Meet the team
Built for strategic transactions.
Our team includes specialists in Tax, IP, Employment, Executive Compensation & Benefits, FDA, SEC, and more. We support the full deal lifecycle, from diligence through closing and integration.
Our lawyers have practiced at leading law firms including
KIRKLAND & ELLIS | LATHAM & WATKINS | COOLEY LLP | WILSON SONSINI
The law firms listed on this site reflect the prior employment history of our attorneys and are included to illustrate their background and experience..
Soheil Ebadat
M&A | Venture | General Corporate Advisory | soheil@ebadatlaw.com | LinkedinSoheil is the Managing Partner of Ebadat PLLC. Soheil’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and growth equity financings, strategic contract negotiations, and complex corporate matters. His experience spans a wide range of sectors, including sports, energy, technology, engineering and construction, finance, healthcare, and aerospace. Recognized by The Legal 500 as a Tier 1 practitioner (Corporate & M&A).
Prior Experience
Before founding Ebadat PLLC, Soheil served as General Counsel of Redbud Brands, a fund and studio that invests in and scales consumer brands. Earlier in his career, he practiced at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP, and held roles at Pritzker Private Capital and Accenture. Soheil is also a General Partner at Aro Ventures, a leading investor in high-growth cybersecurity companies.
Education
J.D., University of Chicago Law School
Doctoroff Fellow, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
B.S., Economics, summa cum laude, Texas A&M University
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Represented DIO Capital Partners on Acquisition of Prowire USA.
Represented Blue Crow Sports Group in Acqusition of Le Havre Athletic Club (Ligue 1 France).
Advised Buyer Group in Advanced Bid for Italian Serie A Club A.C. Monza (Serie A).
Represented Swiss Energy Leader on Strategic, multi-million dollar, Partnership with Fortune 500 Company.
Represented Redbud Brands on Joint Venture with Leading Global Food Company.
Represented the Buyer in the Secondary Acquisition of Olipop, a Leading Probiotic Beverage
Advised on Sale Transaction Involving MFK Vyškov (Czech Republic).
Advised Vector Acquisition Corporation on its $4.1 billion merger with Rocket Lab USA.
Represented KKR in its $5.3 billion acquisition of Cloudera, an enterprise data cloud company.
Assisted MRO Corp. in its acquisition of Cobius Healthcare Solutions, a provider of reimbursement and compliance risk management tools.
Guided Pike Corporation in securing a majority investment by Lindsay Goldberg.
Advised Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its sale of Caring Brands International.
Counseled Bain & Company in acquiring Umbrage, a leading digital product studio.
Advised Wander on securing a significant credit facility and launching Atlas REIT.
Assisted Blue Crow Sports Group in its strategic acquisition of two professional football (soccer) teams, significantly expanding its sports portfolio.
Represented Magnetar Capital in the $402 million IPO of Star Peak Corp II (NYSE: STPC).
Assisted Rice Acquisition Corp. in its $1.15 billion business combination with Aria Energy LLC and Archaea Energy LLC, forming a renewable natural gas platform.
Represented Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in its $2.5 billion sale of Sirius Computer Solutions, Inc. to CDW Corporation.
Advised Acosta in its definitive agreement to acquire Impact Group.
Counseled Acosta in its acquisition of The CORE Group, a national foodservice sales agency.
Represented MRO Corporation in its acquisition of FIGmd.
Advised Audax-backed ICP Group in its acquisition of Choice Adhesives.
Advised Magnetar Capital’s Energy & Infrastructure group in a $100 million preferred equity investment round in PosiGen, a renewable energy solutions provider.
Advised Callon Petroleum Company in capital structure initiatives including a $140 million overriding royalty interest transaction and a $300 million issuance of secured second lien notes and warrants.
Represented Magnetar Capital’s Energy & Infrastructure group in a $100 million preferred equity investment round in PosiGen, a renewable energy solutions provider.
Advised Wander on securing a significant credit facility and launching Atlas REIT.
Assisted Callon Petroleum Company in structuring a $140 million overriding royalty interest transaction and a $300 million secured second lien notes issuance.
Represented a leading fintech company in its $250 million Series C financing round.
Counseled institutional investors in secondary transactions involving late-stage consumer brand.
*Some of the transactions above represent matters handled by Soheil Ebadat at prior firms.
M&A | Venture | General Corporate Advisory | austin@ebadatlaw.comAustin Johnson
Austin is a corporate attorney at Ebadat, where he advises emerging companies, investors, and strategic acquirers on complex business transactions. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, contract drafting and negotiations, and general corporate governance matters.
Austin brings deep experience across a wide range of deal structures, including public and private acquisitions, SPAC transactions, and debt and equity issuances. He regularly represents both institutional and founder-led clients in connection with early-stage investments, strategic exits, and operational legal needs.
Prior Experience
Before joining Ebadat, Austin was a corporate associate at Latham & Watkins LLP and Polsinelli PC, where he represented buyers, sellers, SPACs, issuers, and underwriters in significant corporate transactions, including initial public offerings and large-cap M&A.
Education
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
B.S., Finance, summa cum laude, Oklahoma State University
M&A | Venture | General Corporate Advisory | kiara@ebadatlaw.comKiara Cunningham
Kiara is a corporate associate in Ebadat’s M&A, venture, and general corporate practice. She advises founders, growing companies, and investors on strategic transactions and day to day corporate matters, with international experience across, . Her work spans M&A, venture financing, company formation, governance, commercial contracting, and cap table management, with a focus on practical execution and clean, investor ready documentation.
Kiara regularly supports venture and growth financings, including SAFEs, convertible notes, and preferred equity rounds from seed through later stages. She counsels clients on capitalization, board and stockholder rights, and investor protections, and helps manage the legal workstream around closings, regulatory filings, and post closing implementation.
Admitted as a lawyer in New South Wales, Australia, and as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand, Kiara is pending admission in California.
Prior Experience
Before joining Ebadat, Kiara was an associate at Ketsal PLLC in New York, where she advised technology and financial services clients on corporate governance, capital raising, product structuring, and regulatory issues, including securities and money transmission compliance, as well as equity and token based incentive arrangements administered through cap table platforms. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Office of the General Counsel at the New York City Department of Education, where she evaluated due process claims and structured settlements.
Education
Graduate Diploma of Legal Professional Practice, University of New South Wales
Juris Doctor, Australian National University
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, Deakin University
Real Estate | M&A | General Corporate Advisory | michael@ebadatlaw.comMichael Blue
Michael is a seasoned real estate and corporate attorney at Ebadat, providing comprehensive legal counsel to developers, entrepreneurs, founders, and investors in intricate real estate and business transactions. His expertise encompasses a wide spectrum of commercial legal matters, including complex commercial real estate matters, early-stage company counsel, mergers and acquisitions, contract drafting and negotiations, and general corporate governance issues.
With over two decades of experience, Michael has consistently delivered successful outcomes to his clients across a diverse range of complex legal challenges.
Prior Experience
Before joining Ebadat, Michael was a corporate and real estate associate at Winstead PC and Haynes and Boone LLP, where he represented publicly traded REITs, buyers, sellers, and founders in significant real estate and corporate transactions.
Education
J.D., summa cum laude, Baylor University School of Law
B.B.A., Finance, University of Texas, Austin
Tax | Reorganization | Compensation & BenefitsMike Baker
Mike Baker is the Partner of Baker Tax Law, LLC, a boutique tax firm that partners closely with Ebadat. A seasoned tax attorney, Mike advises founders, executives, and investors across the entire lifecycle of a business—from formation through exit. His practice focuses on sophisticated tax structuring, including entity selection and conversion, tax-free reorganizations, and taxable exits. Mike has advised on over 450 M&A transactions, including deals with consideration exceeding $1 billion.
Prior Experience
Before founding Baker Tax Law, Mike spent nearly a decade as a tax attorney at Cooley LLP, and practiced compensation and benefits law in the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He was recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2016.
Education
J.D. from Cornell Law School
LL.M. in Taxation from NY
B.S. in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Utah State University
FDA & FTC Compliance Heather Bustos
Heather Bustos provides practical legal and regulatory support for businesses in the food, supplement, cosmetic, and medical device industries navigating FDA and FTC regulations. She advises clients through every stage of compliance, from product development and labeling to inspections, audits, and recalls, helping companies meet regulatory requirements while minimizing operational risk.
Prior Experience
Before entering private practice, Heather advised consumer product companies and manufacturers on compliance programs and regulatory submissions, with a focus on preventive risk management and enforcement defense.
Education
J.D., Florida International University – College of Law
B.A. Political Science and Government, St. Thomas University
Juan Manuel López Ruiz
Sports Law | Regulatory | International SportsJuan Manuel is a leading attorney and advisor in international sports law. He counsels clubs, athletes, agents, and federations across a range of sports, with a focus on player contracts, high-stakes disputes, and regulatory matters in global football and combat sports.
His practice includes representing clients before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, as well as before judicial and disciplinary bodies of FIFA and national sports authorities such as the Appeals and Arbitration Commission and the Dispute Resolution and Mediation Commission of the Mexican Football Federation. His work spans advisory and dispute resolution matters for clubs and federations in the United States, Mexico and abroad, with significant experience in Guatemala, Paraguay, and Ecuador.
Juan Manuel is a trusted advisor to athletes in boxing, baseball, professional wrestling, and mixed martial arts, offering strategic counsel on contractual, disciplinary, and commercial matters. He has also served as Vice President of Legal Affairs at several Mexican football clubs, including Club América, Atlante, León, Irapuato, and Veracruz.
He is the only Mexican attorney to have been appointed a FIFA Match Agent, a designation that recognizes his global experience and deep understanding of the football ecosystem.
Education
International Master’s in Football Business and Administration, Johan Cruyff University
Master’s Studies in Tax Law, Universidad de las Américas Puebla
Specialization in Corporate Law, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México
Law, Universidad Intercontinental de México
+ specialist attorneys across Intellectual Property (IP), Employment, Executive Compensation & Benefits, SEC Compliance, and more.
Meet the rest of the team.
With billions in deal experience, we have advised on transactions in Sports, Finance, Technology, Energy, and Consumer Goods.
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We have extensive experience representing buyers and investors in cross-border sports franchise acquisitions and multi-club ownership models. Our team works with local counsel, regulators, and leagues to ensure smooth cross-border transactions, and we advise on media rights, sponsorships, and regulatory strategy. Learn More.
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We advise consumer brands, CPG companies, and their investors on M&A, licensing, and strategic partnerships. Our work includes private equity and venture deals, scaling high-growth brands, and negotiating manufacturing, distribution, and endorsement agreements.
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We advise industrial companies and investors on M&A and financings across industrial tech and automation, aerospace and defense suppliers, building products and packaging, specialty distribution, transportation and logistics, waste and environmental services, and testing and inspection. Transactions include platform and add-ons, carve-outs and roll-ups, growth equity, and LBOs.
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We advise startups, VCs, and institutional investors in sectors like AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, and SaaS. From early-stage financings to acquisitions, we bring sharp legal and commercial insight to IP, regulatory, and structuring matters that support growth.
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We counsel energy companies and investors on transactions across the value chain—from upstream deals to renewables. Our experience spans joint ventures, asset sales, and infrastructure projects, helping clients navigate regulation and invest strategically in a changing market.
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Our real estate practice is led by partners with over 20 years of experience, providing comprehensive legal support across all aspects of real estate transactions. We represent clients in acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financing, development, and land use matters. Our expertise includes handling complex commercial and residential deals, navigating regulatory compliance, and structuring transactions to meet strategic business goals. We also advise on a variety of investment vehicles, including joint ventures, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and private equity funds, ensuring optimal structuring and compliance to maximize returns. Committed to delivering precise, efficient counsel, we assist clients in mitigating risk and achieving successful outcomes in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
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