John Welge’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions with particular emphasis upon cross-border transactions. He also regularly advises on a broad range of general corporate law and business law issues including corporate structure and formation, private securities offerings, joint ventures, commercial contracts such as supply agreements, license agreements, and employment agreements, and statutory matters under the Missouri General and Business Corporation Law.

Mr. Welge has participated in significant transactions for several of the firm’s corporate clients, including Emerson Electric, Monsanto, Energizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Schnitzer Steel. He has counseled clients in cross-border transactions in Europe, Asia, North America and South America, including several transactions in India. His clients are in a broad range of industries such as process controls, network power, food manufacturing, auto recycling, telecommunications, fashion retail, banking and healthcare.

Before Mr. Welge joined the firm in 1994, he was an associate with an international law firm in Houston, Texas. Mr. Welge is a certified public accountant.

Select Representations

• Lead counsel on multiple cross-border acquisitions and divestitures for Emerson Electric in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Brazil, India and the United Kingdom
• Represented Energizer in its $300 million acquisition of American Safety Razor in a Section 363 sale in Federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware
• Represented large multinational partnership in the formation of a joint venture in India to operate back-office functions for affiliated entities from five different countries
• Represented multiple clients in various transactions in India, including experience with respect to foreign direct investment, entity structuring and governance, formation of offshore holding company (Mauritius), Companies Act requirements, and similar matters specific to Indian transactions
• Represented owners of Cejon, Inc. in sale to Steven Madden Ltd., a Nasdaq-listed retailer of footwear and fashion handbags and accessories
• Represented the Auto Parts Group of Schnitzer Steel in the separate acquisitions of auto recycling centers in Washington, Oregon, California, Missouri, Texas, Arkansas and Virginia
• Ongoing representation of several community banks on corporate and regulatory matters

Bar and Court Admissions

Missouri, 1995

Texas, 1991

Education

University of Houston, J.D., cum laude, 1991

University of Illinois, B.S., 1986