Chelsea efficiently and effectively delivers creative legal solutions for clients in corporate finance and private equity.
Overview
Chelsea focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments, general business law and corporate governance.
She represents publicly and privately held companies, as well as private equity and venture capital funds in mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions. Chelsea also has experience with offerings of debt securities and with structured finance and securitization transactions. She also counsels nonprofit organizations through formation and corporate governance matters.
Chelsea also helps her clients – from public companies to startups – strategically approach their commercial contracting needs, including purchase and sale agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, entity formation documents, joint venture agreements and executive employment documents.
Chelsea has experience in several industries, including animal health, energy, technology, waste management, financial services and consumer products.
Experience
Chelsea has significant experience representing clients in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, including:
- Numerous transactions for Koch Industries, Inc. and its affiliates
- Acquisition of EnviroSolutions, Inc. by Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE) (terms not disclosed)
- Association of Verified Beef by American Angus Association (terms not disclosed)
- Sale of a $14 million investment bioscience portfolio held by a government entity to a private investment company
- Sale of franchisee's 44 restaurant franchises located in 7 states to the restaurants' national franchisor for $208 million
- Sale of an 80% limited liability company membership interest in a glass and glazing contractor for $16 million with a potential of an additional $2.6 million in earn-outs
- Sale of telecommunication cabinet distributor for $23 million
- Sale of warehouse operating company and its real estate holdings to real estate developer for $103 million
She has represented clients in venture capital transactions totaling more than $500 million.
Chelsea has represented a public utility company in issuances of over $345 million of first mortgage bonds and over $410 million of senior notes.
News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
Venture Capital Webinar, December 8, 2022
Directors' Institute & 2023 Proxy Season Workshop, November 11, 2022
Directors' Institute & 2022 Proxy Season Workshop, January 13, 2021
Directors' Institute & 2021 Proxy Season Workshop, November 12, 2020
"LLCs from Start to Finish," National Business Institute CLE, Lenexa, Kansas, April 19-20, 2018
"Issuing, Dividing, and Transferring Membership Interests," National Business Institute CLE, Overland Park Kansas, March 27, 2017
"Handling the Sale of a Business," National Business Institute CLE, Overland Park, Kansas, February 27, 2017
"LLCs from Start to Finish," National Business Institute CLE, Kansas City, Missouri, June 15-16, 2016
Publications
"Responsibility for the Rose: Environmental Policy and the WTO," University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review, Winter 2014
"Progressive or Problematic? Kansas House Bill 2117 and Border War Tax Competition," University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review, February 2014
Recognitions
Recognitions
Ingram's 40 Under Forty, 2025
Named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America list, 2023-2025
Named a Rising Star by Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers for Mergers & Acquisitions, 2017, 2019 - Present
CALI Excellence for the Future Award in the Secured Transactions
West Publishing Company Award for Most Significant Contribution to Legal Scholarship
Professional & Civic Activities
Professional & Civic Activities
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Friends of Art Leadership Council, 2019-2022
- Party Arty Vice-Chair, 2017-2018
- Party Arty Co-Chair, 2018-2019
Kansas City Young Audiences, Board Member
Practices & Industries
Admissions
- Missouri, 2014
- Kansas, 2015
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Education
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2014
- University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review, Lead Comment Editor
- The Order of the Barristers
- The Urban Lawyer, Staff Member
University of Missouri-Kansas City, B.A., 2011
- Chancellors Scholar, 2007-2011
- Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete, 2007-2011
