Tom Waldman

Thomas A. Waldman

"Tom Waldman is a great attorney and counselor. Creative, engaging, and not afraid to tell us when we don’t have our thinking correctly. He’s a true advisor and an indispensable part of what we do."

Tom’s practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, especially private equity transactions, and providing strategic legal advice to corporate clients and investors in alternative assets. Prior to joining Stradling, he served as Managing Director, Legal for The Gores Group, LLC, a private equity fund headquartered in Los Angeles, representing Gores funds, and their portfolio companies, in platform and add-on investments, portfolio company legal matters and exit transactions.

In over 25 years representing private equity firms, Tom has advised on M&A, corporate finance, structured equity investments, distressed investments including acquisitions under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, and fund formation.  Tom is also part of Stradling’s practice in, and opposite, SPACs, and represents international clients investing in the U.S.

Prior to joining Gores, Tom was a partner in the private equity practice group at Bingham McCutchen LLP in Los Angeles.

Tom has been recognized in the 2025 Legal 500 Elite City Focus rankings for Corporate & M&A in Los Angeles.

Featured Experience

The representation of:

  • Gallant Capital Partners in multiple platform acquisitions, growth investments and add-on acquisitions, and multiple divestitures. 

  • Atar Capital portfolio companies Solero Technologies and Wincup in acquisitions 

  • Snow Peak Capital in their investments in Sandy Alexander, Dalco, GFT and TurbineAero.

  • Regent LP in its acquisition of Zulilly.

  • The Niki Group in investment activity for real estate acquisitions, and on various transactional matters
  • A client in acquisition of a distressed loan and subsequent Article 9 foreclosure to complete a strategic transaction.

  • A non-bank lender in a consensual Article 9 transaction involving a strategic acquisition.

  • Shalby Advanced Technologies in the acquisition of assets from Consensus Orthopedics.
  • Partners Personnel in multiple acquisitions 
  • A public technology and business services company in acquisitions 
  • Caprice Capital in add-on investments.
  • Visual Data Media Services in its transaction with Endeavour Capital.

  • Firescope in a sale to EMERAM portfolio company Matrix42.

  • A multinational commercial bank in private equity fund commitments by trust clients.

  • Seller Edge Capital Fund in fund formation 

  • The management of Vistage in the sale of the business by Providence to Gridiron Capital.

  • A commercial bank in a divestiture of non-core assets.

  • Acquisition of Icagen assets by Ligand Pharmaceuticals.

For The Gores Group, as Managing Director, Legal:

  • Purchase of Sound Design Technologies from Gennum in Canada and disposition to ON Semiconductor;
  • Purchase of the IT Division of Northrup Grumman and add-on of Halifax Corporation in a take private transaction;
  • Purchase of UK-based automotive electronics business from Vishay, and sales of UK real estate and then the operating business;
  • Purchase of Hypercom’s US Business in a transaction resolving a dispute between Verifone and the Department of Justice;
  • Take private of The Clark Group, Inc., and sale of Clark to LSC Communications;
  • Acquisition of Millenium1Solutions from Davis+Henderson in Canada and subsequent divestment of divisions to Dimension Data plc and Inmar;
  • Acquisition of Meridian Medical Management from GE Healthcare and add-on of Origin Healthcare Solutions;
  • Acquisition of Fotona from PDP, an agency of the Slovenian government, and Fotona’s US distributor, in a simultaneous transaction, and subsequent sale of Fotona to AGIC private equity;
  • Purchase of VITAC from Merrill Corporation and add-on acquisition of Caption Colorado;
  • Acquisition of Etrali S.A. from Orange S.A., a venture investment by Etrali in Natterbox in the UK, and subsequent sale of Etrali to IPC Systems, backed by Centerbridge Partners;
  • Control investment in Peoplenet Corp., and sale of Peoplenet to Bullhorn, backed by Insight Ventures;
  • Carve out of TurbineAero business (US and Thailand) from Triumph Group

Experience

In July, Stradling represented Partners Personnel Management Services, a leading industrial staffing firm, in its acquisition of ClearStaff, a company also focused on industrial workforce solutions. The acquisition supports Partners’ continued growth and expansion in key markets. Financial terms of the deal are confidential.  
Stradling represented Gallant Capital, a private equity firm, in its acquisition of Altify, a leading sales enablement software platform that provides mission critical sales transformation to enterprise companies.
Represented Snow Peak Capital, a private equity firm focused on middle-market businesses, in its acquisition of TurbineAero, the world's largest independent provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services focused on aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs) and other aeroengine components. Snow Peak acquired TurbineAero from The Gores Group, a global investment company.
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Credentials

Education
  • University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1992
  • Harvard University, B.A., 1987
  • California

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