Overview
Gjina Lucaj is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Gjina practices general corporate and business law, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate counseling. She is a member of the Transactional & Securities and Private Equity & Venture Capital Practices. She is also a member of the firm’s Automotive Industry Team.
Gjina has significant experience with domestic and international strategic and private equity transactions across numerous industries. These transactions include mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, financing, and public and private debt and equity offerings. Gjina also regularly provides clients with general corporate, restructuring and contract counseling.
Representative Experience
- Represented Wynnchurch Capital in its acquisition of Owen Family of Companies, a leading specialty equipment platform providing critical infrastructure solutions.
- Represented Wynnchurch Capital in its acquisition of Appvion, a specialty and high-performance coatings company.
- Represented Meridian Health and its owners in closing a $2.5 billion deal, whereby, WellCare Health acquired the state-licensed HMO, pharmacy benefit manager, and third-party administrator serving over 1 million members
- Represented America’s 1st Choice and its prior owners in the sale of their Florida and South Carolina-based HMOs to Anthem (financial terms confidential)
- Represented Wynnchurch Capital on the sale of Henniges Automotive. Henniges was formed upon the acquisition of Metzler Automotive and GDX Automotive where Foley represented Wynnchurch Capital in these global acquisitions. After successfully integrating and building the companies over three years, Foley represented the company in negotiation and the sale of Henniges to Littlejohn & Co, a private equity fund
- Represented a private equity fund in its purchase of the global operations of a supplier of noise vibration and harshness products, along with bolt-on acquisitions and ultimately its sale to a public company. Given the global reach of Wolverine, the transaction involved antitrust filings and clearances in multiple countries, including U.S. and EU. This acquisition required a complex equity and debt financing structure that was negotiated with several banks and other financing sources
- Represented a large public company and retail seller of shoes and accessories in numerous acquisitions of privately held companies in the shoe industry with operations both domestically and internationally
- Represented Wynnchurch Capital and its affiliate, USP Holdings, Inc. in the acquisition of United States Pipe and Foundry Company, LLC and Fast Fabricators LLC from Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE: MWA), numerous bolt-on acquisitions, and ultimately, its sale to Forterra Pipe
- Represented a private equity fund in its investment in a global manufacturer and marketer of removable, durable grade pavement marking tapes
- Represented a multinational automotive supplier in the sale of its manufacturing operations in Mexico
- Represented a Spanish automotive supplier in its purchases of multiple supplier businesses in Indiana and Kentucky
- Represented ABC Group (a Canadian automotive supplier) in a cross-border joint venture (U.S. and Canada) with Inoac Group structured as membership interest purchase of 50 percent of U.S. company and stock purchase of 50 percent of Canadian company
- Represented a private equity fund in its stock acquisition of a commercial vehicle parts supplier from its public company parent
- Represented a large contractor in confidential negotiations concerning the creation of a joint venture, creating a team to pursue an expected $4 billion Department of Defense procurement. Foley negotiated the terms, advised the client, and have since dealt with the addition of a new team member, the sale of another team member, and the evolution of the planned procurement. The creation of the joint venture remains confidential for competitive reasons
- Represented a privately held pharmacy in the sale of all of its assets to a larger chain pharmacy store
Recognition
Gjina was selected for inclusion in the list of Michigan Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® (2015, 2016, and 2019). The Rising Stars® list represents the top 2.5 percent of lawyers under 40 years old in Michigan based upon a survey of one’s peers.
Education
Gjina received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School (cum laude, 2009), where she was elected to the Order of Coif and served as senior note & comment editor of the Wayne Law Review. She received her bachelor’s degree, with highest distinction, from the University of Michigan (summa cum laude, 2004).
Admissions
Gjina is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan.