Betsy C. Thelen

Partner

Education

  • Harvard Law School (J.D., 2001)
  • University of Michigan (B.A., 1998), with high distinction,

    Phi Beta Kappa

Related Services

Legal 500 Recommended Attorney

Betsy is a Partner in the firm’s Corporate & Securities practice group. Her practice primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions, issues relating to joint ventures and the formation of partnerships and limited liability companies, as well as the review and negotiation of a variety of commercial contracts. She represents clients that range from entrepreneurs and family investment offices to middle-market privately held businesses and large public companies.

A large portion of Betsy’s practice is focused on representing both developers/operators and investors in connection with the formation of joint ventures for construction of multi-family residential and retail projects throughout the United States.

Betsy also completes airplane acquisition deals and provides advice and completes filings with respect to preacquisition reporting requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act). She advises her fellow NGE attorneys with respect to the HSR Act reporting requirements of transactions handled by the firm and oversees the preparation and submission of premerger notification reports with the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission.

  • Represented a real estate investment fund in the formation of joint ventures to develop and construct multi-family residential projects in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and elsewhere
  • Represented a leading distributor of private label and branded aftermarket truck parts in its sale to a private equity firm
  • Represented a leading supplier of building materials in the acquisition of an Illinois provider of aggregates, agricultural limestone, crushed stone and road building products for commercial, agricultural and personal use
  • Represented a health care packaging service in the sale of its business to an internationally owned, private equity-backed buyer
  • Represented NIBE Industrier AB in its acquisition of the Element Division of Emerson Electric Co., with operations in the USA, Mexico and China
  • Represented media company Morris Publishing Group, LLC in a successful restructuring of its debt
  • Represented major health insurance company in the formation of a joint venture company to develop and administer a Medicaid managed care plan
  • Represented major health insurance company in its acquisitions of significant minority interests in a behavioral medicine provider and a home health benefits management provider
  • Represented individuals in the sale of their physician management company
  • Represented privately-held Illinois corporation in the spin-off of a manufacturing subsidiary
  • Represented a European manufacturer in its entry into the U.S. market through its acquisition of a significant minority stake in a U.S. manufacturer
  • Represented Covanta Holding Corporation as special securities counsel in a registered public offering of $400 million of high yield debt
  • Represented a mid-size U.S. public company as U.S. securities counsel in a C$400 million Canadian bought-deal private placement
  • Represented international dredging contractor in an unregistered $250 million high yield debt offering
  • Represented client in joint venture relating to cattle “growing”
  • Represented numerous individuals in the formation of jointly-owned limited liability companies
  • Represented clients in matters related to the acquisition of aircraft and like-kind exchanges of aircraft
  • The Legal 500 United States, recommended in “M&A/Corporate & Commercial: M&A: Middle-market (sub-$500 million)” since 2022
  • Law Bulletin Publishing Company, “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch,“ 2014
  • The M&A Advisor "40 Under 40 Recognition Awards - Legal Advisor," 2014

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois