Overview

George Wall is one of the leading mergers and acquisitions attorneys in Southern California. He is a senior partner in Glaser Weil’s Corporate Department, where he leads the mergers and acquisitions practice. He has worked on over 500 transactions in his career. George’s practice focuses on mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, sales and reorganizations, venture capital transactions, securities, broad‐based tax planning, fund formations and preparation of loan documentation. George has been named multiple times to the Orange County Business Journal’s “OC 500,” which recognizes the most influential business leaders throughout Orange County. Additionally, he has been listed multiple times on the Southern California Super Lawyers list.

Over his more than 40 year career, George has been counsel on transactions for many well‐ known clients, including part of the ownership group that acquired the NBA Sacramento Kings, Alacer Corporation (manufacturer of Emergen‐C), the private equity group Riordan, Lewis & Haden and a number of its portfolio companies, Allergen Zeiss, the ownership group that acquired the NBA New Orleans Hornets, Primoris Services Corporation, Advantage – Crown Sales and Marketing, American Title, Pacific Coast Title, Ocean Pacific (OP), The Outdoor Channel, Pacific Ethanol, Inc., Mellon Venture Capital, H&G Capital Partners, McDonald’s Corporation, Ambassador George Argyros and many more.

George has a loyal client base who seek out his leading counsel for:

  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Corporate transactions
  • Securities
  • Fund formations
  • Loans

George is known for his ability to both be a “deal maker” and also to achieve a value‐add for his clients. He has helped many buyers and sellers receive an economic result that far exceeded initial expectations. His transactional experience has covered a broad range of industries, including aerospace, apparel, environmental, automotive chemical, construction, consulting, consumer goods, financial, food, healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas, professional sports, restaurants, resort clubs, technology, and title insurance.

While completing the University of San Diego’s tax program, George served as a research assistant to Professor Boris Bittker of Yale University on his five-volume “Treatise on Federal Income Taxation.”

George is a frequent speaker and author on various M&A topics.

George is active in the business and civic communities and has served as a director of many nonprofits. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of Chapman University and is actively involved in supporting City of Hope. At Chapman University, he formed and endowed the Wall Scholar Program, providing full tuition scholarships to outstanding students in the business school. He also has been a director of ANFI Inc. (a NASDAQ company), where he chaired a special committee evaluating an acquisition proposal.

Results

George’s notable experience includes his representation of:

  • Carl Zeiss Meditec AG in connection with a proposed $1.6 billion acquisition of a division of Bausch & Lomb. 
  • A minority owner of the New York Yankees in connection with its sale which, at the time, was the highest price per unit in the history of the New York Yankees and no investment banker was involved.

  • Part of the ownership group in connection with the acquisition of the Sacramento Kings for $500 million.

  • The ownership group in connection with the acquisition of the New Orleans Hornets for $350 million.
  • A waste disposal company with an enterprise value in excess of $1 billion in connection with its sale. 
  • Alacer Corporation (manufacturer of Emergen-C) in connection with its sale to Pfizer, helping to achieve a sale price 40% above initial estimates.
  • MaxIT, a Riordan, Lewis & Haden portfolio company, in connection with its sale to SAIC for $500 million.
  • Primoris Services Corporation (ARB) in a public merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Corp., with a transaction value of approximately $350 million.
  • Advantage-Crown Sales & Marketing, Inc., a national food distributor, in connection with an approximate $260 million acquisition by a New York Stock Exchange company.
  • Primoris Services Corporation (ARB) in a public merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Corp., with a transaction value of approximately $350 million. 
  • American Title, a NASDAQ traded title insurance company, in connection with its merger with Fidelity Title in a deal valued at $182 million.  Also served as head of a Special Committee of the Board of Directors that negotiated the transaction, as well as reviewing the fairness of compensation paid.
  • Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. (OP) in connection with its acquisition by Warnaco.
  • The Outdoor Channel cable television station, with a valuation of approximately $216 million, merging into a publicly owned entity.
  • Pacific Ethanol Inc. in connection with its merger into a public company, related proxy filings and add-on financings.
  • Numerous clients in connection with fund formations in sizes from $50 million to $750 million.
  • Numerous clients in the preparation of numerous Regulation D Private Placement Memorandums.
  • Sellers and buyers in multiple transactions between $10 million and $100 million. 

Insights

News

  • Orange County Business Journal features Mr. Wall’s move to Glaser Weil in the “OC Insider” column, February 29, 2016 
  • Participant, Roundtable Series on Mergers and Acquisitions, California Lawyer, the State Bar magazine, May 2015 
  • Orange County Business Journal features Mr. Wall’s thoughts and comments on the current M&A market, March 9, 2015 
  • Orange County Business Journal interviews Mr. Wall regarding his analysis of the current merger and acquisition market, April 28, 2014 
  • Orange County Business Journal article titled “Lawyers Benefit from Deals Uptick, Relationships” featuring Mr. Wall, March 10, 2014 
  • Orange County Business Journal article titled “New Drill on Due Diligence” featuring the scope of Mr. Wall’s M&A practice, March 11, 2013 
  • “Pre-Sale Tax Planning,” Orange County Business Journal, September 2012 
  • “Unique Aspects of Asset Purchases,” Orange County Business Journal, September 2011 
  • “The Wrongs of Rescission Rights,” The Deal magazine, August 2010 
  • “California Rescission Rights for Transactions Involving Unlicensed Broker-Dealers,” Orange County Business Journal, May 2010 
  • “Increased Use of Earnouts in Current Economic Environment,” Orange County Business Journal, August 2009 

Awards and Recognition

Awards and Recognition

“OC 500,” Orange County Business Journal, multiple years (outstanding business leaders of Orange County)

Southern California Super Lawyers, multiple years

Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Rrated

Leadership and Community

Board of Trustees, Chapman University, 2020 to present

Major supporter of City of Hope

Past member of Board of Trustees, Orange County Museum of Art

Past member of Board of Trustees, Octane

Past member of Board of Trustees, CASA

Past member of Board, Associates for Corporate Growth, Orange County

Member, Big Canyon Country Club and Bighorn Golf Club

Education

University of San Diego, Tax Program

University of Miami Law School, J.D.

University of Virginia, B.A., Economics; Dean’s List; University Honor Scholarship; New Jersey State Scholarship

Admissions

  • California
  • Florida
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