Rodd maintains a diverse corporate practice and counsels clients on a wide range of business law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, debt and equity financings, venture capital and private equity investments, joint ventures, strategic planning, fiduciary duties, business formation and general business counseling. He represents both buyers and sellers of businesses and has acted as the lead lawyer in scores of domestic and international M&A transactions. Throughout his career, Rodd has also effectively served as outside general counsel to a number of private companies that do not have internal legal staffs. In this role, he advises clients on a wide variety of day-to-day legal matters, including employment and consulting arrangements, noncompetition agreements, corporate governance and structure, and a variety of commercial arrangements.

In his over 25 years of practice, Rodd has advised clients ranging from start-ups and small businesses to mid-size businesses and public companies in a variety of industries, including retail, manufacturing, automotive, building products, industrial technology, commercial and professional services, training and education, publishing, insurance and telecommunications.

Rodd’s diverse experience has taught him that every client is unique and a “one size fits all” approach is not an effective way to deliver legal advice. Each client’s concerns, demands and style are different, and legal advice has to be tailored effectively for each. Rodd strives to take a down-to-earth approach to meeting his clients’ business objectives, while appropriately addressing the legal and business risks.

When he can escape from the office, Rodd loves spending time with his wife Jenn and their two children, Charlotte and Henry. Having grown up in central Ohio and graduating (twice) from The Ohio State University, Rodd is an avid Buckeyes fan and spends his Saturdays in the fall cheering on his alma mater. Go Bucks!

Prior to founding Lape Mansfield Nakasian & Gibson, Rodd was a partner in the Columbus office of Jones Day.

Education

• J.D., The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, 1996
  • Summa Cum Laude
  • Order of the Coif
  • Ohio State Law Journal, 1995-1996
• B.A., in History, The Ohio State University, 1991
  • Summa Cum Laude with Honors
  • Phi Beta Kappa

Memberships and Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Ohio State Bar Association
• Columbus Bar Association
• Association for Corporate Growth

Representative Experience

• Structured, negotiated and documented complex mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, joint ventures, secured and unsecured credit facilities, work-outs, and commercial transactions, including:
  • Over $2.5 billion in completed acquisitions of privately held companies in both domestic and international jurisdictions for strategic and financial buyers in various industries
  • $1.44 billion sale of equity stake in Mexican subsidiary of major Latin American mobile communication provider
  • $465 million sale of substantially all assets of a Tier 1 automotive supplier pursuant to a highly contested 363 bankruptcy sale
  • $2.5 billion long-term rail transportation agreement for a major utility company
  • Long-term joint venture between major U.S. and German energy companies to establish joint testing facilities in the U.S.
• Represented various public and private companies in initial and secondary public offerings and private placements; advised public companies regarding securities compliance programs, including proxy materials and periodic reporting requirements.
• Represented financial institutions and borrowers in commercial lending and securitization transactions.
• Negotiated routine corporate and commercial transactions, including employment and consulting agreements, equipment leases, service agreements, distribution agreements and supply contracts.
• Counseled numerous boards of directors, special committees and senior management on corporate governance issues, including directors’ and officers’ fiduciary duties, and general corporate and commercial matters.

Bar Admissions

Ohio