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Risa Salins
PartnerRisa Salins advises companies on labor and employment matters arising in complex domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other corporate transactions and restructurings. With 25 years of experience, her practice includes assessing acquired companies' employment law compliance and risk exposure, negotiating employee-related provisions in purchase agreements, counseling on labor union considerations, leading workforce transitions and reductions in force, and resolving post-acquisition employment matters.
Clients regularly consult Risa on sensitive employee issues and separations that arise during and after transactions, including executive separations. In addition, she negotiates employment-related agreements; advises on noncompete and other restrictive covenant matters in employment, equity, and transaction documents; and counsels employers on workplace issues, such as wage-and-hour compliance, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, reductions in force, and plant closings.
Risa's clients include public and privately held companies, as well as private equity firms and their portfolio companies. She works with clients across a range of industries, including healthcare and life sciences, financial services, technology and artificial intelligence, energy, food and beverage, media and entertainment, education, and retail.
- J.D., University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Senior Editor, Journal of Labor and Employment Law - B.S., Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
with honors
EXPERIENCE
- A pharmaceutical company in its US$8.7 billion acquisition of a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
- A multinational technology company in its US$2.9 billion divestiture of its mechanical power transmission division to a ball and roller bearing manufacturer
- A global software and technology capital partner in its acquisition of a digital risk management and fraud prevention platform from a financial services corporation
- A media company in its acquisition of a fashion and culture publication from a Canadian-American media and broadcasting company
- A private equity management firm in its acquisition of a rail infrastructure solutions provider
- A global Fortune 500 specialty materials and chemical manufacturing company in its US$1.15 billion acquisition of an elastomers business from an energy company
- A private equity firm in its:
- Acquisition of a software-as-a-service provider of membership management software
- Acquisition of a majority stake in a provider of performance platforms for highly regulated industries
- Add-on acquisitions of a software company that supports public safety, military, and law enforcement agencies, and the higher education business of an education technology company
- Acquisition of a provider of end-to-end software, rendering, and content solutions for interior design, manufacturing, and furniture retail
- A private equity firm and a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm in their acquisitions of:
- A wholesale insurance brokerage, including its related property and casualty wholesale business line
- A Medicare Advantage navigation platform
- The primary business assets of an employee benefits consulting firm, a provider of healthcare management solutions and claims processing services, and an entity involved in the employee benefits and insurance consulting sector
- A European independent investment group in its:
- US$950 million acquisition of significant portions of the meal preparation division of a North American manufacturer of private-label packaged foods and beverages
- Acquisition of a manufacturer of specialty ingredients for the food industry
- A private equity firm in its:
- Acquisition of a provider of operations and maintenance services for water and wastewater systems from a private equity firm
- Acquisition of a provider of testing, certification, and calibration services to healthcare and other life sciences customers
- Investment in an operator of medical spas that provide laser hair removal, injectables, and other medical aesthetic services
- Sales of a chain of franchised massage and facial spas, a provider of driver safety programs, the world's largest franchisor of home healthcare services, a real estate investing franchise, and a nationwide eating disorder treatment program
- An offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry in its US$3.4 billion all-stock merger of equals with another offshore drilling company
- A global healthcare solutions and logistics company in its US$1.6 billion acquisition of a provider of integrated home healthcare equipment and related services
- A healthcare investment firm in its:
- US$7.1 billion consortium acquisition of an American biopharmaceutical solutions organization
- Acquisition of a provider of addiction treatment and mental health services
- Acquisition of a national provider of acute care telemedicine
- Add-on acquisition by the latter of a national provider of virtual behavioral healthcare
- A private alternative investment firm in its acquisition of a United States long-stay hotel chain in a joint venture with an alternative asset management company for US$6 billion
- A multinational specialty chemical company in its:
- US$45.4 billion spin-off and sale of its nutrition and biosciences business to a manufacturer of flavors and fragrances through a reverse Morris trust transaction, involving transfers of more than 10,000 employees in approximately 50 countries
- Two-step spin-off of its agricultural and materials science divisions
- Carveout sale of a portion of its crop protection business to a global agricultural sciences company, and simultaneous acquisition of the latter company's health and nutrition business
- A multinational technology company and semiconductor manufacturer in its US$4.2 billion joint venture with a global alternative asset management firm to form an independent cybersecurity company, including the transfer of an in-scope workforce spanning approximately 60 countries to the joint venture
- A multinational financial services corporation and investment bank in the sale of its fixed income analytics and index businesses to a global financial markets infrastructure and data provider
- A biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies for gastrointestinal diseases in its Chapter 11 restructuring, reduction in force, and sale of substantially all of its assets to a global, diversified specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
- Recognized, Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers, Lawdragon 500, (2024 – 2026)
Prior Experience
Prior to joining DLA Piper, Risa was a Partner in the Employment and Labor practice at a major international law firm.