Areas of Focus
“As lawyers, we should always ask ourselves how we are creating value. Is it reaching a goal, mitigating a risk or somehow making things easier for our clients? These questions should constantly shape our actions.”
Overview
When companies face complicated problems with many moving parts or adverse stakeholders, or require bespoke commercial arrangements, John Algie connects the invisible dots and creates a path forward through the obstacles.
With hands-on experience in the business world including as the president of a professional sports team, John understands the practical realities that drive c-suite decision-making. John works with clients of all sizes in a variety of industries, and at every stage of the life cycle, efficiently learning the client’s business and goals to deliver practical advice.
Privately held issuers, investors, acquirers and target companies turn to John for counsel on domestic and cross-border transactions as well as minority and majority investments. He advises entertainment, media, professional sports, marketing and technology companies on day-to-day commercial transactions and serves in a general counselling role. Clients rely on his ability to collaborate with their business teams to deliver legal services that respect internal processes and streamline the work.
John is adept at uncovering the true motivations on each side of a transaction to find an agreement that satisfies all parties. He gets to the heart of the deal, understanding what drives value for the client, seeing the potential pitfalls and never losing sight of the big picture when negotiating to achieve the most advantageous outcomes for today and tomorrow.
Representative Experience
- Represented a premier communications partner for leading technology and healthcare companies, in connection with a strategic investment by a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in media and communications. Guided the business on a pre-closing restructuring and the implementation of a new management incentive plan.
- Structured a new management incentive plan for a global events planning and operations company. The new plan consolidated and streamlined the administration of multiple pre-existing plans at various levels of the organizational structure in multiple jurisdictions.
- Advised the c-suite management of a full-service digital product provider in connection with its sale to a leading, publicly-traded telecom service provider in Canada. The transaction structure required navigating a series of novel issues related to, among other things, rollover equity, redemption mechanics and phantom equity payments.
- Negotiated the restructuring of a bespoke contingent consideration and debt arrangement for a private equity fund in connection with a previously acquired real estate services business. Counseled on key considerations involving the interplay between a tiered waterfall and a multi-year earnout.
- Counseled a global marketing and communications holding company in its acquisition of two specialist PR agencies, which further solidified their leadership position in public affairs, corporate and political consulting.
Counseled the owners of a National Hockey League franchise in the sale of a controlling interest in the team and related businesses to a global sports, marketing, media, entertainment and real estate company. (This matter was handled at a previous firm.)
- Represented a leader in data-driven marketing solutions in its strategic acquisition of an Adobe Gold Solution Partner that specializes in optimizing marketing operations for Fortune 1000 companies. The acquisition serves to enhance our client's ability to optimize marketing lifecycle performance and deliver personalized content at scale, positioning it to become the industry's most comprehensive content solution provider.
Credentials
Education
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2009)
- University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business (M.B.A., Beta Gamma Sigma, 2009)
- University of Pittsburgh (B.S., Omicron Delta Kappa, 2003)
Distinctions
- Best Lawyers®* “Ones to Watch” 2023-2025, Corporate Law
- Best Lawyers®* “Ones to Watch” 2024-2025, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Bar Admissions
- New York
- Pennsylvania
Associations
Member, The Sports Lawyers Association
Member, University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association Board of Directors
Emeritus Member, University of Pittsburgh Business Alumni Association Board of Directors
— Past President
Emeritus Member, University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration Alumni Advisory Board
— Past President