Ji is a corporate transactional lawyer with extensive experience representing
financial sponsors, family offices, investor groups and companies in a
variety of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions,
divestures, joint ventures, venture capital investments and securities
offerings. His clients include private equity funds, family offices, multinational
companies and start-up companies. He has advised clients in diverse industries,
including financial services, manufacturing, real estate, media, education,
technology, software, e-commerce, food and beverage, packaging, biotech,
pharmaceutical, energy, shipping and aerospace.
Ji attended Rutgers University where he received his B.S. in Accounting
in 1998 and was a member of the Beta Alpha Psi Honor Fraternity. He attended
Fordham University School of Law where he received his J.D. in 2004 and
served as a Notes & Articles Editor of the Fordham Environmental Law Journal.
Following his graduation from law school, he spent six years as a corporate
associate in the New York office of Vinson & Elkins LLP and four years
as an M&A associate in the New York office of Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius LLP. Prior to joining Berkowitz, Trager & Trager in 2016,
he was a partner at Sadis & Goldberg LLP in New York. In 2013, he
received a Lawyers Alliance for New York Cornerstone Award for his efforts
in pro bono services. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Prior
to practicing law, he was a tax manager at Deloitte LLP.
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2004
- Rutgers University - New Brunswick, B.S. (Accounting), 1998
Admissions and Licenses
- State of New York
- State of Connecticut
- Certified Public Accountant (Inactive)
Representative Transactions
- Representation of a Fortune 100 company in the sale of a division to a
special purpose acquisition corporation for $215 million and its industrial
papers business to a private equity fund for $180 million.
- Representation of a publicly traded limited partnership in the merger with
a publicly traded corporation valued over $1.2 billion.
- Representation of a private equity fund in the acquisition of a coal mining
company for $200 million.
- Representation of a private equity fund in multiple investments in an offshore
drilling company in excess of $500 million and the acquisition of alternative
energy company in the amount of $400 million.
- Representation of a private equity fund in the acquisition of a supermarket
chain for $262 million.
- Representation of a private equity fund in the sale of a power generation
company for $100 million.
- Representation of an investment bank in the acquisition of an energy trading
business for $335 million.
- Representation of an investment bank in an $800 million commercial real
estate mortgage joint venture with a sovereign fund and the acquisition
of a global commodities business for $420 million.
- Representation of an aircraft leasing company in multiple investments by
various hedge funds in excess of $300 million.
- Representation of an education company in the acquisition of an online
K-12 school for $400 million and an online college degree program for
$650 million.
- Representation of a hedge fund in the acquisition of multiple wind power
projects in excess of $70 million.
- Representation of a European pharmaceutical company in a strategic acquisition
of a U.S. competitor for $70 million.
- Representation of a private equity fund in the acquisitions of multiple
divisions (domestic and international) of a multinational conglomerate
in excess of $350 million and an investment in a chemical startup in Series
A-1 round in the amount of $3 million.
- Representation of a management team in a sale of a financial services company
for $80 million as an upfront payment and up to $40 million in a post-closing
earn-out payment.
- Representation of a petroleum products distributor in an IPO in the amount
of $124 million.
- Representation of a shipping company in multiple follow-on offerings of
common stock in the aggregate amount of $550 million, a private offering
of preferred stock in the amount of $200 million and a private offering
of common stock in the amount of $75 million.
- Representation of a newspaper company in a venture capital funding for
an online news service in the amount of $12 million.
- Representation of a family office in various venture capital investments
in excess of $10 million.
- Representation of a venture capital fund in an investment in a FinTech
startup in Series A round in the amount of $3 million.