Chuck Morton co-chairs Venable's Corporate Practice Group, splitting his time between Venable's Washington and Baltimore offices. He has a national practice, where he helps to solve complex problems faced by lenders, investors, and entrepreneurs as they create, build, and buy or sell businesses. He routinely advises on mergers and acquisitions and financings, including every flavor of equity investment. He regularly acts on behalf of private equity groups and banks. Clients describe him as "unwavering in his commitment to us" (Chambers USA 2010).
In addition to recognition in Chambers USA, since 2010 he has been found in six categories (Corporate Law, Leverage Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Structured Finance Law, Technology Law and Venture Capital Law) published by Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White). Since 2008 he has been tapped as one of five top M&A lawyers in Maryland by Maryland Super Lawyers, and has been Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Rated (the highest possible rating) since 2000. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. The Fellows are an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership in the Fellows is limited to one-third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by Fellows in their jurisdiction and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation. He has been similarly recognized by the Maryland State Bar Association and the Bar Association of Baltimore City.
Significant Matters
· Representing, as lead counsel, a syndication of five banks in a loan of up to $250 million to a leading consumer products company secured by domestic and international assets.
· Representing a leading regional bank in its development of a specialized loan product. Developing the forms related to the product and working with it to develop strategies to sell the product within the bank.
· Representing the borrower in a music publishing transaction including a $330 million equity investment and a senior subordinated financing of $70 million in the context of a workout.
· Representing, as lead counsel, subordinated lenders in transactions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. These transactions have been secured and unsecured, with equity (including warrants) and without. The investments have been made by SBIC's and private equity groups.
· Representing, as lead counsel, an electronics manufacturer in its sale to a Fortune 100 company for $165 million.
· Representing, as lead counsel, a private equity firm in its equity investment in a specialty food company.
· Representing, as lead counsel, the junior generation in an intra-family purchase of a successful consumer products company with a transaction value of approximately $20 million.
· Representing, as lead counsel, a computer gaming company in its sale to a publicly traded entity for a value, including earn-outs, of more than $22 million.
· Representing, as lead counsel, the majority shareholders in a multi-year dispute with a minority shareholder.
· Representing, as lead counsel, the junior generation in an intra-family business dissolution involving more than $100 million in assets.
· Representing, as lead counsel, the borrower in a $35 million second lien financing.
· Representing, as lead counsel, one side in the dissolution of a leading regional accounting firm.
· Representing leading life-science researchers in their approved outside activities, before Congress, in their departure from government employment and affiliation with a university, and in the development, financing and growth of their private sector business.
· Representing, as outside general counsel, hundreds of growing firms through the United States.
Activities
Outside of Venable, Chuck is the incoming chair of the global board of directors of the Association for Corporate Growth. ACG's 14,000 members are the investors, lenders, advisors and leaders of more than 20,000 middle-market companies. Founded in 1954, the Association for Corporate Growth is a global organization with 56 chapters. Chuck also has a faculty appointment at the Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches various business classes, serves as the Vice-Chair of the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland (TEDCO), and is the General Counsel for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.
Industries
Life Sciences
Green Businesses
Emerging Companies: Venable Venture Services
Judicial Clerkships
Honorable Joseph C. Howard, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Honorable Deborah K. Chasanow, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Memberships
American Bar Association
Maryland State Bar Association
Bar Association of Baltimore City
News
April 2, 2012, Chuck Morton to serve as board chairman of Association for Corporate Growth
February 13, 2012, Chuck Morton testifies in favor of funding for early stage technology companies
December 15, 2011, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2012 honors 38 Venable attorneys
December 6, 2011, 14 Venable attorneys recognized as Legal Elite by SmartCEO
December 2, 2011, Venable hosts delegation from Chinese Academy of Sciences
October 10, 2011, Chuck Morton elected to board of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
October 5, 2011, Best Lawyers Names Four Venable Partners "Lawyers of the Year"
October 4, 2011, Four Venable attorneys named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers
September 14, 2011, 75 Venable attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012
June 10, 2011, Chambers Ranks Record Number of Venable Attorneys
June 3, 2011, 29 Venable attorneys featured in Legal 500's 2011 rankings
May 11, 2011, Chuck Morton reappointed general counsel of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce
January 31, 2011, Chuck Morton elected Vice Chairman of the Global Board of the Association for Corporate Growth
December 30, 2010, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2011 honors 37 Venable attorneys
December 17, 2010, Michael Baader and Chuck Morton quoted on private equity in the Baltimore region
October 6, 2010, Eight Venable attorneys to be recognized as Legal Elite by SmartCEO
September 9, 2010, Chuck Morton quoted in Wall Street Journal story about law firms' pursuit of emerging companies
August 23, 2010, 65 Venable attorneys receive 2011 Best Lawyers honors
August 9, 2010, Venable's Expanding New York Office Adds Two Corporate Partners with Significant Business and Experience in Outsourcing and Technology Transactions
July 17, 2010, Venable Makes Big Gains on Chambers USA 2010 Rankings with Forty-Eight Attorneys Listed as Among the Best in Their Fields
July 9, 2010, Venable featured in Baltimore Business Journal on venture capital financing
June 30, 2010, Chuck Morton reappointed GC of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce
June 29, 2010, Baltimore Business Journal quotes Chuck Morton in MD IPO story
March 29, 2010, Prominent M&A Attorney Anthony Rosso Joins Venable in Baltimore
February 10, 2010, Venable represented HSBC Capital (USA), Inc. in mezzanine financing
January 12, 2010, Chuck Morton quoted in D&B Small Business Solutions
January 6, 2010, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2010 honors 38 Venable attorneys
November 19, 2009, Venable Business Transactions attorneys represent borrower in $6,000,000 loan
November 6, 2009, Chuck Morton elected Vice Chair of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation
October 28, 2009, Chuck Morton re-appointed General Counsel to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce
August 13, 2009, Venable team participates in Springboard Enterprises' AllThingsLifeSciences venture forum
July 15, 2009, Morton to co-chair Business Transactions Practice, O'Brien joins Executive Committee
March 26, 2009, Venable represented PNC Bank, National Association in $200,000,000 syndicated credit facility for Under Armour, Inc.
March 4, 2009, Venable partner Chuck Morton quoted in Baltimore Business Journal on alternative capital for business expansion
February 24, 2009, Chuck Morton comments on law firm social media use in The Maryland Daily Record
February 10, 2009, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2009 list honors 40 Venable attorneys
November 18, 2008, Chuck Morton quoted in Baltimore Business Journal article on rise of mezzanine financing
October 29, 2008, Chuck Morton and Julie Richard join client to ring NASDAQ closing bell
March 10, 2008, Venable's Charles Morton appointed to the Board of Directors of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO)
November 29, 2007, Venable Partners Chuck Morton and Ronnie Reno Honored by Maryland Daily Record for Leadership in Law
September 24, 2007, Venable's Charles Morton Appointed to Board of TEDCO, the Nation's Most Active Early/Seed Stage Investor
June 20, 2007, Venable Lawyers Help Lead Effort To Update Maryland Opinion Report
June 30, 2006, Six Venable Attorneys Selected as Maryland's Legal Elite
May 24, 2006, Venable LLP Receives Pacesetter Award, Continues to Set Standard in Providing Legal Services to Maryland's Disadvantaged
May 15, 2006, Venable LLP Partner Chuck Morton Named President of the Association for Corporate Growth, Maryland Chapter
August 5, 2005, Three Venable Attorneys Named Maryland's Legal Elite
August 25, 2003, Venable Closes Two Mezzanine Investments
June 20, 2002, Venable Creates First Resource Guide for Tech-Related Transactions in Maryland, Proving That IP Assets Are a License to Grow
Honors
· Recognized in Chambers USA, Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions, Maryland, 2010 - 2011
· Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Structured Finance Law, Technology Law and Venture Capital Law, (Woodward/White), 2010 - 2012
· Selected for inclusion in Maryland Super Lawyers, 2008 - 2012
· Recognized in the 2011 edition of Legal 500, M&A: Middle-Market (sub-$500m)
· Leadership in Law, The Daily Record, 2007
· Maryland's Legal Elite, Smart CEO Magazine, 2005 - 2006 and 2010 - 2011
· 40 Under 40, Baltimore Business Journal, 2002
· Innovator of the Year, The Daily Record, 2002
· Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
· Life Fellow, Maryland Bar Foundation
· Life Fellow, Bar Association of Baltimore City Foundation
· AV® Peer-Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 2000
Publications
Mr. Morton is a prolific author. He recently wrote a chapter on how to represent growing technology companies in Technology Law Client Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Strategizing For Cases, Resolving Disputes, and Effectively Working With Clients. The book was published by Aspatore Books in 2007 as part of the Inside the Minds™ catalog. He is also a contributing author to Maryland Technology Transactions: The Venable Practice and Forms Manual released in 2002. Mr. Morton has published more than 100 articles in periodicals on various business-related issues and is regularly featured as a speaker at conferences and seminars.
October 2011, Legal Considerations for Carve-Out Transactions
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Richard A. Johnson
Corporate Alert
July 2009, Sub-Debt Alert
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
Sub-Debt Report
March 31, 2009, Treasury and the SEC Intend to Require Managers of Hedge Funds to Register
Frank A. Ciatto, William J. Donovan, Charles J. Morton, Jr., Robert L. Smith, II
March 24, 2009, Treasury's Public / Private Investment Program: What You Need to Know and Do Today
Suzanne Fay Garwood, William J. Donovan, Charles J. Morton, Jr.
Economic Crisis Team Alert
October 2008, Sub-Debt Report
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Michael D. Schiffer
Sub-Debt Report
October 2007, Sub-Debt Report
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Michael D. Schiffer
Sub-Debt Report
September 28, 2007, Technology Law Client Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Strategizing for Cases, Resolving Disputes & Effectively Working with Clients (Inside the Minds)
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
February 16, 2007, Growing To Scale. Planning Your Exit
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Joseph C. Schmelter
October 20, 2006, Escrows, Survival, Caps and Baskets: Making Sense of Indemnification Provisions
Charles J. Morton, Jr., W. Bryan Rakes
Baltimore Business Journal
November 1, 2005, MD Technology Transfer Opportunities Continue to Flourish
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
October 21, 2005, More Borrowers Look to Second Lien Loans as Their Fist Funding Option
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
October 5, 2005, How to Structure Your Deal
W. Bryan Rakes, Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record - Tech Link
October 3, 2005, How to Structure Your Deal
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
July 8, 2005, Did Your Firm Pull Off the Best Deal In MD Recently?
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
June 17, 2005, With the End in Mind, Consider How Your Company is Going to Prosper
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
March 2005, Tech Transfer Primer
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
March 2005, Tech Transfer Primer
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
February 18, 2005, Know Your Place In Line When It Comes To Intercreditor Agreements
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
December 1, 2004, Thirty-Three Flavors of Money
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
November, 1, 2004, Secrets Can Help Build Your Business
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
October 2004, Keep Your House (Or Lab) In Order
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
September 2004, Risky Business of Tech Development
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
December 5, 2003, Is Your Team Thinking Outside the Box?
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
November 10, 2003, Redux: Getting Scientists, Businesspeople to Sing from the Same Lab Book
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
October 17, 2003, Eliminate the Gray Area in Copyright Discussions
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
Baltimore Business Journal
October 3, 2003, From the Perspective of the Tech Transfer Office
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
September 5, 2003, Getting Scientists, Businesspeople To Sing From the Same Lab Book
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
August 1, 2003, Technology Transfers: Intellectual Property Protection Part II
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
July 3, 2003, Technology Transfers: Intellectual Property Protection
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
June 6, 2003, Technology transactions: exploring equity investments and joint ventures
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
May 2, 2003, Financing Technology Transfers: Finding the Dollars That Make Sense
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
April 5, 2003, Tech Transfers: Does Your Team Have the Right Stuff?
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
March 4, 2003, Tech Transfers: A Diamond In The Rough
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
February 28, 2003, Mind Your M&A's
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
November 2, 2002, How to make your joint venture a success
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
October 29, 2002, Maryland Technology Transactions
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Neal H. Strum
October 5, 2002, Pay Attention to the Legal Basics
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
October 5, 2002, The Dotted Line - Pay Attention to the Legal Basics
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
September 7, 2002, Tech transfers: handle with care
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
July 6, 2002, Taking a bruising - Mosh pit introduces students to the harsh world of business
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
The Daily Record
Events/Speaking Engagements
Past Events
February 21, 2012, "Mezzanine Financing: Legal Considerations for Middle Market Deals" for Strafford
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
October 12, 2011, "Preparing Your Middle-Market Company for a Sale," hosted by Venable LLP
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Paul T. Kaplun, A. Christopher Sega, Brian S. Masterson, James P. Dvorak
September 28, 2011, "Effective Use of Patents to Raise Capital and Protect R&D" at the 3rd Annual International Water Conference
Clifton E. McCann, Charles J. Morton, Jr., Lars H. Genieser, Ph.D.
September 27, 2011, "Preparing Your Middle-Market Company for a Sale," hosted by Venable LLP
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Joseph C. Schmelter, Jeanne L. Newlon, Brian J. O'Connor, Arthur E. Cirulnick
August 22, 2011, The Life of an IP Lawyer - Servicing Client Needs, Driving Business, Problem Solving and Helping Foster Technology and Creativity
D. E. Wilson, Jr., Charles J. Morton, Jr., Jeffrey A. Dunn, Zayd Alathari
June 7, 2011, "Venture Services for Technology Companies - A Tale of Two Clients" hosted by Larta Institute
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Richard J. Frey, Michael A. Gollin, James E. Nelson, Mark B. Harrison
May 16, 2011, "Effective Use of Patents to Raise Capital and Protect R&D" at the Dayton Water Conference
Clifton E. McCann, Charles J. Morton, Jr., Lars H. Genieser, Ph.D.
December 10, 2009, How To Secure SBIC Money For Your Next Fund Webinar
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
April 19, 2009, Johns Hopkins Scientific Community
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
March 17, 2009 - March 18, 2009, DealFlow 2009 Conference
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
March 11, 2009, Bar Association of Baltimore City's Milton Talkin Lecture Series
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
November 12, 2008, Corporate Finance in Tumultuous Times
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
September 23, 2008, The Private Equity Conference
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
July 15, 2008, Creating a Biotech Enterprise
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
October 30, 2007, Mastering Due Diligence - 25 Seasoned Experts Reveal Ways to Improve the Odds
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
October 11, 2007 - October 12, 2007, Equity and Sub-Debt Market Update Seminar
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
February 20, 2007, 2007 Leadership Program
Charles J. Morton, Jr., W. Bryan Rakes
November 30, 2006, Panelists, "Power and Authority Opinions," Program on "Using & Drafting Opinion Letters And The New 2006 Draft Report," MICPEL
Charles J. Morton, Jr., Michael D. Schiffer
November 21, 2006, Program on "The Power of Angel Investing"
Charles J. Morton, Jr., W. Bryan Rakes, Michael D. Schiffer
March 18, 2004, Internet, Nonprofits and the Law
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
June 10, 2003, Intellectual Property Basics
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
February 20, 2003, Consulting Engineer's Council Leadership Development Program
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
January 20, 2003, Going From Mind to Market Seminar
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
January 14, 2003, The Lynn C. and Joseph R. Reynolds Jr. Intersession Series
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
November 1, 2002, Legal Implications of Early Stage Investing
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
September 2, 2002, National Business Institute 2002
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
September 1, 2002, Going From Mind to Market Seminar
Charles J. Morton, Jr.
(Also at Baltimore, Maryland Office)