Eli Mekonen
Elias advises corporate clients, private equity funds and their portfolio companies on a wide range of transactional, governance and securities matters.

With a proven track record advising on complex, multi-billion dollar private equity deals, he leverages his experience to guide clients beyond legal considerations, offering strategic insights for more informed business decisions.

He represents a broad spectrum of clients, including sponsors, corporate strategics, asset managers, family offices, non-profits, and sports franchise ownership groups. He advises clients throughout the entire corporate lifecycle, from initial formation to mergers & acquisitions and beyond.

Prior to joining A&O Shearman, he honed his legal acumen at the Supreme Court of Virginia, a bulge bracket investment bank and leading global law firms in New York and Washington, D.C., equipping him with a well-rounded understanding of the corporate legal landscape.

Expertise

Industries

Experience

Representative matters

  • Dolabra digital on various fund formation matters and strategic partnerships with European Wax Center and Wine.com.
  • Atlas Holdings LLC and its portfolio companies on corporate transactional and governance matters.
  • Stryten Energy in a 50/50 joint venture with Largo Clean Energy Corp to form Storion Energy, a producer of domestically sourced high-quality vanadium electrolyte.
  • Coinmint in its sale to New York Digital Investment Group at a valuation of $205 million.
  • BOKA Group on fund formation and corporate governance matters.
  • Caerus Group in the acquisition of ProSys Fill, LLC at a valuation of $17.55 million.
  • Stryten Energy in a licensing agreement with Dragonfly Energy valued at over $30 million.
  • Josh Harris and a consortium of investors in the acquisition of the NFL's Washington Commanders at a valuation of $6.05 billion. This is the highest valuation ever paid for a sports franchise. *
  • The Walton-Penner Family in the acquisition of the NFL's Denver Broncos at a valuation of $4.65 billion. This was the highest valuation ever paid for a sports franchise at the time. *
  • IBM in the $19 billion global separation and reorganization of Kyndryl Holdings, Inc., its managed infrastructure services business, prior to the spin-off of Kyndryl into a separate publicly traded company. *
  • LabCorp in the acquisition of Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc., a provider of comprehensive liquid biopsy and tissue-based genomic products and services, at a valuation of $575 million. *
  • Sazerac Company in a partnership with Barstool Sportsbook. *
  • Major League Pickleball in its merger with PPA Tour, backed by an investment of $50 million. *
  • Oracle, Inc. in a sponsorship agreement with Oak View Group, LLC, valued at $20 million. *
  • Washington Spirit Owner Michelle Kang in the creation of the first global multi-club women’s soccer organization. *
  • Alterra Mountain Company in the acquisition of Schweitzer Mountain at a valuation of $87.61 million. *
  • Howard University in entering into a two-year management services agreement with Adventist HealthCare prior to the separation and transfer of Howard University Hospital. *
  • Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. in the sale of its worldwide Crystals and Detectors business to SK Capital Partners, L.P. at a valuation of $214 million. *
  • UGI Corporation in a joint venture with Archaea Energy Inc. to develop a renewable natural gas project at the Commonwealth Environmental Systems landfill in Hegins, Pennsylvania. *
  • esVolta in the sale of its utility-scale battery storage business to Generate Capital and CarVal Investors at a valuation of $136.03 million. *

*Denotes prior firm experience.

Pro bono

  • Advised the Spookstock Foundation and the Operator Relief Fund on corporate governance matters.
  • Advised the Stephen M. Ross-owned Ross Initiative for Sports Equality, Inc. (RISE) in a proposed partnership with the founding entity of the National Sports Museum. *
  • Drafted the privacy policy for a D.C.-based mental health clinic. *
  • Advised the Children’s Law Center on housing conditions matters. *

Published Work

  • Armas, Brown, Hardy, Kaufman, Mekonen and Zimmerman (2021) “Contract Formation and Enforcement in the United States: Overview”, Thomson Reuters

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, “Current Legal Topics in Sports”, Sports Lawyers Association, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, November 2023

Awards

  • Top 40 Under 40, The National Black Lawyers, 2025
  • Top 100 National Black Lawyers, The National Black Lawyers, 2025
  • Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, District of Columbia Courts, 2021 - 2022

Qualifications

Admissions

District of Columbia, 2020

Academic

J.D., University of Virginia, 2020

B.A., History, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.