Lee is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department, Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group, and Native American Law & Policy Practice Group. Lee has nearly three decades of experience providing comprehensive legal advice to individuals and businesses involved in complex domestic and international transactions. He frequently serves as outside general counsel to clients that include public and private companies, investment funds, government and sovereign entities, Indian tribes and individuals.
Lee has been involved in deals that span a wide range of industry sectors, such as media and entertainment, technology, consumer products, manufacturing, gaming, tribal finance and development projects, resorts and hospitality, motor sports, apparel, renewable energy development projects, event promotion and live events. Whether Lee is advising on a deal that involves millions of dollars or billions of dollars in investment or potential return, he helps clients meet their goals regarding structuring, negotiating and closing even the most difficult transactions.
Experience, creativity and a multidimensional understanding of his client’s financial drivers and overall objectives are at the core of Lee’s business law practice. His absolute focus remains on providing advice that helps his client remain competitive in the markets they serve. Lee is consistently able to build rapport among deal participants. Notably, his seemingly natural ability to get along with and synthesize the many different personalities and agendas involved in a transaction allows for the requisite synergy needed to keep the deal on track.
Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Lee was an associate, counsel and corporate partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP’s Los Angeles office, where he served as hiring partner for many years, and also assisted in opening and heading the Corporate practice of the Abu Dhabi office. Prior to that, Lee served as senior vice president, corporate counsel at Fidelity National Financial, Inc., where he was responsible for overseeing mergers and acquisitions.
He is a frequent panelist and speaker at conferences across the country on corporate law.
Professional and Community Involvement
Former board member, Upward Bound House
Former adjunct professor, Mergers and Acquisitions, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles