J. Kenneth Menges, Jr. is a partner in Akin Gump’s corporate practice and the partner in charge of the Dallas office. He is also a member of the firm’s management committee and the Dallas office’s diversity committee.
Practice & Background

Mr. Menges has more than 30 years of experience representing public companies, boards of directors and special committees with respect to corporate governance matters, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. He also represents clients in M&A transactions domestically and internationally. Mr. Menges also has extensive experience in the negotiation and preparation of partnership and employment agreements and the restructuring and workout of complex financings.

Mr. Menges received his B.S.B.A. summa cum laude in 1979 from the Boston University School of Management and his J.D. in 1982 from Harvard Law School, where he was a winner of the Williston Competition in Contract Negotiation. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association.

Mr. Menges is a frequent speaker on corporate governance topics.
Representative Matters

Mr. Menges’ recent engagements include:

acting as counsel to special committees of public companies in connection with strategic transactions
advising a hospital in connection with strategic and contractual matters
advising a private equity firm in connection with the disposition of portfolio companies
advising a publicly held insurance company in its sale to another public company
advising an advertising and marketing services company in its sale to a larger company in the industry
advising an investment and financial advisory firm in its sale to a bank holding company
advising a broadcast and media company in acquisitions, financings and dispositions
advising a consumer products company in its initial public offering and subsequent corporate matters.

Community Involvement

Mr. Menges has participated in a variety of civic, charitable and political organizations including being a:

member of the national advisory council of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
member of the board of trustees of Boston University, where he formerly served as vice chairman
member of the board of directors of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce
member of the board of directors of the Dallas County Historical Foundation.

Awards & Accolades

Chambers U.S.A.: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2010 to 2014) as a leading lawyer in the area of corporate/M&A
Mr. Menges was one of 80 lawyers in the nation named to the BTI National Client Service All-Star Team in 2002.

Speaking Engagements

When Corporate Counsel Mind the Fence, IQPC’s 5th Corporate Counsel Exchange, April 27, 2010
Preparing for the 2010 Annual Meeting: Developments Involving Shareholder Access and Proxy Statement Disclosure, the University of Texas School of Law’s Annual Conference on Securities Regulation and Business Law, February 11, 2010
Current State of Corporate Governance in the United States, University of Texas at Dallas MBA Program (lecturer).