Biography
Otto is an associate in the Employment, Compensation & Benefits (ECB) group within the Firm's Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) practice. He provides counsel to a range of U.S. and international clients, including public and privately held companies, financial institutions, boards of directors and corporate executives on the full spectrum of employment, executive compensation and employee benefits matters, particularly in the context of corporate transactions (mergers, acquisitions, financing arrangements and SPAC transactions), including corporate governance matters and best practices, executive compensation plan design, efficient tax structuring, employment contracts and equity incentive compensation arrangements.
Prior to joining White & Case, Otto was an international tax advisor at a Big Four Accounting Firm where he provided strategic tax planning services for multinational clients, including cross-border transactions, compliance and optimization of global tax positions.
Otto is a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve and is dedicated to pro bono work benefitting disabled veterans, including the NVLSP's Lawyers Serving Warriors program that offers pro bono legal help with disability issues to veterans from all eras.
Otto is also an active member of the firm's Alianza Affinity Network, the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.
Experience
Representation of Ramudden Global, a portfolio company of Triton Fund IV, on its acquisition of Curtin Co., LLC and Carolina Traffic Devices, LLC (Curtin), a leading North American provider of traffic management solutions.
Representation of WE Soda Ltd, an affiliate of Ciner Enterprises Inc., on its approximately US$1.425 billion acquisition of Genesis Alkali, the largest US-based producer of natural soda ash, from Genesis Energy LP (NYSE: GEL), which establishes WE Soda as the largest global producer of soda ash.
Representation of Shutterstock, Inc., a leading global creative platform offering high-quality creative content for transformative brands, digital media and marketing companies, on its acquisition of Envato Pty Ltd., a leader in digital creative assets and templates, for US$245 million.
Representation of BNP Paribas, Italian Branch, and a group of lenders on a €300 million term loan granted to ITT Italia S.r.l. and guaranteed by its parent company ITT Inc.
Representation of premier technology and networking services provider EchoStar Corporation on its entry into a definitive agreement to combine with DISH Network in an all-stock merger at a fixed exchange ratio.
Representation of Graf Acquisition Corp. IV, a New York Stock Exchange-listed special purpose acquisition company, on its entry into a definitive agreement for a business combination with NKGen Biotech, Inc., a leading clinical stage natural killer (NK) cell therapy company.
Representation of Altor and its portfolio company Trioworld on the acquisition of Canadian and US-based Malpack, a North American company that specialises in high-performance stretch film for the transit packaging sector.
Representation of Ara Partners, a leading private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments, on its majority interest investment in Lincoln Terminal Holdings, LP, a leading renewable fuel logistics and infrastructure provider in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Representation of NRG Energy, Inc., a leading integrated power company, on its US$2.8 billion acquisition of Vivint Smart Home, Inc., a leading smart home platform company, for a total transaction value of US$5.2 billion, including the assumption of debt.
Representation of Ross Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC founded by former Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., on its US$280 million combination with APRINOIA Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease ("AD") and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy ("PSP").
Representation of TIER Mobility SE, a German micro-mobility company, in its acquisition of Skinny Labs, Inc., d/b/a Spin, a subsidiary of Ford and a US provider of rented motorized scooters.
Representation of JERA Americas in its acquisition of a portfolio of thermal power generating facilities in New England, with a combined capacity of 1,633 MW, from Stonepeak. The portfolio consists of four thermal power generating facilities--Canal 1 (566 MW), Canal 2 (559 MW) and Canal 3 (333 MW) in Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod and Bucksport (175 MW) in Bucksport, Maine.
Representation of AutoCruitment LLC, an industry leader in clinical trial patient recruitment in its sale to NovaQuest Capital Management, a life science investment firm.
Representation of CVC Capital Partners in a consortium of investors in the US$3.5 billion investment for a 22.55% stake in Authentic Brands Group LLC, a brand management company and owner of a portfolio of brand name companies.
Representation of CVC Growth Funds in its acquisition of Brightstarr Group (Unily), a market-leading SaaS platform enhancing employee engagement for global enterprises with subsidiaries in the United States and Australia.
Representation of Ledger Holdings Inc., parent company to LedgerX LLC, a digital currency futures and option exchange and clearinghouse, in its merger with and into a subsidiary of West Realm Shires Inc., a leading federally regulated cryptocurrency exchange.
