Darrell Windham is the managing member of the firm’s Austin office and has more than forty years of experience representing publicly traded and privately held companies, private equity funds, early stage companies and investors in complex mergers and acquisitions (M&A), strategic joint ventures, capital markets, public and private offerings and other domestic and global business transactions. Darrell has experience in a wide variety of industries, including life sciences, medical devices, technology, software and semi-conductors, entertainment and media, manufacturing, development and construction, and consumer products.
Darrell represents both strategic and financial buyers and sellers in a variety of M&A transactions, including corporate reorganizations and recapitalizations, joint ventures, strategic alliances and multiple stage funding to buyout transactions. Darrell is also very experienced in representing issuers (including development stage entities), underwriters, investors and private equity funds in capital raising transactions, such as initial and secondary public offerings, private placements of debt and equity securities and new fund formation.
Darrell has served as the lead outside lawyer for a large number of businesses in multiple deals across industries, including artificial intelligence and analytics, semiconductors, software and technology, medical device, consumer goods and services, entertainment, sports and media, real estate development, equity and other financing and venture capital industries to form new businesses, raise private equity and debt, and acquire, sell, and enhance businesses and property. Darrell also advises clients in structuring and funding entities for sponsors and investors involved in commercial real estate development. Darrell brings the insight and experience of being a key advisor to clients in hundreds of deals from beginning to end and the after effects. Darrell has also served as a director, executive officer and/or an investor in many publicly held companies, and private businesses.
Darrell remains very involved in his community and state serving in leadership positions in many local, state and national charitable and non-profit organizations, including serving as the President and Chairman of the Texas Exes and as the first President of the Contemporary Austin.
Education & Credentials
Education
The University of Texas at Austin
B.B.A., Accounting, 1975The University of Texas School of Law
J.D., 1978Bar Admission
Acknowledgements
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 1999-2024
- "Lawyers of the Year," Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2024
- Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Corporate Law, 2009-2010, 2012-2014
- Texas Super Lawyers®
- "Super Lawyers," Corporate Law, 2009, 2016-2021
- "Top Rated," Lawyers, 2012
- Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Rating
Prominent Assignments
Represented a publicly held medical device company in which the client was acquired by Blackstone Capital Partners V, L.P. in a going private transaction. Total value of the transaction was almost $1 billion (including public debt and senior secured debt offerings of approximately $600 million), which represented the most ever paid for an Austin-based company at that time.
Represented publicly held semiconductor manufacturers controlled by private equity firms in numerous domestic and international transactions involving acquisitions of, strategic alliances with, and investments in (often resulting in acquisitions of) early stage software and semi-conductor businesses and intellectual property.
Represented a private equity-backed business in consumer experience products and services in multiple acquisitions of competitors and suppliers.
Represented a publicly held medical device company in connection with its initial public offering and a subsequent registered secondary public offering of common stock for both and in two often publicly registered stock offerings for the issuance of its securities to acquire two publicly held manufacturers of pain management, rehabilitation, fitness and sports performance products with aggregate purchase prices of approximately $500 million.
Represented a private energy company sponsor in the roll-up and reorganization of numerous entities and assets organized and acquired to drill, explore and produce natural gas and crude oil in the Permian Basin.
Represented a publicly held western boot manufacturer in connection with its acquisition by a competitor in a public tender offer.
Represented an early-stage automotive parts manufacturer in its funding, strategic alliances and ultimate sale.
Represented a private equity fund of funds in connection with its evaluation of and investment in multiple private equity and hedge funds and certain direct investments.
Represented numerous early-stage technology companies from organization through multiple financing rounds and exit transactions.
Professional Involvement
- Former Director, Economic Development Corporation, Austin Chamber of Commerce
- Former Director, Texas TriCities Chapter, National Association of Corporate Directors
- Member, American Bar Association, Business Law Section
- Member, State Bar of Texas, Securities Law and Venture Capital Committees of the Business Law Section
- Member, Travis County Bar Association, Business and Technology Law Section
- Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation
Community Involvement
- Past President and Chairman, Ex-Student’s Association of the University of Texas at Austin
- Past President and Chairman of Board of Trustees, The Contemporary Austin
- Former President of the Sun Bowl Association and Honored as Life-time Member of the Selection Committee
- Board Member, Central Texas Chapter of Texas Nature Conservancy
- Trustee of the Texas Cultural Trust
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Member, Commission of 125
- Member of the Littlefield Society
- Member/Board of Advisors, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
- Board of Visitors, McDonald Observatory and Astronomy
- Member/Board of Advisors, University of Texas Press
- Former Member, Men’s Athletics Council
- Former Director, Austin Longhorn Club
- Member and Board of Advisory Council, Longhorn Foundation
- University of Texas System
- Member of the Executive Committee, Chancellor’s Council
- Former Director, Friends of the University
- Former Director, Texas Business Hall of Fame
- Director, Austin Chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame Foundation
- Former Director - Venture Capital Committee of Texas, Gubernatorial Appointment
Publications/Presentations
- Darrell is a frequent lecturer on topics related to M&A, public and private securities offerings and financing and other exit transactions, corporate governance and board duties issues, including these recent events/panels:
- Moderator, Cyber Security Panel Discussion, Austin Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
- Panelist/Speaker, "Early Stage Start-up Resources - Planning Exit Strategies," IBM: Smarter Planet Summit
- Panelist, "Startup to IPO: Building for Success"
- Moderator/Speaker, "Executive Compensation Panel," National Association of Corporate Directors
- Speaker, "From Startups to the IPO; Building for Success, Corporate Legal for the Startup Company."
- Featured, "Dealmakers Q&A: Greenberg Traurig’s Darrell Windham," Law360, July 25, 2014
- Co-Author, "Keys To IP Collaborations With Universities: Part 1-3," Law360, July 21, 2014, October 20, 2014, March 9, 2015