Barbara J. Shander

Barb Shander is a partner in the firm’s Private Equity group and Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Office. Barb advises private equity funds and their portfolio companies on structuring and negotiating complex business deals in a broad variety of industries. These transactions include strategic US and global mergers and acquisitions, investments, dispositions, equity financings, joint ventures, commercial agreements, incentive equity and other compensation plans, leveraged dividends, corporate governance, and general corporate matters. Barb represents buyers and sellers in transactions involving privately held businesses, and subsidiaries and divisions of public companies, and has experience in rollup, corporate carve-out, and distressed transactions.

Barb represents numerous private equity funds, ranging from lower middle-market funds to multibillion-dollar funds. In addition to advising institutional investors on portfolio investments and buy-out transactions, Barb has served as outside general counsel to numerous companies, and advises them on a variety of legal matters. She has led numerous transactions of varying sizes in several sectors including healthcare, financial services, retail, technology, telecommunications, and manufacturing.

Barb’s representative experience includes advising:

• Lovell Minnick Partners
  • in its acquisition of a majority stake in UniversalCIS, a technology-enabled provider of credit data and related origination solutions in the mortgage industry*
  • in the sale of its portfolio company, J.S. Held, LLC, a global specialty consulting firm focused on the insurance claims and construction industry, to Kelso & Co.*
  • in its acquisition of Billhighway, a provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) based accounting and transaction processing services to membership-based organizations such as fraternities, sororities, unions, and associations*
  • in its acquisition of ATTOM Data Solutions, a leading provider of national real estate data and analytics*
  • in its acquisition of a majority stake in Inside Real Estate, an end-to-end SaaS platform servicing the residential real estate market*
  • in its significant minority investment in oneZero Financial Systems, a leading provider of software and technology solutions to the rapidly growing foreign exchange trading industry*
• Eureka Equity Partners
  • in its recapitalization of LegalPartners, an alternative legal services provider focused on outsourced team-based legal solutions, substantive engagements requiring sophisticated legal professional services, and other legal staffing services*
  • in its acquisition of the MedForce business of Call, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare professional interaction management services for product promotion and marketing programs for pharmaceutical manufacturers and biotechnology companies in the United States*
  • in its recapitalization of McCue Corporation, a leading global provider of damage prevention and asset protection solutions for the retail and material handling industries*
• LLR Partners
  • in its investment in MedBridge, an industry-leading provider of patient engagement and clinical education solutions*
  • in its acquisition of YCharts, a cloud-based investment analytics and communications platform for RIAs, broker-dealers, and asset managers*
  • in its investment in TrueLearn, a provider of online test preparation and data analytics to healthcare education and training institutions*
  • in its investment in CareATC, Inc., an innovator in the employer-sponsored healthcare marketplace by utilizing groundbreaking technology*
  • in its acquisition of 3SI Security Systems, a provider of asset protection systems and an innovator of GPS tracking technologies*
  • in its acquisition of Kemberton Healthcare Services, a provider of technology-enabled revenue cycle management services to hospitals for complex claims*
  • in its investment in Appspace, Inc., a software platform for the modern workplace*
  • in its investment in Intelity, a provider of the travel industry’s first and broadest enterprise guest engagement and staff management platform*in its minority growth investment in Midigator, a leading provider of chargeback management solutions*
  • in its growth investment in Health Recovery Systems, a telehealth and remote patient monitoring solutions company that specializes in the home setting*
• SK Capital Partners in its acquisition of the specialty polymers business from Baker Hughes, a producer of specialty low molecular weight olefin polymers*
• Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
  • in its investment in Mancini’s Sleepworld, a mattress retailer serving the Northern California market*
  • in its acquisition of Regal Beloit’s Drive Technologies Business, which designs, engineers, and assembles technology-enabled, high-performance motor control solutions for industrial applications*
  • in its investment in Horizon Services, a provider of residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services, and later sale to New Mountain Capital*
  • in the $1.1 billion sale of its portfolio company, Aclara Technologies, a supplier of smart meters and other field devices, advanced metering infrastructure, and software and services, to Hubbell Power*
• Guardian Capital Partners
  • in its investment in AW Industries LLC d/b/a Newair, a digitally native consumer products company developing smart design, small and medium size appliances*
  • in its investment in Flat River Group, LLC, an ecommerce distributor, marketer, and service provider*
  • in its investment in Tactical Medical Solutions, a developer and manufacturer of hemorrhage control and related safety products for emergency trauma care across the military, law enforcement, fire and emergency services, and civilian end markets*
• Billhighway, a portfolio company of Lovell Minnick Partners, in its acquisition of Impexium, a cloud-based membership management platform that supports the full range of association business and administrative activities*
• J.S. Held, a portfolio company of Kelso & Company, in its acquisition of multiple businesses*
• Strikepoint Group Holdings (formerly Horizon Services), a portfolio company of New Mountain Capital, in its acquisition of multiple businesses*
• WCG Clinical, Inc., a portfolio company of Leonard Green & Partners and Arsenal Capital Partners, in its acquisition of multiple businesses*
• Arsenal Capital Partners
  • in the recapitalization of WCG Clinical, Inc. in partnership with Leonard Green & Partners, Arsenal Capital and Novo Holdings*
  • in the sale of Certara, the global leader in model-informed (in silico) drug development and regulatory science to EQT VII Fund for $850 million*
  • in the sale of TractManager, a portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners, to symplr, a global healthcare governance, risk management, and compliance software-as-a-service platform*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Barb previously served as the executive vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer at WCG Clinical. Prior to joining WCG Clinical, Barb was a partner at an international law firm for 24 years, most recently serving as the co-leader of the private equity group.

Barb is a prior board member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and remains an active member of the chapter. She also previously served as a former board member of The Wellness Community of Philadelphia.

Barb is an active member of the American Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Association. She was also a member of Law360’s Private Equity Editorial Advisory Board (2017, 2019-2020).

Barb is ranked for her work in Corporate/M&A & Private Equity, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia & Surrounds by Chambers USA (2020, 2024).

Barb has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America Best Lawyers for her work in Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law (2023), and named Lawyer of the Year for her work in Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Philadelphia by The Best Lawyers in America (2020).

Barb has been named to the Most Effective Dealmakers 2021 by The Legal Intelligence. She has alsobeen recognized as a Highly Recommended lawyer for Best Law Firms for Private Equity Transactions, United States by Leaders League and Décideurs (2021).

Barb is consistently recognized as a Recommended lawyer for her work in M&A/Corporate and Commercial - Private Equity Buyouts by The Legal 500 US (2011–2020), and was named as Best of the Bar for her corporate work by the Philadelphia Business Journal (2018).