Overview

"John is a terrific thinker who is very bright and practical. He does truly outstanding work and is very smart, thorough, and creative." Client quote, Chambers USA 

John Connery has a diverse transactional practice, with an emphasis on advising family offices, venture capital funds, companies, angel investors and private equity funds and their portfolio companies on structuring and negotiating complex business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, growth capital investments, joint ventures, fund formations and recapitalizations. John advises investors, developers and property managers on real estate joint ventures and regularly serves as outside general counsel to growing, middle market companies. He has substantial experience in structuring and tax planning for transactions. John served for many years as practice chair of the firm's Corporate & Tax Group. 

John acts as counsel to a number of institutional private equity and real estate investment and development clients, including KLH Capital, Mangrove Equity Partners, Keswick Partners, Clearwell Group, The Ferrante Group, Parkstone Growth Partners, Green Hills Partners, Landeavor, Fairbourne Properties, Third Lake Partners and Third Lake Capital. 

He is a Certified Public Accountant in Florida. Prior to joining the firm, John worked as an audit associate with Arthur Andersen in its Tampa office and practiced tax law in the Chicago office of the international law firm Mayer Brown. 

John is a founder and member of the Board of Directors for Bayshore Project, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation that promotes health and fitness of middle school children through the creation of a middle school distance running community in South Tampa. 

Honors

  • AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review
  • Certified Public Accountant, Florida
  • Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyer, Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (2016-2024) 
  • Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyer, Tax (2014-2015)
  • Florida Super Lawyers (2010-2013, 2020-2024)
  • Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star (2009)
  • Florida Trend’s Legal Elite - Up and Comers (2007-2008)
  • The Best Lawyers in America®  (2013-2025)
  • TAMPA Magazine's Top Lawyers (2023)
    • Business Organizations Law
    • Mergers & Acquisitions Law

    • Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

  • Chambers USA 2024

Credentials & Experience

Education

University of Florida, B.S., 1993: Accounting

University of South Florida, 1994: Master of Accountancy

Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 1998, High Honors

  • Order of the Coif
  • Chicago-Kent Law Review: Executive Articles Editor

Bar Admissions

American Bar Association

The Florida Bar

Hillsborough County Bar Association

The Illinois Bar

Experience

  • Parkview Dental Partners, a dental support organization, on its recapitalization with Cathay Capital. 
  • PainTEQ, a medical device company, from its formation in a variety of contractual, intellectual property, governance and strategic matters.
  • Impact Home Services, an independent owner and operator of three home services franchises, in its restructuring and recapitalization with Eagle Merchant Partners. 
  • KLH Capital in its investment in Mid-State Industrial Maintenance, Inc. ("Mid-State") and Mid-State in connection with its recapitalization with CenterGate Capital.
  • Mangrove Equity Partners in its investment in Atlas Greenhouse. 
  • Fairbourne Properties in its joint venture with Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association to buy and manage Town Square Las Vegas, a 1.2 million square foot retail center near the Las Vegas Strip.
  • Keswick Partners in its management buyout of Central Carolina Seeding. 
  • McNeel International in its sale of Olefinas, a leading agricultural plastics company with operations in Guatemala and Mexico to Coveris Holdings S.A.
  • The Beacon Group, a growth strategy firm based in Portland, Maine, in its sale to Accenture, Inc. (NYSE: ACN). 
  • Digarc, a Lakeland, Florida e-catalog and curriculum management solutions provider, in a growth capital investment by Serent Capital, a San Francisco private equity fund.
  • Plexcera Therapeutics in its restructuring and formation of a new biopharmaceutical company with Roivant Sciences Ltd.
  • A family office in its equity investments in senior living and memory care facilities.
  • TL Capital in its investment in One St. Petersburg, a 41-story condominium tower in St. Petersburg, Florida. 
  • KLH Capital in its investment in ANS Distributing and sale of its investment in ANS Distributing to Jones & Frank.
  • Marxent Labs in raising growth capital from Detroit Venture Partners and other investors.
  • Meridian Development Group in its investment in, partnership restructuring and management of an approximate 1,000,000 square foot warehouse facility
  • Corporate and tax expert witness in real estate joint venture litigation. 

Professional & Civic

Community & Professional

  • Leadership Tampa
  • Association for Corporate Growth
    • Global Board of Directors
      • Director (2017-2020)
      • Executive Committee of Board of Directors (2018-2020)
    • Tampa Bay Chapter
      • President (2011-2013)
      • Board of Directors
    • ACG Florida Capital Connection: Co-Chair
  • American Bar Association
    • Business Law Section
    • Tax Section
  • The Florida Bar: Tax Section
  • Hillsborough County Bar Association: Tax Section

Newsroom

News & Insights

Noteworthy

Chambers USA ranks the leading lawyers and law firms across the USA. Legal rankings are based on in-depth market analysis and independent research, conducted by an experienced team of researchers. Individual lawyers are ranked in their practice area(s) based on legal knowledge and experience, ability, effectiveness and client service.

"John is a terrific thinker who is very bright and practical." "He does truly outstanding work and is very smart, thorough and creative." Client quote, Chambers USA 2023

"He's an extremely knowledgeable lawyer." Client quote, Chambers USA 2022

"He is a smart deal lawyer who is meticulous with the details of matters." Client quote, Chambers USA 2021

"He's smart, practical and solves problems." Client quote, Chambers USA 2021

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