by Occidental Petroleum Corporation
Water Street Healthcare Partners and its portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including the acquisition and sale of AAIPharma Services
Wyndham Worldwide in its $1.95 billion acquisition of La Quinta Inns & Suites’ franchise and management businesses
Zebra Technologies Corporation in connection with its acquisition of Motorola Solutions, Inc.'s enterprise business for $3.45 billion
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
Law ClerkUnited States Department of Justice, Environmental Enforcement Section
More
Recognition
Recognized in Chambers USA for Environment: Transactional (District of Columbia), 2021–2024.
Recognized in The Legal 500 U.S. for Environment: Transactional, 2017–2024.
Kirkland’s Global Environmental Practice Group recognized in Chambers USA as “Band 1” for Washington, D.C.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Pro Bono Service Award.
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2005District of Columbia
- 2004Maryland
Education
- The George Washington University Law SchoolJ.D.with Honors2004Member, The Environmental Lawyer
- Cornell UniversityB.S.with Honors 2001