Lippes Mathias LLP is pleased to have represented CannonDesign in its acquisition of St. Louis-based Christner Architects, a firm with more than 60 years of experience delivering award-winning projects across healthcare, education, science, commercial, and cultural markets. 

Christner Architects has played a prominent role in shaping the St. Louis region through projects including the Center of Creative Arts Renovation and Expansion, the William H. Danforth Research Wing at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and the Hirsch Center at Washington University in St. Louis. The firm is also recognized for its work in historic preservation, including restorations of the Jewel Box in Forest Park and the Stephen & Peter Sachs Museum at the Missouri Botanical Garden. 

The Lippes Mathias deal team was led by Brendan J. Rich and Elise M. Edwards, partners in the firm’s corporate and mergers and acquisitions practice teams, along with Devon R. McDonald, the firm’s director of tax. Elyse J. Ponterio, an associate in the corporate practice team, also assisted in the transaction. 

About Brendan J. Rich

Brendan J. Rich is a partner and team leader of the firm’s corporate and mergers and acquisitions practice teams. His practice is focused on all aspects of corporate law, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, joint ventures, securities offerings and related matters, private equity and venture capital, corporate structuring, succession planning, corporate governance, and legal compliance issues and programs. Rich is counsel for clients ranging from startups and nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies in a broad range of industries, including marketing and advertising, architecture and engineering, banking and financial services, biotechnology, food and beverage production, healthcare, investment banking, private equity sponsors and investors, real estate development, software, technology and telecommunications, among others. 

About Elise M. Edwards

Elise M. Edwards primarily provides corporate and regulatory counsel with respect to all types and sizes of business transactions and compliance matters in the healthcare, life sciences, and professional design industries. She assists clients in matters ranging from day-to-day operations, including the operation and licensure of any professional business in any state across the United States, to large-scale mergers and acquisitions. She also provides counsel on corporate finance transactions, insurance regulation, intellectual property and IT matters, reorganizations, professional employment agreements, and HIPAA compliance. Additionally, she counsels nonprofit organizations on formation, tax exemption, compliance, and governance. 

About Devon R. McDonald

Devon R. McDonald, CPA, has more than 15 years of diverse tax experience, delivering transactional tax advice to clients, including domestic and foreign business entities. He has specific expertise in entity tax matters, with a focus on privately and closely held business entities, including private equity-backed businesses. His work includes advising on mergers, acquisitions, private equity structuring, state and local tax issues, Qualified Opportunity Zones and Qualified Small Business Stock investments, and tax controversy matters. McDonald has advised tribes on green energy investment tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and on state and local tax matters involving tribal-owned LLCs. 

About Elyse J. Ponterio

Elyse J. Ponterio concentrates her practice on corporate law, including debt and equity investments, private placements, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and other general corporate and contract matters. After earning her J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, she was awarded the Order of the Coif in recognition of her outstanding academic achievements and excellence in legal education. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm with 220-plus attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals. 

Ranked No. 204 on The National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 list of the largest law firms in the United States by attorney headcount, Lippes Mathias is proud to be recognized year after year by The Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News – Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA. For more information, visit www.lippes.com.