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Morgan Lewis

John A. Kober

Partner

john.kober@morganlewis.com

Dallas Phone +1.214.466.4105 Fax +1.214.466.4001

1717 Main St., Suite 3200//Dallas, TX 75201-7347//United States

Houston Phone +1.713.890.5000 Fax +1.713.890.5001

1000 Louisiana St., Suite 4000//Houston, TX 77002-5006//United States

John Kober is recognized for his depth of corporate and tax experience and family business experience including mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as well as his ability to address litigation matters. John has a primary focus working with closely-held family businesses guiding them through numerous corporate matters including legacy planning and liquidity transactions, as well as resolution of disputes involving the family business among its family members. John has built a reputation in being the family business owners’ trusted advisor, as well as their lawyer; and for his representation of companies owned by an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), board of directors of ESOP companies, and private equity and family offices purchasing an ESOP company.

John has an emphasis representing (i) highly successful family business owners with respect to all legal aspects arising out of the family business, the family, and the members of the board (including, the process of implementing legacy family business planning), (ii) family offices, private equity investors, and strategic buyers purchasing family owned companies and ESOP owned companies (which have a set of unique aspects); and (iii) board of directors of companies selling a family business enterprise  to a private equity or family office, or a company owned by an ESOP selling to private equity or family office. John has been instrumental in advising ESOP companies in setting up special purpose acquisition funds to make acquisitions similar to a family office. 

In addition to his M&A work, John is an established tax attorney and certified public accountant. John’s corporate and tax background enables him to effectively advise many family businesses, boards of directors of privately held companies, management groups, boards of directors of ESOP companies, and private equity groups throughout the United States on transactional matters and corporate governance. A unique nature of John’s practice is his litigation practice as he advises family businesses on family member shareholder disputes, and board of directors of ESOP companies on investigations and litigation involving the Department of Labor and ESOP employee disputes. 

John’s recent transactions include the sale of Ebby Halliday, Inc. (a family business) in its sale to HomeServices of America (one of the highest profile transactions in Texas), and the sale of Nation Safe Drivers (which was both a family business and an ESOP company) to BDT Capital.

John opened the Dallas office in September 2004, and was the managing partner of the Dallas office from September 2004 to September 2020; and the former leader of the corporate and business transactions practice in Texas. John lectures at local, regional and national conferences and writes extensively on family business and private equity transactions as well as on the proper uses of an ESOP in a family business. Frequent topics include private equity transactions involving the purchase of a family business enterprise, family business liquidity transactions, private equity transactions involving the purchase of an ESOP company, shareholder liquidity and ownership succession; and fiduciary duties of corporate boards of directors of privately held companies, as well as ESOP companies.

John currently is a board member of the Ebby Halliday Foundation, chairs the North Texas Family Firm Institute, and remains active in several professional organizations such as the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants Fort Worth Chapter.

 

Awards and Affiliations

Recognized, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Dallas, The Best Lawyers in America (2014–2020, 2022, 2023)

Recognized, Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly (2012)

Recognized, Labor and Employee Benefits, PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2008

Recognized, Who’s Who Legal: Texas (2008)

Recognized, The Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine (2005 and 2007)

Member, American Bar Association

Member, American Institute of CPAs

Member, Kansas Bar Association

Member, Texas Bar Association

Member, Tarrant County Bar Association

Member, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants

Member, Attorney-CPA Association

Member, Dallas Bar Association

Member, National and Southwest Chapter of the ESOP Association

Admissions

  • Texas
  • District of Columbia
  • Kansas
  • Nebraska
  • US District Court for the Northern District of Texas

Education

  • University of Missouri, 1984, LL.M.
  • Washburn University School of Law, 1982, J.D.
  • Kansas State University, 1980, B.S.

Sectors

  • Banking

Services

  • Capital Markets & Public Companies
  • Private Client
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Employee Stock Ownership Plans
  • Private Equity
  • ERISA Fiduciary Duty
  • Corporate, Finance & Investment Management
  • ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation

Regions

  • North America

Events

1/31/2018 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2018 Board Governance – Cybersecurity Symposium
11/10/2016 - The ESOP Association’s Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show 2016
5/19/2016 - ESOP Association 39th Annual Conference
4/12/2016 - NCEO 2016 Employee Ownership Conference
3/11/2016 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2016 Spring Conference
11/12/2015 - The ESOP Association’s Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show 2015
5/7/2015 - ESOP Association 38th Annual Conference
11/13/2014 - The ESOP Association’s Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show 2014
11/7/2013 - The ESOP Association’s Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show 2013
8/9/2012 - CPA Tax Institute 2012
12/6/2011 - Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants' 3rd Annual Southwest Tax Conference

Publications

12/19/2022 - What Private Equity and Family Office Groups Should Know About Purchasing a Company Owned by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, The Texas Lawbook
9/14/2022 - What Directors Should Know About Selling a Company Owned by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Private Company Director
5/6/2013 - Court Upholds Validity of ERISA Fiduciary Indemnification
10/10/2012 - The Modern ESOP and Fair Market Value After the End of Tax Cuts, Bloomberg BNA's Pension & Benefits Daily
5/3/2011 - Executive Compensation, presented at the BDO Seidman Alliance Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada