W. Michael Ryan

Partner

Location
Chicago
Phone number
(312) 857-2537

Mike Ryan chairs the firm’s Technology Transactions and Sourcing practice group. He focuses his practice on a variety of complex transactional matters in the technology and business process services marketspaces.

Mike offers extensive experience in advising clients on technology and business process services transactions, including the development and deployment of software and infrastructure using a variety of delivery models, such as Cloud Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service. He also advises on intellectual property licensing transactions, resale and distribution agreements, and mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures/strategic alliances and equity investments.

Mike also acts in a general counsel capacity for a number of privately held companies. Moreover, he offers particular experience in advising clients regarding transactions that are both complex and international in scope, including numerous matters involving a global delivery model for the provision of services.

Mike has negotiated and closed billions of dollars of deals over the course of his career. He provides the legal know-how, technical depth and practical business acumen to negotiate and close transactions in even the most competitive and cutting-edge market segments and industries.

In addition to legal solutions that fit each client’s specific needs, of particular note is Mike’s commitment to providing his clients with extraordinary service. A testament to his dedication, Mike has represented a selection of his clients for decades. Mike is valued for his ability to consistently negotiate and close transactions that are favorable to his clients’ businesses, and that safeguard and leverage their interests and assets.

A U.S. recipient of the ​“International Client Choice Award for Information Technology,” Mike is listed among leading practitioners in technology and outsourcing in Chambers USA and the US Legal 500. He is a frequent speaker on technology and outsourcing-related topics, including programs sponsored by the Practising Law Institute, Sourcing Interests Group and Insight Information.

“I make a point of understanding the commercial objectives of my clients, and seek to assist them in efficiently executing transactions meeting those objectives.”

Information Technology Services

Represented a leading manufacturer of medical equipment in a global IT-as-a-Service deal and technology outsourcing agreement, which included the service provider taking over support of legacy applications and the acquisition, integration and maintenance of ERP and E-Commerce solutions provided by SAP.

Counseled clients engaged in a variety of application development and maintenance agreements, often utilizing global service delivery models, including transactions in the insurance, telecommunications, medical device, life sciences, information technology and health care industries involving many Fortune 500 companies.

Represented a global systems integrator in connection with numerous Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) deployments, including some of the largest such transactions in the world.

Represented a global financial services firm with more than $150 billion in assets under management in connection with numerous technology and data acquisition and analytics agreements, including deployment of cloud-based technologies.

Counseled multiple technology and consulting firms in their development and deployment of new service and product offerings utilizing emerging technologies.

Represented a leading online retail options trading company in the agreements to develop and deploy its online trading platform for stock and option traders.

Represented a global IT service provider in an agreement to develop and maintain a platform for gathering data on medical practitioners across the country, and utilizing the data in connection with credentialing activities for health plans.

Represented a bank holding company in its agreements with the world’s largest global provider dedicated to banking and payments technologies.

Represented a global leader in networking equipment in connection with multiple agreements for the sale of equipment, its reseller arrangements and associated professional services agreements.

Represented the City of Chicago in its agreements for implementing Oracle’s ERP solution.

Business Process Services

Represented a global BPO provider in its agreement to provide the call center and fulfillment functions for a company in the business of collecting and providing data for insurance plan credentialing of health care practitioners across the United States.

Represented a global BPO provider in its agreement with a large insurance company for the provision of membership enrollment and fulfillment services using a global service delivery model.

Representing a global BPO provider in its agreement with a large telecommunications company for the service provider to assume the order management and provisioning functions for land-based telephone lines.

Negotiated a master business process services agreement between a top-ten U.S. bank and one of the largest BPO providers in the world.

Represented the world’s largest supplier of blood-related products and services in a global finance and accounting services transaction with one of the leading India-based service providers.

Represented a leading global consulting firm in its agreements to build and operate the membership accounting function for the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan of a major health insurer, including the provision of help desk services from Canada and accounting services from the Philippines.

Represented a national credit reporting agency in connection with agreements for a large BPO company to provide mail operations, an automated phone system and a website for use by consumers requesting free credit file disclosures under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

Represented a U.S.-based multinational corporation in the outsourcing of its global procurement function in Canada, England, Ireland, Germany, France and Switzerland.

Acquisitions and Dispositions

Represented the leading provider of Internet Retail publications and data in the sale of its conference business and associated marketing services arrangements and trademark licensing agreement.

Represented a business and technology consulting firm in connection with its evaluation and execution of numerous acquisitions and disposition of businesses and assets in the information technology and professional services area.

Represented the founders of a business and technology consulting firm in the sale of their equity in connection with the establishment of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan for the firm.

Represented a distributor of appliances and home furnishings in the sale of its tabletop products division, including assistance with related licensing arrangements.

Represented a leading connector company in its acquisition of numerous early-stage technology companies.

Represented a provider of technology to automate invoicing and payment processes in the food distribution industry in its acquisition of a competitor and the subsequent sale of the combined business.

Represented an entity owned by a leading fast-food restaurant chain and a large private equity fund in the acquisition of a point-of-sale software provider in Brazil and the British Virgin Islands.

Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances

Assisted a global real estate development company in the formation of a South Korean joint venture with the world’s largest global networking company to develop technology infrastructure and a managed services platform in Incheon, South Korea, perhaps the largest ​“smart and sustainable city” development in the world.

Represented a leading provider of cellular alarm and voice services solutions to the security marketplace to develop multiple strategic alliances with manufacturers and distributors to jointly develop and distribute home automation and security services products throughout the United States.

Represented a business and technology consulting firm in the creation of a strategic consulting alliance with a large consulting firm operating in Europe, including provision for the cross-referral of clients, cross-licensing of IP and processes for sharing knowledge capital.

Represented a national credit reporting agency in a joint venture with the other two national credit reporting agencies to develop an innovative consumer credit risk score.

Represented a national credit reporting agency in the formation of a company created by the three national credit reporting agencies to facilitate their compliance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

Represented a leading fast-food restaurant chain in the formation of a company created with some of the largest companies in the retail food distribution chain to develop technology to automate distributor-manufacturer trading relationships in the foodservice industry.

Represented a large not-for-profit university and its medical center in the creation of an integrated health care delivery system in Illinois.

Pro Bono

Represented The Friends of Jimmy Mac Trust in the formation of a third-party common law special needs trust as a vehicle to raise funds to supplement the medical needs of a world-class triathlete, rendered a quadriplegic in an accident during a triathlon.

Represented The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies in connection with its formation and the ongoing operation of a study-abroad program for university students in Beijing, China.

The United States recipient of the International Client Choice Award for Information Technology, 2014–2015.

Ranked as a leading practitioner in the Technology & Outsourcing area by Chambers USA, 2008–2024.

Recommended in US Legal 500 for his work in the areas of Outsourcing, 2010–2024 and M&A: Middle Market, 2024.

Yale University Alumni Schools Committee, member

Lyons Township High School Community Advisory Board, former member