Craig Owen White serves as Partner-in-Charge of Hahn Loeser's Cleveland office and guides established and growth-oriented companies through mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, enterprise governance, and financing and licensing issues in the United States and abroad. He has particular experience serving as primary outside corporate counsel to business enterprises.
Craig’s clients benefit from his experience as a corporate counselor, which includes service as a director of Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc., one of the largest privately owned food companies in the United States. He also serves as the primary U.S. corporate counsel for HEAD SPORT GmbH, a European-based international sports equipment conglomerate operating under the Head, Tyrolia and Mares brands.
Craig’s practice experience includes structuring and executing business strategies as well as representing his clients in a wide range of transactions, including asset and stock sales and purchases, joint ventures, strategic alliances, cooperative research and development agreements, trademark licensing agreements, shareholders’ agreements, joint-venture agreements and executive employment agreements.
Craig also has substantial experience in enterprise governance matters, particularly for privately owned companies. As a member of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Corporate Laws of the Section of Business, Craig was a contributing author to Managing Closely-Held Corporations: A Legal Guidebook. He was also a commentator on governance issues at the George W. Leet Business Law symposium, a national forum sponsored by Case Western Reserve University School of Law and participated as a facilitator at a National Association of Corporate Directors’ program called Answering the Top 10 Questions Facing Family Business Boards.
In addition, Craig counsels government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on economic development initiatives and their participation in sophisticated business transactions. Craig is a frequent lecturer internationally on issues of global commerce and enterprise governance. He delivers an annual lecture series in commercial law for lawyers in Zambabwe.
Craig was recently reappointed for a second term by the United States Representative (USTR) to the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA). The USTR has primary responsibility for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade policies and overseeing negotiations with other countries. TACA provides advice to USTR in developing U.S. trade policy throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Craig takes an active leadership role in several professional and civic organizations, including serving as the Vice Chair of the board of trustees of the International Senior Lawyers Project and on the executive committee of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Craig is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the categories of Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Compliance Law and Corporate Law. He is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest available rating for legal ability and professional ethics.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
