J. Kevin Mills

Mr. Mills is a practice group leader in the Firm's Business Transactions and Corporate department and its Sports & Entertainment group. Mr. Mills is also a Member of the Firm's Board of Directors.

Mr. Mills primary practice area is structuring, negotiating and financing corporate buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other business transactions for clients in the cable, broadband, broadcast, print, media, entertainment, communications, technology and sports-related industries. He also advises clients in connection with investments and strategic partnerships, financings and other general corporate and business matters. Mr. Mills has represented major media companies, private equity firms and individuals and regularly works side-by-side with investment bankers and other industry advisors.

Areas of Specialization

Cable
Mr. Mills has represented numerous cable operators in all aspects of their corporate transactions and financing arrangements and a wide variety of other strategic, business and legal matters. Transactions have included the formation of partnerships among major cable operators, going private transactions, investments by private equity sponsors, stock repurchases, management arrangements, purchases of individual cable systems and sales of entire companies. Most recently, Mr. Mills represented Insight Communications in connection with its agreement to sell the company to Time Warner Cable for $3.0 billion.

Cable Television Networks
Mr. Mills has represented individuals and major media companies in connection with formation, joint venture, and purchase and sale transactions involving cable television networks of sports, non-fiction and other entertainment genres. Mr. Mills has also assisted clients in connection with their distribution and carriage arrangements of cable television networks.

Technology / Online / Digital Media
Mr. Mills has represented numerous clients in connection with purchases, sales, investments and other strategic partnerships and arrangements involving technology assets and online and digital media properties.

Sports
Mr. Mills has represented individuals and prospective ownership groups in connection with the evaluation and purchase or sale of controlling and minority interests in professional sports league franchises and related real estate and media assets. Mr. Mills has also represented individuals and major media companies in connection with the potential formation or purchase of RSNs (Regional Sports Networks). Mr. Mills has also assisted clients in connection with the exploitation of sports media rights.

Television and Radio Broadcasters
Mr. Mills has represented television and radio broadcasters in connection with purchases and sales of station groups and individual stations.

Telecom
Mr. Mills has represented clients in connection with purchase and sale transactions, joint venture and other strategic arrangements involving telecom infrastructure, services and customers (including traditional landline, cable telephony and wireless).

Print
Mr. Mills has represented owners of daily and non-daily newspaper publications in connection with purchases and sales of these properties.

Representative Experience 

• Representation of Insight Communications in connection with its agreement to sell the company to Time Warner Cable for $3.0 billion. Mr. Mills has acted as principal outside counsel for the company and its founders and has represented them in connection with a wide variety of strategic, business and legal matters, including their major corporate transactions and financing arrangements such as Insight's 50/50 operating partnership with Comcast, Insight’s going private transaction sponsored by The Carlyle Group, Insight's recapitalization involving significant investments by Crestview Partners and MidOcean Partners and a stock repurchase, and Insight's debt offerings and senior bank credit facilities. 

• Representation of bidding group for the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise and Dodger Stadium. 

• Representation of Cox Enterprises and its AutoTrader.com subsidiary in connection with its acquisition of the business of HomeNet Automotive, a leading provider of online inventory management and merchandising solutions for auto dealers. 

• Representation of Harpo, Inc. and Oprah Winfrey in connection with the formation of a 50/50 joint venture with Discovery Communications to form a cable television network, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, and on related agreements. 

• Representation of Hasbro, Inc. in connection with its formation of a 50/50 joint venture with Discovery Communications to form a children’s and family cable television network in the U.S. and on related agreements. 

• Representation of bidding group for the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise, Wrigley Field and an interest in Comcast SportsNet Chicago.