Meet the team
Built for strategic transactions.
Ranked "Highly Regarded" for Corporate/M&A by Chambers USA and Tier 1 in Houston by The Legal 500, a national "Firm to Watch" for M&A and nationally recognized for Fund Formation. Our team includes specialists in Tax, IP, Employment, Executive Compensation & Benefits, FDA, SEC, and more, supporting 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
Reflect the prior employment history and for illustrative purposes .
Soheil Ebadat
M&A | Financing | soheil@ebadatlaw.com | LinkedinSoheil is the Founding Partner of Ebadat. He advises founders, investors, and strategic acquirers on transactions where speed, leverage, and risk allocation matter, and is typically engaged when tight execution and hands-on partner involvement are expected. His practice focuses on M&A, venture capital and growth financings, strategic commercial contracting, and fund representation. He advises clients across sports, CPG, energy, technology, engineering and construction, finance, healthcare, and aerospace.
Soheil serves as a board member of the Texas A&M Economics Department and Club Deportivo Leganés.
Prior Experience
Before founding Ebadat, he served as General Counsel of Redbud Brands, an investment 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.
Awards & Recognitions
Chambers USA 2026, Corporate/M&A
The Legal 500 United States, Tier 1, Corporate and M&A, Houston Elite
Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2026, Mergers & Acquisitions
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.
Fund Formation | Venture | kiara@ebadatlaw.comKiara Cunningham
Kiara is a corporate associate in Ebadat’s Fund Formation and Venture practices. She advises sponsors, funds, and founders on strategic fund formation and investment transactions as well as day to day corporate matters. Her work spans fund formation, venture financing, company formation, governance, commercial contracting, and cap table management, with a focus on practical execution and clean, investor ready documentation.
Kiara is admitted to practice 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
Debt Finance | Leveraged Finance | Secured TransactionsMitch McClellan
Mitch is the Founder of Think on Services, LLC, a boutique law firm that partners closely with Ebadat. Mitch advises clients on the full spectrum of financing matters and secured transactions, helping them understand not just the mechanics of their agreements, but which terms truly matter and why. He brings finance expertise forged in Big Law and sharpened in the seat of General Counsel, where structuring deals and translating complex agreements into business reality were daily demands.
Prior Experience
Mitch served as General Counsel of a private Series B startup, where he managed all legal needs across financings, investor relations, governance, and commercial operations. Earlier in his career, he was a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he led numerous debt financing transactions and advised clients on complex credit agreements.
Education
J.D., magna cum laude, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University
B.S., Brigham Young University
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 NYU
B.S. in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Utah State University
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
Fund Compliance | SEC ComplianceHarris Bogner
Harris Bogner is a compliance specialist with three decades of financial industry experience, successfully developing, implementing, and maintaining compliance programs for SEC-registered, state-registered, and exempt reporting advisers, as well as for startup and early-stage investment managers.
Prior Experience
After starting his career with UBS Asset Management as counsel, he held various compliance roles at Morgan Stanley, Bessemer Trust, and APG Asset Management. In 2007, he joined Cadogan Management, a long-short equity hedge fund-of-fund manager, as Chief Compliance Officer and counsel. Since Cadogan wound down in 2011, Harris served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Cantor Fitzgerald’s asset and wealth management business units. He has also held senior compliance consultant positions with several firms, including Insight Investment North America.
Education
J.D. from New York Law School*
B.A. in Political Science, from University of Albany
* Not currently licensed to practice law.
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
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
April Fitzgerald
Executive Assistant & Operation Coordinator April Fitzgerald serves as Executive Assistant and Operations Coordinator, providing strategic administrative and operational support while helping drive the day-to-day success of the organization. With a strong focus on organization, efficiency, and problem-solving, April is committed to supporting both the team and clients through exceptional service and attention to detail.
Education
B.B.A., Human Resource Management, Sam Houston State University
With billions in deal experience, we have advised on major transactions across Sports, Consumer Goods, Technology, and Energy.
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