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Steve Kozachok
- E skozachok@taftlaw.com
- T (612) 977-8792
- F (612) 977-8650
- C (651) 245-6349
Summary
Steve has extensive experience in private equity, IT and healthcare transactions. He practices principally in the areas of:
- Mergers and acquisitions.
- Financings.
- Strategic relationships.
- Commercial contracts.
- Entity formation and business planning.
- Corporate governance.
- General corporate and securities law.
Steve has over 25 years of corporate and securities law experience. He practiced as an associate and then partner in the corporate group of a large local law firm for eight years before serving for three years as the associate general counsel for a major medical device company, where he was responsible for M&A, financings, securities law compliance, and reporting and corporate governance matters.
Steve next served as general counsel for a leading, publicly held computer security software company until its sale to a publicly held buyer in late 2008, and then as general counsel for the network security division of the post-merger entity until 2009.
He has participated in panel discussions regarding M&A, information technology, and medtech matters, and has frequently been quoted in the local news media. Steve also served as an adjunct professor for healthcare M&A at Mitchell | Hamline School of Law. He is fluent in French, having worked as a translator for Cargill in Paris and a market research analyst at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and having received the Superior Level Diploma in Business French from the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Awards
Honoree, Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
(2019 – present)
Honoree, Top Lawyers, Corporate Law, Minnesota Monthly (2023)
Honoree, Chambers USA, 2005 (One of only two individuals in Minnesota listed as up-and-coming M&A attorneys).
Honoree, Rising Star, Minnesota Super Lawyers, five consecutive years
All Service Areas
All Practices
All Industries
Education
- George Washington University Law School (1996)
cum laude
- University of Notre Dame (1992)
cum laude
Admissions
- State - Minnesota
Notable Matters
Representative IT-related Transactions Include:
- Sale of Pinnacle Group to Harbor, a portfolio company of Renovus.
- Financing of Leadferno, LLC.
- Sale of Nifty Marketing to ProSites, Inc.
- Sale of GatherUp to Grade Us.
- Sale of Spyder Trap to Bright Health.
- Sale of LuciData to The Newberry Group.
- Sale of Network Instruments, LLC to Thoma Bravo, LLC.
- Sale of Secure Computing Corporation to McAfee, Inc.
- Sale by Secure Computing Corporation of SafeWord network access business to Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd.
- Acquisition by Secure Computing Corporation of Securify, Inc.
Representative Healthcare-related Transactions Include:
- Sale of PharmaForce to Aquiline Capital Partners.
- Sale of Bluesight, Inc. to Thoma Bravo.
- Merger of StemoniX, Inc. with publicly-held Cancer Genetics, Inc.
- Representation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota in the $450 million sale of its Further spending account business to HealthEquity.
- Sale of two orthopedic device companies to Smith + Nephew.
- Sale of a nonprofit hospital and senior care facility to a large, nonprofit health system.
- Acquisitions by UnitedHealth Group entities of:
- Fidelity Insurance Group.
- Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc.
- Golden Rule Financial Corporation.
- AmeriChoice Corporation.
- Definity Health Corporation.
- Spectera, Inc.
- Lifemark Corporation.
- Acquisitions by St. Jude Medical, Inc. of:
- Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, Inc.
- EP MedSystems, Inc.
- A contingent acquisition option for an embolic protection device company.
- Sale of Pulmonetic Systems, Inc. to VIASYS Healthcare (now CareFusion).
- Acquisition of a cutting-edge medical technology company by an S&P 500 client.
- Venture investment by a medical device company in an ablation catheter company.
- PIPE investment by St. Jude Medical, Inc. in Cambridge Heart, Inc.
- Acquisition by Quintiles Transnational Corp. of the assets of Bioglan Pharma, Inc.
- Financing transactions for:
- Recuro Health, Inc.
- Phenomix Sciences, Inc.
- Oncodea, Inc.
- Ilion Medical, Inc.
- LifeBridge Innovations, PBC.
- StemoniX, Inc.
- Raymedica, Inc.
- HealthEZ, Inc.
- EM Vascular, Inc.
- Virtuel Medical, Inc.
- Image-Guided Neurologics, Inc.
- VOCxI Health, Inc.
Representative Private Equity Transactions Include:
- Representation of Electrical Builders Industries in its sale to Pelican Energy Partners.
- Representation of Communications Tower Group I in its partnership with Novacap.
- Purchase by PCM Companies of Suburban Manufacturing, Inc.
- Sale of National Truck Underwriting Managers, Inc. to AmWins Group, Inc.
- Sale of Shur-Co, LLC to Behrman Capital.
- Sale of a manufacturer and value-added distributor of trade show exhibits.
- Sale of a property maintenance services company.
- Purchase and later sale of a shooting target and firearm accessory company.
- Purchase and later sale of a casino chair manufacturing company.
- Purchase of numerous heavy equipment manufacturing companies.
- Purchase of a trucking tarp manufacturing company.
- Purchase and later sale of a wine capsule manufacturing company.
- Purchase of a UK-based arts and crafts company.
- Purchase of a direct mail company.
- Purchase of a taxidermy supply company.
- Purchase of a UK-based cash drawer company.
Representative Emerging Company Clients Include:
- Phenomix Sciences, Inc.
- Oncodea, Inc.
- Lifebridge Innovations, PBC
- Leadferno, LLC
- Ilion Medical, Inc.
- Crotega, L.L.C.
- Surgical Design Innovations, LLC
Speeches and Publications
- Presenter, “Best Practices for Your M&A Playbook,” June 12, 2014
News
Taft Sponsors 2024 Minneapolis Dealmakers Conference News
Three Hundred Sixty-Three Taft Attorneys Recognized in Best Lawyers in America® 2025 News
Taft Acts as Legal Counsel to CTG in Partnership with Novacap News
Taft Acts as Legal Counsel to Electrical Builders Industries in Sale to Pelican Energy Partners
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
Member
- LegalCORPS
Past Volunteer
Community Involvement
- Boy Scouts of America
Past Finance Chair, Boy Scout Troop 9045
- Somerset Country Club
Past Member, Board of Directors
- Breakthrough T1D
Past Member, Board of Directors, MinnDakotas Chapter
- The First Tee of Saint Paul
Past Member, Board of Directors
- Twin Cities Diversity in Practice
Past Mentor