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  • Gordon M. Bava

    Partner
    Chair; Business, Finance & Tax Division
    Co-Chair, Corporate & Finance
     gbava@manatt.com
    Download Contact (.vcf)

    Los Angeles
    Direct: 310.312.4205
    General: 310.312.4000
    Fax: 310.312.4224
    Education

    University of Southern California Law School, J.D., 1974.
    Executive Editor, “Student Notes,” Southern California Law Review.

     

    Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, magna cum laude, B.S.F.S., 1970.
    Phi Beta Kappa. 
    Bar Admissions
    California
    • Profile
    • Representative Matters
    • Honors & Awards
    • Publications
    • Memberships & Activities
    • Speaking Engagements

    Profile

    Gordon Bava is co-chairman of the firm after serving for a decade as its Chief Executive and Managing Partner until December 31, 1999.  Mr. Bava’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, special committee representation, private and underwritten securities offerings and general corporate representation of clients in a variety of industries.

    Mr. Bava has conducted these services for public entertainment, utility and healthcare companies, local, regional and multinational financial institutions and holding companies, investment banks, and institutional and individual investors.

    Mr. Bava previously served as the Executive-in-Residence at Rustic Canyon Ventures, Santa Monica, California, one of the largest venture capital funds in Southern California focusing on Internet businesses, business services and other technology-oriented, high-growth industries.

    Representative Matters

    • NorthWestern Corporation.  Lead counsel in connection with $2.2 billion cash merger with Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Limited (Australia) (pending).
    • Crescent Film Holdings. - Lead counsel in connection with a $150 million investment in Village Roadshow Pictures Group, the multinational film production and distribution division of Village Roadshow Limited, an Australian  public company.
    • Central Pacific Financial, Inc. - Lead counsel in $425 million non-negotiated, cash and stock takeover by CPF of CB Bancshares, Honolulu, Hawaii.
    • Special Committee of Board of Directors Of Pacific Union Bank - Counsel to special committee of Board of Directors in connection with $300 million cash and stock acquisition by Hanmi Financial.
    • Grupo Minsa, S.A. de C.V. - Lead counsel for public Mexican food manufacturing company in a successful restructuring of U.S. $100 million in debt held by the International Finance Corporation and a syndicate of private sector lenders.
    • The Flying Tiger Line, Inc. - Lead outside counsel for the world's largest air cargo carrier between 1985 and 1989.  Among the most notable transactions:
      • An underwritten public offering of $66 million of Depositary Convertible Preferred Stock.
      • $274 million refinancing of leverage leases of 4 Boeing 747-200F aircraft.
      • $140 million of First and Second Priority Secured Trust Certificates.
      • ¥$5.4 billion bridge loan agreement and ¥$12.5 billion term loan agreement.
      • $800 million acquisition by means of a public tender offer by and merger with Federal Express Corporation.
    • California Wellness Foundation/HealthNet - Special lead corporate counsel for one of the largest charitable foundations in California in its capacity as the largest shareholder of Health Systems International, Inc., the parent of HealthNet.  The transactions led for this client were:
      • $600 million combination of HM Management Holdings, Inc. and QuaMed, Inc. in 1994, which became the foundation of HSI as a public entity.
      • $160 million underwritten public offering of common stock by HSI.
    • Business.com, Inc. - Principal outside corporate counsel for a variety of matters, including an innovative Series C Preferred Stock round of financing comprised of cash and  in-kind contributions by Pearson, PLC, Reed-Elsevier, McGraw-Hill Ventures and other investors with a value in excess of $40 million.
    • MED Diversified, Inc. - Principal corporate and securities counsel for this national provider of home healthcare services.  Among the transactions led were the following:
      • $90 million acquisition of Chartwell Diversified Services, Inc., including a unique Series A Convertible Preferred Stock designed to comply with AMEX listing requirements.
      • Public tender offer and acquisition of Tender Loving Care Healthcare Services, Inc.
    • East West Bancorp - Lead corporate counsel in connection with $260 million ownership transfer of the nation's largest Chinese-American bank within 6 weeks; structured to avoid customary regulatory approval process.
      • Lead Counsel in 6 acquisitions of Chinese American commercial banks.
      • Lead counsel in recent $30 million 144A PIPE transaction followed by S-3 re-sale registration.
    • Nevada Savings & Loan Association - Special outside corporate counsel for largest S&L in Nevada on a variety of public financings and its $68 million acquisition by Southwest Gas Corporation.
    • Selective Underwriting - Lead counsel for either issuers or underwriters in a variety of public offerings, including:
      • Preferred Bank - Issuers' counsel in connection with $90 million initial public offering of common stock.
      • Community Bancorp - Underwriters' counsel in connection with $70 million initial public offering.
      • Central Pacific Financial Corp. - Underwriters' Counsel in connection with $68 million secondary offering.
      • Paladin Realty, Inc.- Counsel to placement agent of $385 continuous offering of common stock of a newly created REIT.
      • New Century Financial Corporation - Underwriters' counsel for $210 million offering of Convertible senior notes.
      • First Data Management Company, Inc. - Underwriters' counsel for a spin-off initial public offer of data management company.
      • CalFed Income Partners, LLP - underwriters' counsel for $125 million offering of depositary units of a master limited partnership.
      • Guardian Bancorp - Issuer's counsel for a underwritten offering of 450,000 shares of common stock.  Issuer's counsel for underwritten offering of 12.6 million shares of common stock and 4.2 million warrants.
      • Matrix Capital Corporation - Underwriters' counsel for initial public offering of 2,000,000 shares of common stock of this mortgage banker and savings and loan holding company.  Underwriters' counsel for $20 million offering of 11.5% senior notes.
      • Silicon Valley Bancshares - issuer's counsel for $40 million underwritten offering of Trust Preferred Securities.
      • JAKKS Pacific, Inc. - underwriters' counsel for $71 million offering of common stock. 

    Honors & Awards

    Who’s Who in L.A. Law: Top 40 M&A Lawyers, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2011.

    Who’s Who in Law, Los Angeles Business Journal, listed among the first published 100 most prominent business attorneys practicing in Los Angeles County, 2009.

    Named among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, 2008.

    Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for more than ten years.

    “Southern California Super Lawyers,” Los Angeles Magazine, 2004-2008.

    Executive of the Year, Los Angeles Business Journal, 1995.

    Who’s Who in Law, Los Angeles Business Journal, listed among the first published 100 most prominent business attorneys practicing in Los Angeles County.

    Publications

    Co-Author, “A Comeback for Tender Offers?” Mergers & Acquisitions: The Dealmaker’s Journal, March 2007.

    Memberships & Activities

    Admitted to practice in California. 

    Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association.

    Member, State Bar of California Association, Financial Institutions Committee, Business Section.

    Member, American Bar Association.

    Chairman (1998) and Member, Board of Directors, Public Counsel, the largest pro bono law office in the United States.

    Member, Board of Directors, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, 2002 Chair, Legal Services Division.

    Chairman, Board of Directors, KCET, a community television affiliate of the Public Broadcasting System.

    Member, Board of Trustees of the Association of Public Television Stations.

    Member, Board of Directors, Fraternity of Friends of the Los Angeles Music Center.

    Member, Board of Directors, Attorneys Insurance Mutual Risk Retention Group, until June 2005.

    Member, Pacific Council on International Policy.

    Speaking Engagements