Christopher J. Babcock

Partner

Back

Christopher J. Babcock

Partner

Dallas 214.999.4370

Sectors

Practice Areas

Education

  • Baylor University (B.A., summa cum laude)
    • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude)
    • Submissions Editor, Harvard National Security Journal Semifinalist, Ames Moot Court Competition
    • Treasurer, Armed Forces Association

Admissions

  • Texas

Christopher (Chris) Babcock is a partner in Foley & Lardner LLP’s Dallas office, focusing on public and private mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance, and securities matters. He is a member of the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Practice and Foley’s national recruiting committee, and previously served on its private equity leadership team.

Chris represents private equity funds, public companies, privately held companies, and nonprofits in mergers and acquisitions, portfolio company management, and a broad range of corporate governance and capital market matters such as tender offers, public exchange offers, advising special committees, advising on disclosure requirements, stakeholder communications, and activist campaigns. He concentrates on complicated transactions, helping clients to think creatively and navigate their most significant challenges and other transformational matters.

Chris has co-authored numerous articles relevant to mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters published by the Delaware Business Court Insider, the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, Law360, and others, and serves as the outside editor for Thompson Reuters O’Connor’s book on the Texas Business Organizations Code. He has been invited to speak at numerous events, including meetings of the Technology Special Interest group of Financial Executives International, the Dallas Bar M&A Section, and the Choice, Governance & Acquisition of Entities conference.

Prior to law school, Chris served as an instructor-qualified airborne intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, earning the rank of captain.

Representative Experience

Private Equity

  • Represented Rosewood Private Investments in the acquisition, sale, growth, and management of a number of portfolio companies, including INW Manufacturing (cumulating in a sale to Cornell Capital), Novaria (cumulating in a sale to an affiliate of KKR) and others.
  • Represented Strait Lane Capital Partners in numerous sales and acquisitions of a number of its portfolio companies, including its sale of Griswold LLC to Rogers Corporation.
  • Represented Riata Capital Group in connection with the acquisition of multiple practices in connection with formation and growth of an optometry platform company.
  • Represented Star Dental Partners in multiple acquisitions of dentist practices.
  • Represented Highlander Capital Partners in connection with series of follow-on acquisitions to grow, and divestitures from, an auto products portfolio company.
  • Represented LKCM Headwater in acquisition of TestEquity, a value-added distributor of test and measurement equipment and MRO tools and supplies for laboratories and electronics manufacturing, and a manufacturer of environmental chambers, and in sale of Heads Up Technologies, an aerospace manufacturing company.

Corporate Governance

  • Represented Stryker Corporation in connection with governance and internal restricting matters concerning various subsidiaries.
  • Represented conflicts committee of general partner of Alon USA Partners, LP, in connection with controlling limited partner taking the master limited partnership private.
  • Represented FUNimation in connection with equity compensation and related issues raised in connection with its acquisition by Sony Pictures Television.
  • Represented certain director/shareholders of Good Times Restaurants Inc. in dispute about composition of board.

Other

  • Represented Evans Enterprises in its sale to Integrated Power Services.
  • Represented Sachs Capital in connection with take-private acquisition of RMG Networks Holding Corporation and related bridge financing.
  • Represented 1st Global, Inc., including its registered investment advisor and broker-dealer subsidiaries, in its acquisition by Blucora, Inc.
  • Represented Stryve Foods in connection with its de-SPAC transaction and subsequent matters.

Awards and Recognition

  • Super Lawyers® – Texas Rising Stars (2018-2022)
  • Texas Lawyer’s Texas Legal Excellence Awards – On the Rise Award (2021)

Affiliations

  • Past chair, Dallas Bar Association – Mergers & Acquisitions Section (2017-2019)

Community Involvement

  • Member, Baylor University’s Honors College Advisory Council
22 April 2024 Deals and Wins

Foley Advises Quanex in Agreement to Acquire Tyman

Foley & Lardner LLP is serving as legal advisor to Quanex Building Products Corporation in its agreement to acquire Tyman in a recommended cash and share offer at an enterprise value of approximately $1.1 billion.
31 October 2023 Deals and Wins

Foley Advises Six Pillars Partners in Recapitalization of Royalty Roofing and Majestic Facility Experts

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to Six Pillars Partners, a Texas-based private equity firm focused on the lower middle-market, in its recapitalization of Royalty Roofing and its sister company Majestic Facility Experts.
27 October 2022 Press Releases

Foley Represents Vive Organic in Acquisition by Suja Life

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Vive Organic, the brand of immunity-supporting booster shots created by holistic medical professionals, in its recent acquisition by Suja Life, LLC, a Paine Schwartz Partners portfolio company.
13 September 2022 Article

SEC Adopts Amendments to Proxy Voting Advice Regulations

On July 13, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) finalized rule amendments (the “Amendments”), proposed in November 2021, updating regulations governing proxy voting advice.
23 June 2022 Article

SEC Updates Electronic Filing Requirements

On June 3, 2022, the SEC announced its adoption of rule and form amendments expanding the requirement of electronic filing to include certain documents that are currently permitted to be filed or submitted in paper form, including Form 144 and glossy annual reports.
31 May 2022 Foley Funds Legal Focus

The game is in the name of the game−and the name of the game is ESG: SEC proposes new Fund rules to further combat “Greenwashing”

Continuing its focus on ESG practices within the fund industry, the Securities and Exchange Commission released proposed rules on May 25, 2022, that are intended to allow investors to readily discern whether a fund is focused on an ESG strategy and, if so focused, what the fund’s goals are and how it is progressing toward such goals.
View All Insights
View Newsroom