Trevor T. Katende

Katende is no stranger to multi-million dollar dealmaking.

He was part of the Paul Hastings LLP team advising film and television conglomerate Viacom Inc. in its $340 million acquisition of Pluto TV, a streaming television service, announced in February.

Katende also had a key role in advising Saban Properties LLC in its sale of the Power Rangers franchise and other entertainment brands to Hasbro Inc. in a $522 million transaction in May 2018.

The Harvard College and Stanford Law School alumnus has developed his own method of helping companies tackle their business objectives.

"The first thing I try to do is try to understand the lay of the land, internally," Katende said. "The companies often have their own internal power structure and internal politics that often help me as their advisor in understanding what's driving their decision process. A lot of these companies have a lot of moving pieces at once. As an advisor, I can understand how this acquisition of this transaction fits into their larger strategy, their larger market positioning and what they're looking to do more holistically."

Providing leadership and counsel in sometimes complicated dealings, Katende said, is similar to being the quarterback of the team.

"It's really my duty and role to make sure I'm identifying the right people on the team who need to weigh in and understand the issue," Katende said. "When you're the lead, you are who the client looks to for the ultimate advice on how they should approach a negotiation point. You really drive the strategy or advising the client on the strategy that should be taken in respect to negotiating deal points."

Outside of mergers and acquisitions, Katende also counsels public and private companies, boards of directors, athletes, entertainers and celebrities in other deals such as minority investments, capital raise transactions, strategic partnerships and cross-border matters.

Retired NBA player Shaquille O'Neal and former professional golpher Greg Norman are two celebrities Katende has advised. He provided counsel to both athletes on their individual partnerships with Authentic Brands Group.

Transactional legal work appeals to Katende for many reasons.

"I thought that helping people reach a resolution and come to an agreement at the end of the day fit my personality better than arguing and being argumentative in a winner-take-all scenario," Katende said. "I really am attracted to the idea of representing and working with parties that are friendly and want to do something together. I'm coming up with creative solutions so that both parties walk away feeling good and feeling like they achieved something together."

Dole Food Co., Dick Clark Productions and General Electric Co. are a few of the other clients Katende has worked with during his tenure at Paul Hastings. His extensive client work has helped him navigate the challenges young attorneys face.

"I kind of have a baby face so it certainly didn't help that when I was 25, I looked like I was 18. That didn't help at all professionally," he said. "I think others understand that even though I am under 40, they can tell by my resume that I had plenty of experience under my belt and I'm someone who can be trusted."

-- Alexandra Applegate