Eric Stiff

Partner

Eric.Stiff@lewisbrisbois.com

Eric J. Stiff is a partner in the San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, a member of the Corporate Practice and National Vice-Chair of the Securities & Corporate Finance Practice. He represents privately held and publicly traded companies in a variety of practice areas, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities, venture capital, private equity, technology and intellectual property, health care and managed care.

From the early stages of initiating an M&A transaction, through the intricacies of due diligence review and tax planning, to negotiating and closing the deal and implementing post-closing integration strategies, Eric and his team support clients throughout the transaction process. He regularly advices CEOs, management teams, boards of directors and advisors seeking to buy or sell a business and to achieve their strategic and investment goals. He has represented countless early stage, growing, and mature companies and investors on a wide assortment of venture capital, private equity and similar capital raising transactions as well in connection with exit strategies and liquidity events.

Eric also advises health care organizations, among others, on a wide range of transactional and state and federal regulatory matters. He has more than 20 years of experience representing clients including HMOs, insurance companies, health plans and medical device manufacturers. He has assisted health care clients in various matters including, (i) mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, reorganizations, credit facilities and financings; (ii) regulatory approvals from state agencies, including the Department of Managed Health Care; (iii) real estate transactions; and (iv) contractual matters including administrative services agreements, business associate agreements and confidentiality arrangements.

A portion of Eric’s practice involves advising Canadian and other international clients in accessing the U.S. capital markets, cross-border mergers and acquisitions and investment transactions, and U.S. securities law compliance. Clients include issuers, underwriters, investment banks, and placement agents. 

Eric’s peers have consistently recognized him as a top attorney. He has been listed in the prestigious The Best Lawyers in America, and in San Francisco and Sacramento Magazine as a Northern California Super Lawyer. He has also been named one of San Francisco’s Top Attorneys by the San Francisco Chronicle, he is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale Hubbell, the highest peer review rating available. He has also been selected, three (3) times, as Corporate “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America (2016, 2019 and 2021), which is awarded to only one lawyer per practice area and region each year and to only the top 0.4% of practicing attorneys in the US.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Corporate
  • Healthcare
  • Securities & Corporate Finance
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • COVID-19: Contracts & Force Majeure

Additional Experience

Admissions

California

Associations

  • Named 2019 Corporate Law, “Lawyer of the Year” (Sacramento) by The Best Lawyers in America
  • San Francisco’s Top Attorneys (San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Magazine) (2011-2019) 
  • Named 2016 Corporate Law, “Lawyer of the Year” (Sacramento) by The Best Lawyers in America
  • Named among The Best Lawyers in America (Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law) (2010-2019) 
  • Northern California Super Lawyer (Securities & Corporate Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions) (2012, 2014- 2018)
  • Selected as top lawyer in region by Sacramento Magazine for Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities & Corporate Finance (2016-2020)
  • AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell

Awards & Honors

  • Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, 2021-2024
  • Top Lawyers, Sacramento Magazine, 2020

Education

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Juris Doctor, 1995 

University of California, Santa Barbara

Bachelor of Arts, 1989

Representative Experience

  • Representation of underwriter in private placement, IPO and NASDAQ listing for California-based technology company.
  • Representation of one of the country’s largest networks of behavioral health clinics in corporate reorganization and sale to private equity firm.
  • Representation of Fortune 150 and NYSE managed health care company in various regulatory and transactional matters.
  • Representation of Canadian public company in acquisition of finance company and listing on NASDAQ.
  • Representation of international health plan in large syndicated debt financing.
  • Representation of underwriters in connection with Canadian public offering and U.S. private offering (Regulation S and 144A).
  • Representation of private equity fund in connection with formation, capital raising, and acquisition of dental practices and related healthcare management organizations.
  • Representation of a publicly traded international pharmaceutical company in a merger and financing transaction.
  • Representation of numerous domestic and international clients in connection with CFIUS content national security reviews of acquisitions of US businesses.
  • Formation, capital raising, compliance and ongoing representation of private equity fund.
  • Representation of travel and hospitality company in connection with sale to one of the largest private equity firms in the world.
  • Representation of publicly traded software company in acquisition of leading competitor.
  • Representation of a start-up technology company in connection with first and second round venture financings and eventual merger and acquisition transaction.
  • Representation of technology company in capital raise, acquisition of public company and related spin-off transaction.
  • Representation of placement agent in connection with PIPE (private investment in public equity) transaction.
  • Representation of private technology company in formation, license and development arrangement with Fortune 500 defense contractor.