Legal All-Star – Dani Machata – Godfrey & Kahn

When merger and acquisition attorneys close a transaction, they often receive a memento of their accomplishments. For Godfrey & Kahn shareholder Dani Machata, her favorite is a pair of boxing gloves.

The gloves — which stand out among the many mementos in her office — were given to her by a client’s investment banker due to the tenacity she showed in a large transaction.

“The boxing gloves on Dani’s bookshelf have come to represent more than just a successful transaction. They represent Dani’s fighting spirit and her ability to have a little fun along the way,” said Emily McKeown, business development director with Godfrey & Kahn.

Machata, who leads Godfrey & Kahn’s private equity practice group, guides complex transactions and joint ventures, often involving multiple entities in several companies.

“I love the excitement of M&A transactions,” Machata said. “I work with a variety of clients, including private equity firms, large strategics and privately owned businesses and each one brings different challenges and complexities that keeps me constantly learning, which I love.”

She also appreciates that both buyers and sellers work together to meet the same goal. “You get to the end of the transaction and the buyer has a new company that it can grow, the seller has the liquidity that it built over years of hard work, and everyone is raising a glass.”

Machata works with a variety of people from across Godfrey & Kahn since M&A impacts all of the firm’s specialty areas.

“I always tell people, when you are in the trenches and the deal feels overwhelming, it truly helps that I can look around and really enjoy the people I am working with and know that they are there with me and helping in every way they can,” she said.