Mr. Mayer is a member of the Corporate Department. His practice is devoted primarily to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings and corporate governance and director liability. In addition, he has extensive experience in pooled investment vehicles, private equity transactions and securities offerings.

He advised Roche in connection with a number of transactions, including its acquisition of BioVeris, a health care and biosecurity company, and its successful $3 billion hostile acquisition of Ventana Medical Systems, a leading developer of medical diagnostic tissue testing equipment. He also represented CNOOC on its proposed $18.5 billion acquisition of Unocal; Bertelsmann on its 50-50 recorded music joint venture with Sony; Compaq Computer on a number of acquisitions, including its $9.6 billion acquisition of Digital Electronics; Joh. A. Benckiser on the $8.5 billion combination of two European consumer products companies, Benckiser and Reckitt & Colman; Deutsche Post, the German logistics company, on its acquisition of Air Express International, an international freight forwarder; and Sealed Air on its $5 billion acquisition of the packaging business of W.R. Grace. Other representations include Emerson Electric in the acquisition of Fisher Controls; the divestiture of Rosemount Aerospace, the spinoff of its defense business and a worldwide power tools joint venture with Robert Bosch GmbH; and a consortium including Comcast and TCI in connection with the acquisition of Storer Communications. He has also advised private equity clients on structuring and marketing private equity funds and making and disposing of private equity investments. He also acted as counsel in connection with recapitalizations of RJR Nabisco and Whittaker and public offerings by Anadarko, Compaq, Comcast and Freeport McMoRan.

Mr. Mayer joined Davis Polk in 1974 and became a partner in 1982. He was a member of the firm’s Management Committee from 1992 to 2005. He has also served as head of the firm’s Corporate Department. He graduated from Princeton University in 1968 and Columbia Law School in 1974.

Mr. Mayer is a trustee of the Bank Street College of Education and a chair of its Finance and Investment Committees.