"Highly engaged, supportive, strategic and thoughtful... incredible judgment and balance[s] a thoughtful, conservative approach with selective aggressiveness when called for."
The Legal 500 US 2024
"Smart, poised, deeply experienced, classy and deep protector of [his] clients’ best interests in complex, fast-paced, multi-party, high-profile matters."
The Legal 500 US 2024
Next Generation Partner ‒ M&A/Corporate & Commercial: Advice to Boards
The Legal 500 US 2024
"Chris Drewry was especially impactful."
The Legal 500 US 2023
Recognized as one of "13 lawyers on speed-dial when companies and activist investors fight for boardroom control."
Business Insider 2022
Profile
Christopher Drewry, a corporate partner in the Chicago office and Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense Practice, regularly represents multinational corporations across industries and jurisdictions in their highest-stakes M&A transactions and shareholder activism defense matters.
Christopher has built a leading cross-border practice that spans the full spectrum of M&A and shareholder activism defense matters, with a focus on complex transactions and board-level advice for leading global companies. His extensive experience includes:
Transformational “merger of equal” and other strategic M&A transactions
Multijurisdictional global business separations
Cutting-edge shareholder activism and takeover defense counseling
Specialized special committee and board governance advice
Christopher regularly speaks and writes on new developments in the field, including editing the M&A chapters in the updated third edition of Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs, M&A and IPOs and on evolving shareholder rights plan (poison pill) technologies.
He is recognized by The Legal 500 nationally as one of three next generation partners in providing advice to boards of directors on shareholder activism defense matters.
Christopher is a member of the firm's Finance Committee and the WEB Committee.
Experience
Christopher's representative experience includes:
Transformational Strategic M&A
SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation, in its pending US$8 billion all stock acquisition of ChampionX Corporation
Webhelp, a Paris-based global customer experience leader, in its US$4.8 billion combination with US-listed Concentrix Corporation
Silicon Motion, a global leader in supplying NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, in its US$3.8 billion take-private sale to Max Linear (terminated)
Cerner Corporation, a leading provider of digital information services used within hospitals and health systems, in its US$28 billion take-private sale to Oracle
FMC Technologies, a US-listed company, in its US$13 billion merger of equals transaction with Technip S.A., a Euronex Paris-listed designer and developer of offshore oil and gas process facilities via the EU cross-border merger regime
Tencent on the stock-for-stock merger of Huya and DouYu, both leading game-centric live streaming platforms (terminated)
Sinovac Biotech in a subsidiary equity sale to Advantech Capital and Vivo Capital to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development
Orbitz Worldwide, a leading global online travel company, in its US$1.6 billion take-private sale to Expedia
Koch Industries, Inc. in its US$7.2 billion take-private acquisition of Molex Incorporated, a leading supplier of connectors
Georgia-Pacific in its US$1.5 billion take-private tender offer acquisition of Buckeye Technologies, a leading manufacturer of specialty fibers and nonwoven materials
Multijurisdictional Global Business Separations
TechnipFMC, a global oilfield services company, in the carve-out sale of its measurement solutions business to One Equity Partners
Worthington Industries in its spinoff of its steel processing business into two differentiated, independent, and publicly-traded companies
Colfax in its tax-free spinoff transaction to separate its fabrication technology and specialty medical technology businesses into two independent publicly-traded companies
TechnipFMC, a global oilfield services company, in its spinoff of its engineering and construction segment, forming Technip Energies
Delphi Automotive in its US$727 million sale of its global thermal systems business to Germanbased MAHLE GmbH
Aptiv (formerly Delphi Automotive) in connection with the US$4.5 billion spinoff and listing of its powertrain systems segment, forming Delphi Technologies
Actuant in the sale of its engineered components & systems segment to One Rock Capital Partners
Shareholder Activism and Takeover Defense
Kohl's in a multi-year defense including a successful proxy contest leading to the re-election of all directors against a control slate proposed by Macellum Advisors
New Relic in defense of a campaign by Engaged Capital seeking board representation and governance changes
Berry Global in defense of a campaign by Ancora Advisors and Eminence Capital
Sinovac Biotech in the triggering of a shareholder rights plan against 1Globe Capital (pending)
Cars.com in its defense of a public campaign by Starboard Value seeking board seats
Zagg in defense of campaigns by Roumell Asset Management and Arex Capital Management seeking board representation
Spok Holdings in defense of an unsolicited offers from Acacia Research and B. Riley Financial
Spok Holdings in defense of a campaign by White Hat Capital seeking board representation
HollySys Automation in its defense of an unsolicited offer from its former CEO and CPE Fund Management Limited
Allison Transmission in its defense of a public campaign by Ashe Capital seeking board seats and proxy access
Special Committee and Conflict of Interest Transactions
The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of CNA Surety Corporation in the US$450 million take-private sale of CNA Surety to CNA Insurance
The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Universal Truckload Services, Inc. (UTSI) in the US$335 million acquisition of LINC Logistics Company by UTSI
Firm’s M&A and Private Equity Practice earned top rankings across global, regional, and industry league tables, highlighting market leadership on the range of sophisticated transactions.
Latham & Watkins has again led Bloomberg’s rankings of law firms helping public companies defend against shareholder activism campaigns in the first half of 2025, according to new data.
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