Adam Wicks is shareholder in Buchanan's Pittsburgh office and leads the firm's Private Equity and Venture Capital Practice Group. As a strategic, business-minded negotiator, Adam's business transactions practice focuses on representing private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices and other sources of private capital and their portfolio companies in their corporate development, investment and acquisition strategies. Additionally, Adam regularly represents private business owners exploring the sale of their business and other strategic transactions.

Adam also serves as outside corporate counsel to clients ranging from startups to publicly-traded companies, advising on entity formation and corporate governance, financings and offerings, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), federal and state securities law compliance, commercial matters, and connecting his clients to key professionals and experts in other practice areas within Buchanan as various needs arise.

Adam's clients span a variety of industries including software, retail, security and fire alarm and protection, sports and gaming, medical devices, residential and commercial services, manufacturing, and professional services. Adam has received Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognition in the Corporate Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law categories since 2021, and Super Lawyers Pennsylvania Rising Stars recognition since 2023.

What Clients Can Expect
In addition to providing sophisticated and practical legal counsel, Adam is committed to understanding the ins and outs of his clients' businesses so he can properly guide them through transformative transactions and other complex legal matters. Adam's Clients praise his ability to maintain an acute focus on the complex legal issues that arise during a transaction while providing proactive and practical solutions tailored to the priorities and needs of their business.

Proof Points
Some of Adam's representative transactions and engagements include the following:
Ongoing Engagement Highlights:

• Representation of a Pittsburgh-based independent investment firm, serving as lead transaction counsel in various private equity portfolio investments.
• Representation of a prominent Pittsburgh venture capital firm in its various portfolio investments, often as lead investor's counsel in early-stage preferred stock rounds.
• Representation of a private equity-backed fire protection, safety and security platform in its formation and capitalization, acquisitions, corporate governance and equity matters.
• Representation of Hatch, a leading global professional services firm, in various acquisitions, investments and corporate development initiatives, including its acquisition of LTK Consulting Services, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based transportation engineering consulting firm that specializes in transit, transit vehicles, and transit systems.
• Representation of Longeveron Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing cellular therapies for chronic aging-related and life-threatening conditions, in its initial public offering and listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, subsequent offerings and general corporate and securities matters.
• Representation of Smith Micro Software, Inc., a publicly traded developer of mobile software solutions, in various transactions, including its underwritten follow-on public stock offering, various common stock private placement offerings and its acquisition of the Smart Retail product suite from ISM Connect, LLC.
• Representation of a Pittsburgh-area automotive group in its acquisition and development of new dealerships and locations and various equity, investment and governance matters.

Prior Transactions/Engagements:

• Represented C360 Technologies, Inc., a video media company specializing in 360-degree camera and immersive video technology, serving as the company's outside general counsel and as lead transaction counsel in the company's Series A Preferred Stock offering and follow-on bridge financings, until it was ultimately acquired by a large global technology company.
• Represented a New York City-based private equity group in the acquisition of the general partnership interest in three private equity funds from a national private equity fund management practice and the strategic recruitment of the fund manager to join the group's senior management team.
• Represented a Virginia-based search fund in its acquisition of a privately owned security alarm company and simultaneous execution of a revolving senior credit facility, and subsequently in various add-on acquisitions.
• Represented numerous sellers of privately-owned home HVAC and plumbing companies in sales to private equity-backed platforms in transactions totaling more than $30 million since 2021.
• Represented the private seller of a critical power and environmental infrastructure business to a national private equity-backed platform.
• Represented the owner/operator of eight car washes and related real estate in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to a regional car wash platform backed by a national investment group.
• Represented the owner and operator of a 30-location family-style restaurant chain in the sale of the assets of his restaurants to a national private equity firm.
• Represented a large family-owned Pennsylvania-based liquid waste service provider in its acquisition by a private-equity backed national provider of non-hazardous liquid waste solutions.
• Advised CNX Resources in connection with its 2017 separation into two separate publicly traded companies: a natural gas exploration and production company and a coal company.
• Represented Wombat Security Technologies, Inc., a privately held, venture backed Pittsburgh-based leader for phishing simulation and security awareness computer-based training in growth financings and its subsequent sale to Proofpoint, Inc., a publicly-traded cybersecurity solutions provider.
• Represented Groupe SEB, a publicly traded French manufacturing conglomerate and its U.S subsidiary in its acquisition of Wilbur Curtis Co., a U.S. manufacturer of professional coffee equipment.
• Represented a Pittsburgh-based publicly traded company in its acquisition of an industry leader in electronics reliability analysis software.
• Represented a Pennsylvania powdered metal company in its acquisition by a US subsidiary of a publicly traded Japanese company, via reverse triangular merger.
• Ongoing representation of the U.S. operating subsidiary of a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange, including its acquisition of a California-based aerospace parts manufacturer, several private placement financings and general corporate governance matters.
• Represented a large Austrian manufacturer and its U.S. subsidiary in an equity acquisition of a complimentary Erie, PA-based manufacturing business.
• Represented a Pittsburgh-based manufacturer and supplier of molded chocolate in its acquisition by a French chocolatier.
• Represented the owner of a Pittsburgh-area auto dealership in the sale of its dealership and related assets.

Outside the Office
A life-long Pittsburgher (other than a brief stint in Boston for law school), Adam is passionate about the changes happening in the city of Pittsburgh, on both a personal and professional level. Adam is involved in many local organizations and programs that seek to foster and grow the Pittsburgh dealmaking community and loves to stay active by running (he completed the 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon, along with a number of other local races), and playing golf and softball. He currently resides in the South Hills of Pittsburgh with his wife and two children.