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Michael Riella
Michael J. Riella
Partner
Washington +1 202 662 5168 mriella@cov.com Download V-card
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Michael J. Riella advises clients, principally in the life sciences, health care, media and technology industries, in a broad range of strategic and financing transactions and in general corporate and securities matters.

Mr. Riella works with clients ranging from development stage companies to large public companies in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, joint venture arrangements, securities offerings and financing and licensing transactions. He also advises clients on general corporate and securities matters, including federal securities law compliance, corporate governance and executive compensation arrangements.

  • Aristocrat Leisure Limited in its $1.28 billion acquisition of Video Gaming Technologies.
  • AstraZeneca in its:
    • $1.26 billion acquisition of Ardea Biosciences (NASDAQ: RDEA);
    • $600 million acquisition of Actavis’ branded respiratory business in the U.S. and Canada; and
    • $325 million divestiture of Myalept® to Aegerion Pharmaceuticals.
  • Ben Venue Laboratories, a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim Group, in its $300 million sale of Bedford Laboratories to Hikma Pharmaceuticals.
  • Eisai Inc. in its strategic manufacturing alliance with Biogen and subsequent sale of its Research Triangle Park manufacturing campus to Biogen.
  • AstraZeneca in its:
    • acquisition of AlphaCore Pharma by MedImmune, AstraZeneca's biologic arm; and
    • divestitures of multiple pharmaceutical products, including its divestiture of U.S. rights to Vimovo® to Horizon Pharmaceuticals and the divestiture by MedImmune of Ethyol® to Clinigen Group.
  • Eisai Inc. in its:
    • strategic manufacturing alliance with Biogen and subsequent sale of its Research Triangle Park manufacturing campus to Biogen;
    • $205 million acquisition of four oncology drugs from Ligand Pharmaceuticals; and
    • divestitures of multiple pharmaceutical products, including its divestiture of U.S. rights to Zonegran® to Concordia Pharmaceuticals, its divestiture of U.S. and Canada rights to Targretin® Gel and Targretin® Capsules to Valeant Pharmaceuticals and its divestiture of U.S. rights to Gliadel® Wafer to Arbor Pharmaceuticals.
  • ExxonMobil in structuring and forming the Marine Well Containment Company, a joint venture with Chevron, Shell and ConocoPhillips dedicated to developing and, if needed, deploying, a rapid response system to capture and contain oil in the event of a future deepwater well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • The Procter & Gamble Company in its 50/50 joint venture with Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. for the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of existing and to-be-developed consumer diagnostic products in a transaction valued at $650 million.
  • Nine television station groups in structuring and forming Pearl Mobile DTV; and Pearl Mobil DTV in structuring and forming Mobile Content Venture LLC, a joint venture among Pearl, Fox Entertainment Group, ION Media Networks and NBC Universal Media LLC.
  • HealthSouth Corporation in multiple offerings of senior notes.
  • LIN Media in its:
    • issuance of $200 million of senior notes; and
    • acquisition of Red McCombs Media, an online advertising company.   
  • Kamylon Capital in its sale of Forgitron Technologies to Accuride Corporation.
  • JLG Industries in its sale of Gradall Industries.
  • Several NYSE and Nasdaq-listed companies in connection with securities disclosure and corporate governance matters.
  • The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission in connection with stadium development and lease arrangements with Major League Baseball and the Washington Nationals.
  • Public and private companies and investors in the life sciences, energy, technology, media and consumer products industries in connection with mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions.
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Pro Bono

  • Advises multiple nonprofit organizations in the DC metropolitan area regarding governance, strategic planning, commercial and general corporate matters.
  • Advises a multinational nonprofit relief organization regarding corporate governance matters.

Memberships and Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • The District of Columbia Bar
  • Virginia Bar Association
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  • BTI Client Service All-Star, Corporate (2015)
  • Washington DC Super Lawyers "Rising Star" (2013-2015)

Practices

Industries

Education

College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law, J.D., 2002

  • Order of the Coif 
  • William & Mary Law Review

Stetson University, B.A., 1999

  • cum laude 

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia