Rickie M. Sonpal is co-chair of Robinson+Cole’s Business section and a member of our firm’s Business Transactions group. He has a broad-based corporate and transactional practice that encompasses mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and joint ventures, debt and equity financing, and general corporate and commercial matters. His clients represent many industries, with a special emphasis on the food and beverage and renewable energy industries.
Mergers + Acquisitions
Rickie regularly represents corporate clients and strategic and financial investors in domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions. He counsels both buyers and sellers in structuring transactions and in negotiating the terms of a transaction and related financing. Rickie routinely represents renewable energy developers and investors in the sale or acquisition of renewable energy projects throughout the United States and has handled the sale of several of the largest solar generation projects in Rhode Island.
Partnerships + Joint Ventures
Rickie helps clients with structuring, documenting, and implementing a broad range of commercial partnerships and joint ventures. He has handled numerous joint ventures involving logistics companies, technology providers and renewable energy projects around the country.
Debt + Equity Financing
Rickie frequently represents emerging, high-growth companies and entrepreneurs in capital raises and convertible debt financings. He also represents venture capital firms and other investors in connection with equity financings. Rickie represented a premium pet food and product company in Boulder, Colorado, in connection with multiple successful rounds of equity raises, including growth investments from venture capital and private equity firms.
He also assists borrowers and private lenders in connection with secured and unsecured debt financing transactions, many of which include bespoke terms or are otherwise highly transactional-specific.
General Corporate + Commercial Counseling
Rickie serves as counsel to a number of businesses, advising on strategic and commercial matters. He regularly assists clients with corporate governance matters, supply chain and other commercial contracts, employment and equity incentive agreements, and general corporate matters. Rickie routinely advises clients in the food and beverage industry on supply, co-manufacturing, distribution, logistics and other operational agreements.
Rickie previously practiced in the New York offices of Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP and Shearman & Sterling LLP. He served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Peter K. Leisure, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Rickie was an investigator of police misconduct with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board.
