Chuck Morton co-chairs Venable's Corporate Practice Group, splitting his time between Venable's Washington and Baltimore offices. He has a national practice, solving complex problems faced by lenders, investors, and entrepreneurs as they create, build, and buy or sell businesses. He routinely advises on mergers and acquisitions and financings, including every flavor of equity investment. He regularly acts on behalf of private equity groups and banks. Clients consistently describe him as "unwavering in his commitment to us" (Chambers USA 2010) and "one of the most skilled M&A attorneys I have worked with… always astutely prepared and able to frame the issues in a manner that provides comfort to the client, ever-mindful of the 'big picture'" (US News & World Report/Best Lawyers in America, which also named him the 2012 Maryland Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year).

In addition to recognition for his skills working in the venture community, he is acknowledged in the publication in five other categories (Corporate Law, Leverage Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Structured Finance Law, and Technology Law). Each year since 2008 he has been tapped as one of five top M&A lawyers in Maryland by Maryland Super Lawyers. He has been Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Rated (the highest possible rating) since 2000.

Chuck is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. The Fellows is an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership in the Fellows is limited to one-third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by Fellows in their jurisdiction and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation. He has been similarly recognized by the Maryland State Bar Association and the Bar Association of Baltimore City.

Significant Matters

• Represented RWD Technologies, LLC in the sale of its business, which provides human and operational performance improvement solutions, to General Physics Corporation for approximately $28 million.
• Represented an IT solutions company in the $200 million sale of its software suite to a portfolio company of a private equity firm, which specializes in investing in a variety of sectors including business services, consumer products, media, technology and telecom.
• Represented an early stage, direct response, on-line marketing firm as it secured its first round of outside investment.
• Represented a cyber-security firm as it navigated through a minority shareholder dispute and recapitalization.
• Representing, as lead counsel, a syndication of five banks in a loan of up to $250 million to a leading consumer products company secured by domestic and international assets.
• Representing the borrower in a music publishing transaction including a $330 million equity investment and a senior subordinated financing of $70 million in the context of a workout.
• Representing, as lead counsel, subordinated lenders in transactions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. These transactions have been secured and unsecured, with equity (including warrants) and without. The investments have been made by SBIC's and private equity groups.
• Representing, as lead counsel, an electronics manufacturer in its sale to a Fortune 100 company for $165 million.
• Representing, as lead counsel, a private equity firm in its equity investment in a specialty food company.
• Representing, as lead counsel, the junior generation in an intra-family purchase of a successful consumer products company with a transaction value of approximately $20 million.
• Representing, as lead counsel, a computer gaming company, founded by Sid Meier, in its sale to a publicly traded entity for a value, including earn-outs, of more than $22 million.
• Representing, as lead counsel, the majority shareholders in a multi-year dispute with a minority shareholder.
• Representing, as lead counsel, the junior generation in an intra-family business dissolution involving more than $100 million in assets.
• Representing, as lead counsel, the borrower in a $35 million second lien financing.
• Representing, as lead counsel, one side in the dissolution of a leading regional accounting firm.
• Representing leading life-science researchers in their approved outside activities, before Congress, in their departure from government employment and affiliation with a university, and in the development, financing and growth of their private sector business.
• Representing, as outside general counsel, hundreds of growing firms through the United States.

Activities

Outside of Venable, Chuck is the incoming chair of the global board of directors of the Association for Corporate Growth.  ACG's 14,000 members are the investors, lenders, advisors and leaders of more than 20,000 middle-market companies. Founded in 1954, the Association for Corporate Growth is a global organization with 56 chapters. Chuck also has a faculty appointment at the Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches various business classes, serves as the Vice-Chair of the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland (TEDCO), and is the General Counsel for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

Chuck lives in Baltimore where he is active in many charitable organizations.