John Hart

John Hart

Senior Partner

Office:New York

John Hart is a Senior Partner and co-head of the Corporate and M&A practice at York Hart & Lane. With over 25 years of experience, he has advised on some of the most significant cross-border transactions in the technology, finance, and energy sectors.

John regularly advises public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder activism, and general corporate governance matters. He is known for his ability to navigate complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions and deliver pragmatic, commercially-focused solutions.

He has been consistently recognized by Chambers Global and Legal 500 as a leading practitioner in corporate M&A, and was named one of the "Top 10 M&A Lawyers in North America" by Global Legal Awards in 2023.


Experience

Advised a Fortune 500 technology company on its $12 billion acquisition of a cloud infrastructure provider
Represented a global private equity fund in a $6.5 billion leveraged buyout of a healthcare diagnostics group
Counsel to a leading sovereign wealth fund on a series of minority investments totaling over $3 billion
Advised the board of a NYSE-listed consumer goods company in a contested $8 billion takeover approach
Led the cross-border restructuring and subsequent IPO of a multinational financial services group
Represented a major investment bank on the formation of a joint venture with an Asian state-owned enterprise

Education

  • J.D.
    Harvard Law School
    magna cum laude
  • B.A.
    Yale University
    Phi Beta Kappa

Prior experience

  • Co-head of Corporate Practice, 2015–2020
  • Secondment to London office, 2008–2010

Qualifications and admissions

  • State of New York
  • State of Massachusetts

Languages

  • English
  • French

Recognition

Chambers Global – Corporate/M&A, Band 1 (2020–2025)
Legal 500 US – M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+), Leading Lawyer
IFLR1000 – M&A, United States, Highly Regarded
Global Legal Awards – "Top 10 M&A Lawyers in North America," 2023
Who's Who Legal – Mergers & Acquisitions, 2021–2025