Middle-Market M&A: What’s Market, What’s Shifting, and Why It Matters (Feb. 26, 2026)
Includes a Live Web Event on 02/26/2026 at 2:00 PM (EST)
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- Non-member - $80
- Member - Free!
- *Further discounts may apply once you log in.
Middle-market M&A continues to shift, and with it the deal terms that determine risk allocation, valuation outcomes, and negotiation strength. This webcast offers a concise, practical look at what’s truly “market” today, drawing on Seyfarth’s analysis of more than 150 private company transactions signed in 2024 and 2025. Presenters Daniel Schloesser, Vice President, Legal - Mergers & Acquisitions with Optimum and Andrew Lucano and Aaron Gillett, Partners at Seyfarth Shaw will unpack the core indemnity package—escrows, caps, baskets, survival, fraud carve-outs, and earnouts—and discuss how these provisions are evolving across insured and non-insured deals. The session will help attendees understand where buyer and seller leverage is trending and what these shifts mean for upcoming transactions.
Attendees will walk away with:
• A data-backed view of today’s prevailing middle-market deal terms and how they are shifting.
• Practical insights into buyer–seller leverage and how R&W insurance is influencing risk allocation.
• A forward-looking understanding of market forces—valuation, financing, and PE strategies—impacting 2026 dealmaking.
Generously Sponsored by Seyfarth Shaw
This live program offers free CLE in select jurisdictions for members of ACC. Please see details below!
CLE/CPD CREDIT IS AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS:
*Alaska, *Arizona, California, *Connecticut, Georgia, *Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, *Montana, *New Hampshire, *New Jersey, *New York, *North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania,Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
*Indicates that CLE/CPD credit is available by virtue of reciprocity with another jurisdiction.
ACC WILL MAKE AN APPLICATION FOR CLE UPON REQUEST IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS:
Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Vermont.
Requests must be made one week prior to the scheduled program date to ensure timely application submission. Please use the form below to submit your request for CLE.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FORM!
ATTENDEES MUST SELF-FILE IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS (A CERTIFICATE WILL BE PROVIDED TO ASSIST YOUR FILING EFFORTS):
Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
CLE/CPD IS NOT MANDATORY IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS:
District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, South Dakota
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LockedDaniel Schloesser
Vice President, Legal – Mergers & Acquisitions
Optimum
Daniel Schloesser is Vice President, Legal – Mergers & Acquisitions at Optimum USA (formerly known as Altice USA), where he supports corporate transactions and strategic initiatives, including M&A and partnership matters. An in-house attorney with roughly two decades of experience, Daniel has advised multinational businesses in regulated industries, including healthcare, and is known for delivering pragmatic, business-oriented guidance on complex deals and related negotiations.
Andrew Lucano
Partner
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Andrew Lucano is chair of Seyfarth’s national Corporate department and co-chair of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice, based in New York. A deal-focused “closer,” he advises clients across the full transaction lifecycle—guiding founders and owners through exits and new ventures, and representing strategic acquirers and financial buyers, including private equity firms and family offices, in platform and add-on investments. He pairs practical risk assessment with a collaborative, business-first approach that helps move negotiations forward and align stakeholders around workable solutions. Andrew regularly negotiates representation and warranty insurance to help bridge buyer-seller gaps, and he also serves as a trusted adviser on corporate governance and day-to-day business matters. He leverages technology, including proprietary data sites and budgeting tools, to deliver efficient, transparent deal management.
Aaron Gillett
Partner
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Aaron M. Gillett is a Corporate partner in Seyfarth’s Chicago office and vice chair of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice. He advises clients from early-stage entrepreneurs to multinational private and public companies on strategic growth matters, including buy- and sell-side M&A, joint ventures, ESOP transactions, and private debt and equity investments. Aaron is known for providing clear, practical guidance on fast-moving deals and for tailoring creative, client-centric solutions to help companies reach closing efficiently. His broader practice also includes corporate governance and complex commercial contracting, with a focus on procurement, supply chain, and technology transactions such as software licensing, hosted services, and product development agreements.
