Frederick B. Thomas

Fritz Thomas represents clients in corporate governance and securities law matters and in a wide range of transactions. His corporate governance and securities law practice involves representing boards of directors, standing and special committees of boards of directors and management regarding a variety of corporate governance, securities and related matters, including compliance with federal securities laws, state corporate laws and stock exchange rules, as well as consideration of shareholder and other stakeholder relationships and the policies of proxy advisory firms. He provides advice both in ordinary course of business settings as well as in exceptional circumstances (e.g. situations involving possible changes of control, activist shareholder initiatives and possible changes to board or management composition). His transactional practice focuses on stock acquisitions, asset acquisitions, public and private mergers, tender offers, joint ventures, strategic alliances, financings, shareholder arrangements and various other transactions involving US, foreign and multinational corporations and other entities, both public and private.

Chambers USA has described Fritz as a "big deal guy" who does "an outstanding job of providing great service"... "'intelligent and polished' ... 'a trusted adviser of the highest degree’” ... "always fantastic to work with, extremely knowledgeable, unbelievably responsive and very much an expert in his areas"..."very commercial and strategic with incredible subject matter expertise"..."vastly experienced in M&A and general corporate work... an 'extremely knowledgeable counsel' who takes a 'practical and pragmatic approach' to deals.” Fritz has been listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Who's Who Legal Illinois for Corporate Governance and Mergers and Acquisitions, Best Lawyers in America in Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Corporate Governance Law and Corporate Compliance Law, the Expert Guide to the World's Corporate Governance Lawyers, and The Legal 500 - United States. In addition, he was selected as a "BTI Client Service All-Star" by BTI Consulting Group (one of 176 lawyers across the US identified in surveys of corporate counsel as "delivering the absolute best client service to Fortune 1000 clients"), as an International Law Office Client Choice Award winner (the US award winner in General Corporate), as the Best Lawyers' Chicago Corporate Compliance Law "Lawyer of the Year" and Chicago Corporate Governance Law "Lawyer of the Year", as a "Leading Lawyer" in mergers and acquisitions by IFLR1000, as a "Leading Lawyer" by Leading Lawyers Network and as an "Illinois Super Lawyer."

Fritz previously served as the Partner in Charge of Mayer Brown’s Chicago office, a member of the firm’s Management Committee and one of the co-heads of the firm's Corporate & Securities practice. Fritz joined Mayer Brown’s Chicago office in 1975. From 1978 to 1981, he practiced in the firm’s London Office and also taught corporation law as adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame’s London Law Center (1980–1981). He resumed his practice with the Chicago office in 1981. From 1974 to 1975, he served as law clerk to the Honorable John C. Godbold, US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in Montgomery, Alabama.

• Dartmouth College, AB, magna cum laude
  Phi Beta Kappa
• The University of Chicago Law School, JD
  Comment Editor, University of Chicago Law Review, Joseph Henry Beale Prize

• Illinois

• Planning Committee (past chair), Ray Garrett Jr. Corporate and Securities Law Institute