Diana Y.Defino

Associate

Pittsburgh + 1.412.394.9548

Connect:

Share

Diana Defino advises clients on complex employee benefits and executive compensation matters, including in the context of acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, and executive transitions.

She has counseled clients on more than 70 completed transactions, including Alcoa's recent sale of its rolling mill business to Kaiser Aluminum for $670 million; Shiseido's acquisition of the Drunk Elephant skincare brand for $845 million; and LORD Corporation's acquisition by Parker Hannifin, valued at $3.675 billion.

Diana regularly prepares and negotiates employment, separation, bonus, and change-of-control agreements. She advises clients with respect to equity incentive arrangements and securities-related disclosures. She also counsels clients regarding the administration and compliance of employee benefit plans and arrangements with the Internal Revenue Code and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and drafts and reviews proxy and other disclosures for public company clients. She has also drafted disclosures related to the golden parachute payment tax implications of executive compensation arrangements in both private and public company transactions.

Diana serves as a chair of a subcommittee of the Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement Committee in the Pittsburgh Office. She is a member of the Friends Board of Sisters Place (a Pittsburgh-based charity that provides a supportive housing community to single parent families who are homeless), the Propel Schools Young Professionals Council (a team of young professionals dedicated to raising awareness and support for Propel Schools, which is a group of nonprofit charter schools in the Pittsburgh area), and she serves as a mentor in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Success in Law School Mentoring Program.

Experience

  • LendingTree invests in EarnUpJones Day advised LendingTree, Inc. in the $31 million Series C financing round of EarnUp, a San Francisco-based Fintech company offering payment and data solutions for the mortgage industry.
  • American Pacific Group portfolio company acquires Trinity GuardJones Day advised American Pacific Group in the acquisition by portfolio company Fresche Solutions of Trinity Guard, a leader in world-class security, auditing and detection software and services that provide vital capabilities to detect and protect against growing cybercrimes.
  • American Pacific Group portfolio company acquires DigiCut, LLCJones Day advised American Pacific Group, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company Fellers, along with Interwest Distribution Company, of DigiCut, LLC, a leading provider of film cutting software and templates for the automotive industry.
  • Follett Corporation acquired by private investor groupJones Day advised Follett Corporation in the sale of its corporate entity as well as Follett Higher Education, the company’s collegiate retail and Follett ACCESS business, to a group of private investors led by Jefferson River Capital LLC, a private investment company controlled by the James family.
  • JourneyCare acquired by Addus HomeCareJones Day advised JourneyCare, Inc. in the $85 million sale of the Company to Addus HomeCare Corporation.
  • American Pacific Group portfolio company acquires BioTRUST Nutrition® LLCJones Day advised American Pacific Group in connection with the acquisition and financing of BioTRUST Nutrition® LLC, a fast-growing, leading eCommerce nutrition brand with a portfolio of high-quality, science-based products that span protein, collagen, healthy living, anti-aging, and digestive health, by one of its portfolio companies, Wellbeam Consumer Health, LLC.
  • Montauk Energy Holdings amends existing senior secured revolving credit and term loan facilityJones Day represented Montauk Energy Holdings, LLC, as borrower, and certain of its affiliates as guarantors, in connection with a fourth amendment and joinder to their existing senior secured revolving credit and term loan facility with Comerica Bank, as agent.
  • Husqvarna acquires Orbit IrrigationJones Day advised Husqvarna AB on the acquisition of Lunar Holding Corporation ("Orbit Irrigation") for $480 million in cash.
  • Dorilton Capital acquires Homestead HospiceJones Day represented Dorilton Capital in the acquisition by portfolio company Traditions Health, LLC, a national hospice and home health provider, of Roswell, Georgia, based Homestead Hospice, a multi-state provider of hospice services.
  • American Pacific Group acquires FellersJones Day advised American Pacific Group in the acquisition of Fellers Inc., a distributor of vinyl wrap films and supplies.
  • American Pacific Group acquires Interwest Distribution CompanyJones Day advised American Pacific Group, a San Francisco Bay Area-based private equity firm, in the acquisition of Interwest Distribution Company ("Interwest"), a leading distributor of building and automotive films.
  • CIeNET sold to ALTENJones Day advised CIeNET in the sale of CIeNET to ALTEN Group, a leader in engineering and technology consulting.
  • Follett Corporation divests Baker & Taylor division to private investor groupJones Day advised Follett Corporation in its divestiture of its Baker & Taylor division, the world's premier distributor of physical and digital books and services to public and academic libraries, which will now operate as an independent, privately-owned entity group led by Baker & Taylor's President and CEO Aman Kochar.
  • Tekni-Plex acquires Johnson Plastic GroupJones Day advised Tekni-Plex, Inc., a portfolio company of Genstar Capital, in its acquisition of Johnson Plastic Group, a precision extrusion manufacturer who specializes in medical device applications, as part of a strategy to expand the company's medical device footprint.
  • American Pacific Group portfolio company acquires TruSkinJones Day advised American Pacific Group, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, in connection with the acquisition and financing by portfolio company Wellbeam Consumer Health of TruSkin, a leading skincare brand.
  • American Pacific Group portfolio company acquires Abacus Solutions LLCJones Day advised American Pacific Group in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company Fresche Solutions of Abacus Solutions LLC, a leading provider of IBM cloud, managed services, and infrastructure solutions.
  • DMI secures strategic investment from OceanSound PartnersJones Day advised DMI in its strategic investment from an affiliate of OceanSound Partners, LP.
  • PPC Flexible Packaging acquires Consumer Packaging Group, LLCJones Day represented Morgan Stanley Capital Partners and its portfolio company, PPC Flexible Packaging, LLC, in PPC's acquisition and financing of the Harland, Wisconsin, based Consumer Packaging Group, LLC.
  • NEP acquires Prysm Collective, Lux Machina And Halon EntertainmentJones Day advised NEP Group in the acquisition of Prysm Collective, Lux Machina and Halon Entertainment.
  • Follett sells Follett School Solutions to Francisco PartnersJones Day advised Follett Corporation in the sale of Follett School Solutions to Francisco Partners.
    • View All

    Before sending, please note:

    Information on www.jonesday.com is for general use and is not legal advice. The mailing of this email is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Anything that you send to anyone at our Firm will not be confidential or privileged unless we have agreed to represent you. If you send this email, you confirm that you have read and understand this notice.