Jonathan P. Ziga

Jon is a transactional attorney focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate and finance law, and real estate law. He advises clients on matters such as acquisitions and divestitures, corporate governance, restructurings, business formation, investment risk management, and due diligence efforts.

Prior to joining Calfee, Jon served as an Associate Attorney at a full-service law firm based in Akron, Ohio. Jon’s practice has been heavily focused on assisting both publicly and privately held manufacturing and hospitality companies with navigating business transactions, including large-scale acquisitions and divestitures. Jon has further advised companies on the risk exposure associated with regulatory compliance, execution of commercial contracts, and business formation.

Earlier in his career, Jon was a legal extern at John Carroll University, where he drafted the University’s name, image and likeness (NIL) policy following the Supreme Court’s decision in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston.

While attending law school at Case Western Reserve University, Jon served as an editor for the Journal of International Law and was later published by the same journal. In an effort to remain at the forefront of new technological developments, Jon led a panel discussion on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and their implications for federal securities laws.

Education

J.D., cum laude, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 2023

B.S., Applied Mathematics, magna cum laude, The University of Akron, 2020

Experience

Jon’s experience includes the following representative transactions completed during his tenure at former firms:

Private Equity Transactions

• Represented a private equity fund in multiple add-on acquisitions of multiple dental labs to support its portfolio.
• Represented a privately held janitorial service company in the $67 million divestiture of equity interests to a private equity fund, addressing compliance with United States securities laws throughout the transaction, including issues surrounding a subsequent repurchase of equity interests from the fund.

Public and Private Company Acquisitions

• Represented a manufacturing company in the $50 million acquisition of 100% of the equity interests of a foreign company with multiple manufacturing plants located in the United States and Mexico.
• Represented private purchaser in the $1.2 million acquisition of a home improvement company in Pennsylvania.

Public and Private Company Divestitures

• Represented a foreign, publicly traded entity listed on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange in the $150+ million divestiture of its portfolio of hospitality-focused real estate.
• Represented a leading Chinese manufacturing company in connection with the $14+ million divestiture of substantially all assets and real property to a domestic entity.
• Represented a private seller in the $800,000 divestiture of a ride-share company located in Ohio.

Financing and Restructuring Matters

• Represented an international, privately held lighting manufacturing company in the restructuring of its corporate form, securing an additional $4 million in funding from private lenders in the process.
• Represented a national, privately held alcohol manufacturer/distributor in connection with a corporate restructuring and subsequent conversion of corporate form.
• Represented a Fortune 500 lender in connection with the extension and disbursement of two new lines of credit used for the $12 million acquisition of real property and improvements in Northeast Ohio; separately increased the amount of indebtedness available to borrowers under an existing floorplan line of credit by $10 million.
• Represented a domestic audio-visual telecommunications holding company in securing $10.3 million of mezzanine funding via term note, revolving note, and other security instruments.
• Represented a lender, as creditor’s counsel, in connection with the foreclosure and receivership sales of more than 20 properties located in Northeast Ohio.

Outside General Counsel Representation

• Acted as outside general counsel for a local, privately held corporation by providing guidance on any and all general corporate matters.

Professional & Community

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member

Theta Chi Fraternity, Beta Lambda Chapter Adviser (September 2023 – present)

Presentations & Publications

• “Commercialization of Resource Extraction Throughout the Final Frontier and the Parallel to Terrestrial Procedures,” Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law (April 26, 2023)