Overview
Graham Robinson's areas of practice include private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and sports and licensing. He regularly counsels private investment funds and their portfolio companies in the structuring and documentation of complex acquisitions, minority equity investments and financings. In addition, Graham has extensive experience representing private investment funds and their portfolio companies in capitalization transactions, including senior and mezzanine financing transactions and equity issuances.
In his sports practice, Graham has represented collegiate sports organizations, including the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA, in all types of matters, including the documentation and negotiation of media rights agreements.
Experience
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Regularly represents Kian Capital Partners LLC, a private investment fund with over $1 billion in assets under management, and its portfolio companies in platform and add-on acquisition transactions and related capital raises. Recent platform acquisitions include: (i) Eden Brothers, a high-growth e-commerce retailer specializing in flower seeds and bulbs for gardening enthusiasts nationwide; (ii) Team Air Distributing, a leading wholesale distributor providing OEM-branded HVAC equipment, parts and supplies to residential and commercial contractors; and (iii) PARC Auto, a leading Meineke Car Care Center franchisee. Also represented Kian Capital in the closing of a single-asset continuation fund for SPATCO Energy Solutions, a leading fueling infrastructure services provider in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southwest.
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Represented founder and majority owner of 25-year-old company in a sale transaction to a private equity firm.
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Represented AmWINS Group Inc., a national wholesale insurance broker with significant private equity ownership, in multiple leveraged credit facilities.
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Represented national financial services company in a comprehensive capital structure refinancing, including prepayment of its outstanding senior secured notes, a private placement of $650 million of senior unsecured notes, and the replacement of its senior secured revolving credit facility with a $300 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility.
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Represents the Southeastern Conference on a variety of matters related to broadcast, digital and other new media rights, including its broadcast agreements with ESPN and all agreements related to the SEC Network.
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Represented the NCAA in a comprehensive restructure of all its media rights related to its championships, including a $10.8 billion multimedia agreement with CBS and Turner Broadcasting for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; a multimedia rights agreement with ESPN for 24 other NCAA championships; a radio rights agreement with Westwood One; a digital rights agreement with Turner Sports Interactive; and a content licensing and distribution agreement with T3 Media.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Chambers USA, banking & finance, 2011-22
- The Best Lawyers in America, banking and finance, 2007-26
- North Carolina Super Lawyers, banking, 2013-25
- Sports Business Journal, Outside Counsel Power Player, 2021
Affiliations
Professional Affiliations
- North Carolina Bar Association, Business Law Section, Commercial Law and UCC Committee, 2009-10
News & Events
News
Insights
Publications
Practice Areas
Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D., with honors, 1993, Order of the Coif; Member, North Carolina Law Review, 1991-92
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., with highest honors, 1989
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina