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Practices:

• Corporate
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Financing and Lending

Industries:

• Aerospace and Defense
• Financial Services
• Higher Education

Civic Activities:

• Make A Wish Foundation of San Diego, Inc. - Board of Directors
• Old Mission Rotary - Past Member

Professional Activities:

• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation - Board of Directors, Development Committee, Investment Attraction Advisory Group
• San Diego Business Forum - Past Member and Past Executive Committee Member
• American Bar Association
• State Bar of California - Member, Financial Institutions Committee (1992-94)
• California League of Savings Institutions Attorneys Committee (1988-91)

Experience

Kurt Kicklighter is a trusted advisor to businesses, boards of directors and owners when faced with critical decisions. His more than 30 years of practice, past service as managing partner of Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP, and current service as California Executive Partner of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, make him ideally situated to provide creative and thoughtful guidance on complex issues involving finance, people, and law and regulation. As California Executive Partner, Kurt is responsible for overseeing the firm's execution of its California strategic initiatives. He is also helping lead the firm's strategic initiative to deepen and broaden the legal services provided to government contractors headquartered in California.

In addition to serving financial institutions in a wide range of strategic matters, Mr. Kicklighter represents business leaders of both private and public companies who seek him out for his judgment on sensitive matters. Recently he has represented financial institutions in evaluating strategic alternatives and negotiated several mergers and regulatory enforcement matters. Kurt was brought in to craft a resolution for the impasse between two owners of an infrastructure company. The owner of an international agricultural company relied on Kurt to help him with negotiation strategy, and personal and long-range planning issues related to the sale of that company. Kurt managed a series of complex issues for a tax exempt organization dealing with significant changes in strategy and financial support.

Over his career, the sectors Kurt has served include banking, government contracting, manufacturing, aerospace, service, distribution, pharmaceutical, insurance, software, non-profit and real estate. He also works with family-owned businesses to formulate and achieve family strategic objectives. Kurt is a frequent speaker on financial institution board of directors and management issues.

Recognition

• Martindale-Hubbell® AV Rating

• The Best Lawyers in America® - First Year Listed: 2007 - Most Recent Listing: 2012 (Banking and Finance Law, Financial Services Regulation Law)

• San Diego Best Lawyers® Banking Lawyer of the Year: 2009

• The Daily Transcript: San Diego County Top Attorneys - Most Recent Listing: 2007 (Corporate Transactional)

• Super Lawyers: Business Edition - 2011 - Banking

• San Diego Super Lawyers - Corporate Counsel - Most Recent Listing: 2009 (Business / Corporate)

• San Diego Super Lawyers - Most Recent Listing: 2011 (Banking)

Notable Engagements

• Merger of Security Business Bank with AmericanWest Bank.
• Merger of Desert Commercial Bank with First Foundation Bank.
• Merger of Embarcadero Bank and Coronado First Bank.
• Acquisition of Gold County Bank by Golden Pacific Bancorp.
• Formation of several bank holding companies and related regulatory matters.
• Private and public capital raises, successful TARP, SBLF and New Markets Tax Credit capital applications, for banks and bank holding companies.
• The first Community Development Initial Public Offering, sponsored by the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation for Market Creek Partners, LLC.
• Formation and Initial Public Offerings of Mission Oaks National Bank, Landmark National Bank, Seacoast Commerce Bank, California Community Bank, San Diego Trust Bank and Coronado First Bank.
• PIPE and related resale registration statements of a public pharmaceutical company.
• Going private transaction of Borrego Springs Bank.
• Purchase of Sellers Petroleum, a regional petroleum distribution company.
• Structure management buy-in to nationwide insurance field marketing organization.
• Sale of Chemicon International, Inc. to Serologicals, Inc.
• Sale of John Burnham Insurance Co. to Union Bank of California.
• Structuring of multiple family business enterprises to further estate planning and succession objectives and buy-outs of family members.
• Structuring of public company executive compensation arrangements.
• Part of team representing Graham Webb International in its sale to Wella. 

Education

• LL.M., University of San Diego, 1996
• J.D., Columbia University Law School, Editor-in-Chief - Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, 1981
• B.A., UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, 1978