William McGrath

William J. McGrath

Download/Print Bio
T: 1.312.953.1942
wmcgrath@mcgrath-web.com

Bill McGrath is President of William J McGrath PC and a Principal of Nimbus Strategies LLC (with affiliated offices in Chicago and Los Angeles).  These firms collaborate with senior managers and business owners to clarify their vision and to develop, refine and implement their strategy.  In particular, Bill has experience helping those seeking to enter the China market to understand the complexities of the Chinese system and alternatives for doing business in the Chinese context.

Legal Experience.  From 1980 through mid-2011,  William J McGrath PC was a capital partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP where Bill began his legal career in 1970.    His practice focused on business strategy, joint ventures and strategic alliances, strategic acquisitions and leveraged buyouts, finance, investment management activities and alternative investment products.  Businesses represented by Bill have included private equity, venture capital and other investment managers as well as many publicly and privately owned companies located in the United States, Europe and Asia.

China Experience.  From mid-2007 through mid-2010, he served as Practice Coordinator between MWE China Law Offices (Yuan Da) and McDermott’s worldwide offices.  During that period, he resided in Shanghai and also provided strategy, marketing and administrative support for MWE China Law Offices (Yuan Da). He was a founding member and director of the Association for Corporate Growth China, and he has been a speaker at ACG programs in Shanghai, Beijing and Boston.  He was also a speaker at private equity conferences in China sponsored by New Pacific Consulting and the Shanghai Venture Capital Association.  Most recently, he lectured on “Public Policy in China” at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

Private Equity Experience.  From mid-2000 through the end of 2007, he was a Managing Director of Glencoe Capital Partners III L.P., a $400 million buyout fund making lead sponsored investments, and Vice Chairman of Glencoe Capital, LLC, the Manager of the fund.   He also served as a member of the Investment Committees of Glencoe Capital, LLC (from 1997 to 2007) and its affiliate, Stockwell Capital, LLC, a manager of private equity co-investment capital (from 2001 to 2007).  Together, these fund managers invested over $1.2 billion of committed capital in approximately 45 transactions on behalf of pension and endowment funds, insurance companies, banks and other institutional investors.  His association with Glencoe Capital began with its founding in 1993, serving then as General Counsel and as one of Glencoe Capital’s founding preferred security investors.

Law Firm Management Experience.  His management responsibilities for McDermott included service on the Firm’s Management Committee and its Executive Committee, specifically during the period of the Firm’s rapid growth into a full-service international firm.  During this period, he also chaired the Firm’s initial Strategic Planning Committee and its Lateral Recruiting Committee, focusing in particular on establishing the Firm’s London office and developing its intellectual property, capital markets and private equity practices.  He also served on, and chaired, many of the Firm’s administrative committees. 

Board Experience.  Bill has advised and facilitated many workshops on corporate governance for both publicly and privately owned businesses and family ownership transitions.  He previously served on the Boards of Directors of Böwe Bell + Howell Company (a subsidiary of Böwe Systec, a German manufacturer of automated mail and document handling systems), Doane Agricultural Services Company (agribusiness management services), Hobart-McIntosh Paper Company (distributor of fine papers), Rimrock Corporation (manufacturer of factory automation equipment), Soft Sheen Products, Inc. (manufacturer of consumer products), and Tomy Corporation (a Japanese-owned manufacturer and distributor of toys, games and software products).  He serves in similar roles for Not-for-Profit organizations as a Trustee of the Union League Boys and Girls Foundation and a member of the Advisory Boards of Catholic Charities of Chicago and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation.  He is also a Trustee of the William J McGrath and Mary Ann McGrath Foundation. 

Professional Associations.  Bill is a member of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the Board of Directors for the Center for Economic Policy Analysis and the International Bar Association. 

Education

    Harvard Law School, J.D., 1970

    Loyola University Chicago, M.A., 1967

    John Carroll University, AB.cl. (magna cum laude), 1965

 

Comments