Paul A. Schmid

Associate

Paul advises small and medium-sized businesses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity financings, strategic alliances, and other transactional matters.

Paul A. Schmid, Arent Fox LLP, Associate

Paul represents corporate clients on matters across the life cycle of a business, including formation, financing, operations, succession planning, and mergers and acquisitions.  He has represented clients in diverse industries, including manufacturing, business services, commercial real estate, and technology.  

Paul has significant experience in representing family-held businesses in what is often the most significant transaction in their lives: the sale of the business.  He is an attorney and business advisor who brings a practical approach to lawyering and an ability to work with a range of personalities to get the deal done.

Paul learned the art of making deals while working in Washington, D.C. Prior to his legal career, Paul served on the staff of three Members of Congress and advised them on transportation and environmental policy.  In that capacity, he drafted and negotiated dozens of pieces of legislation.  This role required him to balance the concerns of Members of Congress from both parties, lobbyists, and constituent groups.  Today, Paul uses the skills that he learned while working for Congress to assist his corporate clients with business transactions.  

Client Work

  • Represented an oil and gas provider in a $21 million recapitalization, which allowed the existing shareholders to retain majority ownership of the business and control its operations.  Paul also provided counsel to this client on a restructuring, real estate leases, and other corporate contracts.

  • Advised a family-owned auto dealership chain in New England on the $12 million sale of four retail locations to a strategic buyer.

  • Represented a family-owned equipment manufacturer in Massachusetts in its $194 million sale to a leading industrial manufacturing company.  This transaction required Hart-Scott-Rodino regulatory approval from the federal government prior to closing.

  • Advised an environmental remediation company in a $1.2 million strategic acquisition that allowed it to compete in a new geographic territory.

  • Advised a real estate investment firm on the business law components of multiple commercial real estate transactions.  This representation included negotiating joint ventures with a financial sponsor, assisting the client with its own investor relations, and negotiating loan documentation with institutional lenders.

  • Assisted a private equity firm with the purchase and later disposition of an assisted living facility in New Hampshire, including drafting and negotiation of asset purchase agreements and ancillary documents.

  • Represented a medical device manufacturer in numerous debt and equity financings.

  • Served as outside general counsel for a Massachusetts quasi-governmental agency, including reviewing all of the agency’s grant agreements and contracts.

Memberships

  • Deal Hunters Committee, Association for Corporate Growth Boston
  • City Awake Advisory Board, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
  • Boston Bar Association

Life Beyond the Law

Paul is an avid skier and sailor and helps out on his family’s organic cattle farm in southeastern Massachusetts. Paul and his wife, Maggie, live with their two boys and dog south of Boston.

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers (2024)

Perspectives