Atty. Brian J. McCarthy
Brian J. McCarthy is the head of Skadden’s Los Angeles office.
Profile Summary
About Brian J. McCarthy at a glance
Brian J. McCarthy is a business, m&a, and securities attorney based in Los Angeles, California, practicing at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Admitted to practice in California, The State Bar of California and New York, New York State Bar Association. Educated at Fordham University (J.D., 1978) and Tufts University (BA). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Corporate Compliance Law (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Corporate Governance Law (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Corporate Law (2026). Serands clients in Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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- Brian J. McCarthy is the head of Skadden’s Los Angeles office
- His practice concentrates on corporate and securities matters, with particular emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, corporate governance issues and restructurings
- Mr. McCarthy has acted as counsel to numerous companies and investment banking firms in mergers, acquisitions and tender offers, both friendly and hostile, including the representation of Activision, Inc. in its business combination with Vivendi Games
- The Walt Disney Company in its acquisitions of Lucasfilm Ltd. and Pixar Animation Studios
- Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. in its acquisition of VISX, Incorporated
- Credit Suisse First Boston as financial advisor to Oracle Corporation in its acquisition of PeopleSoft, Inc
- Freedom Communications, Inc. in its sale of its television and newspaper assets
- the special committee of Wesco Financial Corporation in its sale to Berkshire Hathaway Inc
- Cost Plus, Inc. in its sale to Bed Bath & Beyond Inc
- MGM Grand, Inc. in its acquisition of Mirage Resorts, Incorporated
- and The Times Mirror Company in its sale to Tribune Company
- Mr. McCarthy also has represented special committees of boards of directors as well as several investment banking clients, buyers, sellers and management groups in leveraged buyouts and related financings
- In addition to his mergers and acquisitions practice, Mr. McCarthy provides general corporate counseling to a number of corporations, both public and private
- He also represents issuers, borrowers, underwriters and institutional lenders in corporate finance transactions and restructurings
- From September 2000 to April 2002, Mr. McCarthy was chief operating officer and general counsel at Pacific Capital Group, Inc. During this time, he had significant involvement in private equity investing
- Mr. McCarthy repeatedly has been included in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Who’s Who Legal for California and Corporate Governance, and The Best Lawyers in America.Best Lawyers also named him “Los Angeles Corporate Governance Lawyer of the Year” for 2013 and “Los Angeles Corporate Lawyer of the Year” for 2014
- The Daily Journal has named him to its list of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in California” and the Los Angeles Business Journal has included him on their list of “Who’s Who in L.A
- Law” and among the top 40 “Most Influential M&A Advisors” in Los Angeles
- Mr. McCarthy also has been recognized as one of the “BTI Client Service All-Stars” by The BTI Consulting Group
- named one of the “Top 100 Entertainment Attorneys” in 2013 by The Hollywood Reporter
- and named a winner of the California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award by California Lawyer magazine, which recognizes attorneys whose work has had a significant impact on the law
- He is a frequent panel speaker on corporate and securities law topics
- In addition, he has published articles on mergers and acquisitions in the Daily Journal and HealthSpan, among other publications
Practice Areas Explained
Brian J. McCarthy's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Brian J. McCarthy handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Brian J. McCarthy is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in California →
Brian J. McCarthy is one of 49,731 m&a attorneys indexed nationally. Browse m&a attorneys in California →
Brian J. McCarthy is one of 64,529 securities attorneys indexed nationally. Browse securities attorneys in California →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in California
Practicing law in California. Legal matters in California are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Los Angeles are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate California state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in California brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in California courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional California attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Los Angeles or all attorneys in California.
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