People

Palash I. Pandya serves as the Co-Deputy Chair of the Corporate Practice Group, a leading national team ranked by Best Lawyers, The Legal 500, and Chambers USA for excellence. Based in New York, Palash leverages over two decades of sophisticated transactional experience to advise private equity funds, public and private companies, and family offices in complex domestic and cross border matters. Palash provides full-lifecycle transactional counsel focusing on buy-side and sell-side mergers and acquisitions (M&A), leveraged buyouts (LBO), growth equity investments, joint ventures, and spin offs.

With broad capital markets experience, he also represents public companies in public and private debt and equity securities transactions, including guiding companies through initial and secondary public equity offerings and Rule 144A and registered debt offerings. He counsels public companies with securities law compliance, SEC reporting requirements, and corporate governance and board fiduciary duty matters.

Palash’s deep sector experience spans many competitive industries, including multi-unit restaurants, technology, business services, hospitality, telecommunications, healthcare, and retail and apparel, giving him insight into the business challenges his clients face. His breadth of experience allows him to provide creative and practical solutions to complex matters.

As a leader within the firm, Palash is a longtime member of Akerman’s Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the firm’s Professional Development Council.

Notable Work

M&A and Private Equity

Private Equity Technology Acquisition:

Represented a portfolio company of a private equity firm focused on providing workforce management software and technology solutions in connection with multiple add-on acquisitions.

Private Equity Technology Acquisition:

Represented a portfolio company of a private equity firm in connection with the acquisition of an online education business.

Private Equity Technology Acquisition:

Represented a portfolio company of a private equity firm in connection with the acquisition of compliance management software business in the trucking industry.

Private Equity Technology Acquisition:

Represented a portfolio company of a private equity firm focused on providing outdoor recreation management software in connection with the acquisition of a business providing research tools and technology for outdoor recreation.

Private Equity Technology Acquisition:

Represented a portfolio company of a private equity firm focused on providing a global platform for specialty logistics solutions across live events and luxury goods in connection with the acquisition of a fine arts logistics business.

Private Equity Growth Equity Investment - Consumer:

Represented a private equity firm in connection with an investment in an omnichannel retail platform.

Family Office Growth Equity Investment:

Represented a family office as a lead investor in connection with a growth equity investment in a company in the shipping industry.

Technology Acquisition:

Represented a global private company in connection with multiple acquisitions of software related businesses.

Restaurant Acquisition:

Represented Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., the largest franchisee of Burger King restaurants in the United States, in connection with the acquisition of 165 Burger King restaurants and 55 Popeyes restaurants from Cambridge Franchise Holdings, LLC.

Restaurant Acquisition:

Represented Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. in connection with the acquisition of 278 Burger King restaurants from Burger King Corporation.

Restaurant Disposition and Going Private Transaction:

Representing Nathan's Famous, Inc. in connection with its pending sale to Smithfield Foods, Inc. and related going private transaction.

Restaurant Disposition:

Represented Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., the owner and operator of Pollo Tropical, in connection with the sale of Taco Cabana.

Hospitality Disposition:

Represented Ace Group International, the parent company of the Ace Hotel brand, in connection with the sale of its business to Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide.

Retail Disposition:

Represented For Eyes, a multistate optical company, in the sale of its business to GrandVision.

Business Services Acquisition:

Represented a United States-based global consulting firm in connection with multiple acquisitions of professional services firms.

Telecommunications Acquisition:

Represented HC2 Holdings, Inc. (now known as INNOVATE Corp.) in connection with the acquisition of a controlling interest in DTV America Corporation, an aggregator and operator of low power television licenses and stations across the United States, and certain assets of Mako Communications.

Healthcare Disposition:

Represented a home health care company in the sale of its business to a private equity sponsor.

Industrials Acquisition:

Represented a publicly listed company in the MRO space in connection with a $349 million acquisition of subsidiary of a publicly listed company.

Financial Services Disposition:

Represented a private investment management firm in connection with an $80 million sale to an international financial institution.

Capital Markets

Public Company Spin-Off:

Represented Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. in the spin-off of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.

Rule 144A Offering:

Represented Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. and Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. in connection with multiple Rule 144A debt offerings.

Initial Public Offering:

Represented MiX Telematics Limited in connection with a $115 million initial public offering of American Depositary Shares.
Represented Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. in connection with a $143 million initial public offering of common stock.

Public Equity Offering:

Represented Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. in connection with a $142 million offering of common stock.
Represented Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. in connection with a $71.3 million offering of common stock.
Represented a public company issuer and selling stockholders in connection with a public offering of $139.5 million of common stock.
Represented a public company issuer and selling stockholders in connection with a public offering of $166 million of common stock.

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Akerman Labor & Employment Law Summit, Co-Moderator, “Hot Topic L&E Considerations in a M&A Transaction,” May 2, 2024, and May 1, 2025
The Akerman PErspectives Report, Q1 - 2018

Association for Corporate Growth, New York Chapter,
- Secretary, Present
- Board of Directors, Former Member
New York City Bar Association, Securities Regulation Committee, 2022-2024
South Asian Bar Association of New York, Board of Directors, 2012-2016

Super Lawyers Magazine 2014-2016, Listed in New York as a "Rising Star" for Securities & Corporate Finance
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow, 2015

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