We have a dedicated and professional team to help meet your needs from our staff handling back office functions to our client facing associates. Our primary day-to-day operations are handled with ease and all services are provided by US based employees. We look forward to working with you!
JOSEPH J RAETZER, MBA, JD
Principal
Utilizing his background as an M&A, securities and corporate transactional lawyer, Joe provides commercial advisory services and has provided legal advice (Licensed to Practice Law in the State of New York) to corporations (public and private), venture capital funds, private equity funds, hedge funds and high net worth individuals. He has over 20 years of professional experience.
Joe has been part of many start-up, legal and other commercial initiatives and has shown consistently that he can develop and execute complex engagements and transaction models. He works across industries, borders and cultures.
Joe’s journey began in 2004 at Thacher Proffitt & Wood, a Manhattan law firm that was the leader in asset backed securities, where he specialized in Structured Finance and Corporate transactions. He was subsequently recruited to global powerhouse law firm Clifford Chance in Manhattan to work in their Mergers & Acquisitions department. Transitioning from law to leadership, Joe also contributed to the growth of several venture-backed startups.
At Raetzer, Joe’s expertise is in assessing complex financial assets and companies, working closely with corporate leadership and stakeholders, to achieve their objectives. He has worked on hundreds of deals from a simple $30 million domestic membership interest redemption to complex multi-billion dollar cross border transactions. Joe has worked across diverse sectors, from insurance companies to medical groups.
A member of the New York Bar and Texas Bar application pending, Joe commands a team of seasoned professionals from with diverse professional backgrounds. His comprehensive experience and leadership have positioned him as a trusted figure in advisory services.
Joe enjoys connecting with entrepreneurs and other professionals who are solving difficult problems.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Clifford Chance US LLP, New York, NY
Corporate / M&A Lawyer, May 2006 – August 2013
Maintained a corporate and M&A practice with transactional and regulatory experience representing leading global financial institutions in a broad range of complex matters on multi-billion dollar international and domestic business deals. Clients included investment banks as well as publicly traded companies, private equity funds and hedge funds. Directly worked with principals to successfully obtain their objectives in a timely manner.
Thacher Proffitt & Wood LLP, New York, NY
Structured Finance & Corporate Lawyer, June 2004 – May 2006
Maintained a corporate practice focused primarily on multi-billion dollar corporate and asset-backed securities transactions.
Founder and President at Various Startups in WA, NY and TX
Sep 2013 – Present
Launched/cofounded multiple startups such as:
online subscription box service that we grew to a customer base in 19 countries
retail chain that we grew to over a dozen stores nationwide
online/retail hybrid company offering freshly butchered whole cows by establishing national distribution channel
DEAL EXPERIENCE
• Represented a group of 12 global financial institutions with $13 billion exposure to wrapped MBS in connection with the client group’s negotiation to mitigate losses due to such exposure.
• Represented Deutsche Bank in several acquisitions and dispositions of multi-billion dollar portfolios of assets with both domestic and international counterparties, including several distressed transactions.
• Represented Victorian Funds Management Corporation, an Australian investment manager with $36 billion assets under management, in a transaction involving the redemption of all of its units held in a publicly traded Australian fund holding $2 billion of assets.
• Represented European based Mapfre S.A. in its $2.6 billion acquisition of The Commerce Group, Inc., a publicly traded US based company.
• Represented Ambac and Assured in the restructuring of a $2.1 billion securitization, including the replacement of lead investment manager.
• Represented Munich Re in a structured transaction involving its formation of an Irish listed SPV and
subsequent issuance of Rule 144A notes.
• Represented JP Morgan and others as the underwriters in MBIA’s $1.1 billion common stock offering and $1 billion surplus note offering.
• Represented IXIS in launching a $600 million offshore fund.
• Represented Fortis in its potential consortium transaction with several private equity firms to acquire The BISYS Group, which was a US-based publicly traded company.
• Represented Morgan Stanley and others as the book-running managers in MBIA’s $1.1 billion Rule 144A unsecured subordinated notes offering.
• Represented Apollo Management in its potential acquisition of a $3.4 billion portfolio of assets.
• Represented Credit Suisse in a $5.3 billion transaction.
• Represented other financial institutions in various corporate and securities related transactions, both domestic and international, including Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs.
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COLLEGE OF LAW, J.D., 2005
Ranked top 20% of 200 US law schools & top 15% in Business/Corporate Law
• Law Review
• Jessup Moot Court International Law Competition
• Attended on full tuition merit-based scholarship for all 3 years
• Graduate Legal Research Assistant for 4 semesters; researched corporate and securities law issues in connection with various published works including “Gatekeepers, Disclosure, and Issuer Choice” and “Delaware’s Good Faith”
• Founded organization PALS: People Accompanying Law Students
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, M.B.A., 2002
Ranked top 20% of 1,000 US business schools
• Graduate Research Assistant for 2 semesters; researched various business related issues and taught courses
• 3-time College of Business Dean’s Graduate Student Honor Roll
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO, B.A., 2000
• Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity
• Dean’s List
• Honor Roll
• Supplemental Instructor for 3 semesters; tutored students and helped with research
OTHER EXPERIENCE
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, June 1993 – June 1996
• Honorable discharge
• Overseas Short Tour & Long Tour Ribbons
• National Defense Service Medal
ANDREA M RAETZER, MBA (PENDING 2025)
Director of Teams
Following her graduation from the University of Texas – San Antonio, Andrea obtained her New York real estate license and focused solely on leasing and quickly gained a reputation for effectively executing transactions. Andrea caught the eye of a real estate developer and was recruited to help lease out a new development with several hundred units.
After successfully marketing that development and leasing the majority of the units, Andrea was recruited by the President of Gucci North America to work in the Store Planning Department at their US HQ on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Andrea helped oversee Gucci’s entire North America portfolio (approximately 120 locations) of real estate. She did such a fantastic job negotiating with contractors that she was selected for the team working to build out the new Gucci HQ at Trump Tower. During this buildout period Andrea negotiated and coordinated with dozens of contractors across various trades.
Andrea subsequently left Gucci to focus on starting and operating her own startups with her husband Joe. She is currently working on her MBA at the University of Texas – Tyler (pending 2025) while she works to manage our teams.
MICHAELA, OFFICE MANAGER
Michaela joined the US Army following her high school graduation. She subsequently worked at a national retailer in sales and procurement before joining Raetzer. She is working to finish her college degree in San Antonio Texas.
JOSEPH, OPERATIONS MANAGER
Joseph graduated with his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in August 2022. He subsequently joined several political campaigns. Most notably, he:
- lead a team in Texas to help Brandon Herrera win the primary to unseat the incumbent Congress position for the largest district in the state of Texas and
- lead teams in Pennsylvania for 7 months in 2024 to help the Trump campaign win the election
He is currently awaiting his law school application results (fingers crossed!).