From sounding board to complex M&A deals, Bechen does it all

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Communication isn’t always easy in the midst of fast-paced merger and acquisition deals.

“Often times, especially if you’re getting to a critical time and something pops up that might require restructuring, you have to take a step back, look at the concern and analyze if it’s something that’s critical to our end goal,” said Kate Bechen, a partner at Husch Blackwell.

But with a cool head and an open-door policy, Bechen works to keep everyone well-informed and concentrating on the big picture.

“It’s about making sure there’s a good understanding of the client’s priorities and concerns, making sure internally my team is comfortable coming and talking to me … keeping the end goal in mind and not getting too bogged down,” she said.

Bechen has been a leader or integral player in various large M&A health-care transactions, including one of the largest in the state last year.

The 17-month deal involved several real-estate parcels, relationships with third-party payers such as governmental agencies, licensing and regulatory compliance and elaborate post-closing transitional relationships with various parties. During that time, the deal team oversaw the negotiation and preparation of complex transaction documents, the transfer of essential relationships with vendors and business partners and the review of matters concerning real estate, operations and other considerations.

With just over a decade of private practice in a field that historically has been dominated by men, Bechen is already considered to be one of the state’s leading deal lawyers in the health-care industry.

“Attorneys like Kate are shouldering their way into the top ranks of this practice area; we feel Kate sets an excellent example for aspiring women lawyers, demonstrating that women can find success as transactional lawyers of the highest caliber,” according to her colleagues at Husch Blackwell.

In her position, Bechen serves as a mentor to many of the younger women in the office.

“There’s not an overabundance of female partners, so I try to be particularly available and work with female associates in this and other offices,” she said. “I try to be available and be a safe sounding board, even if someone just wants to talk and feel like they’re being heard.”