Rachel Frankeny

Rachel Frankeny is a partner in the firm’s Private Equity group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, and general corporate and securities matters. Rachel has represented companies, private equity funds, and high-net-worth individuals in a variety of public and private transactions, including negotiated and contested public acquisitions, spin-offs, internal reorganizations, majority and minority investments, and joint ventures across a broad range of industries, including media, healthcare, technology, real estate, and energy. She also advises clients on a range of corporate governance and related matters.

Rachel’s recent representative experience includes, among others:

• Gannett Co., Inc., a publicly traded media and marketing solutions company, in multiple transactions and related matters, including its:
  • $1.4 billion acquisition by New Media Investment Group Inc., a publicly traded media company managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC*
  • Receipt of an unsolicited proposal from hedge-fund owned publishing company MNG
    Enterprises, Inc. (“MNG”) and subsequent successful proxy contest against MNG*
  • Proposed, but terminated, unsolicited acquisition of Tribune Publishing Company*
  • $280 million acquisition of Journal Media Group Inc., an NYSE-listed media company*
  • $130 million acquisition of Wordstream, Inc., a privately owned provider of cloud-based software-as-a-service solutions*
• Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, a global institutional investment management firm, in its acquisition of Devonshire Operating Partnership, LP, a privately held real estate investment trust*
• The private equity arm of a pension plan manager in various transactions, including strategic coinvestments in the transportation, technology, and energy industries*
• A privately held energy industry investment company in its sale of certain portfolio companies and in certain capital raising transactions involving multinational private equity funds*
• A commercial real estate investment management firm in its acquisition of a minority stake in a privately owned provider of assisted living memory care and hospice services*
• Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., a company with interests in real estate development and leasing, materials and construction, and agribusiness, in its conversion to a real estate investment trust and its $235 million acquisition of Grace Pacific Corporation, a privately held general contracting company*
• Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., a Hawaii-based company operating electric utility, banking, and renewable/sustainable infrastructure investment businesses, in its proposed, but terminated, $4.3 billion acquisition by NextEra Energy, Inc. and spin-off of American Savings Bank, F.S.B.*
• Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, in its $414 million acquisition of Obagi Medical Products, Inc., a developer and distributor of skin care systems*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin. 

Prior to joining Goodwin, Rachel was most recently a counsel with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she had been since graduating law school.

Rachel was recognized as Up and Coming by Chambers in 2022 and 2023 in DC for her work in Corporate/M&A and Private Equity.