Kenneth J. Zinghini

Ken Zinghini is a Partner in Martin’s Business and Corporate practice group. He concentrates on advising companies, owners and investors on a broad range of business and transactional topics, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, joint ventures, securities, and other corporate and commercial transactions. Ken also advises a variety of clients on the new qualified opportunity zones tax law, including matters related to qualified opportunity fund (QOF) formation and QOF investments in real estate, infrastructure projects, and operating companies organized as qualified opportunity zone businesses (QOZBs).

Prior to joining our firm, Ken was a senior member of the in-house legal teams of a Fortune 500 conglomerate holding company and a high-growth competitive telecom, data and media company, both headquartered in New York City. In those roles, he was responsible for supervision and oversight of virtually every legal aspect of the companies’ operations. As these companies operated and invested in verticals ranging from oil and gas exploration, offshore drilling, and midstream energy, including transportation and storage of natural gas and liquids, to hospitality, manufacturing, property casualty insurance, telecom, data and online media, his legal track record is exceptionally diverse. This versatility makes him an invaluable advisor to clients across industries and encountering a range of novel legal challenges. Before going in-house, Ken spent 8 years in private corporate legal practice in New York City.

Ken’s extensive in-house experience means that he has an intimate, firsthand understanding of the challenges his clients deal with and the priorities that are most important to company owners and managers. More specifically, he is keenly aware that legal decisions and strategy do not operate in a vacuum but are closely connected to the business behind them – he knows both. His client-side history means he is well-versed in the identification of key issues and avoids the all-too-common trap of over-lawyering.

Ken’s capabilities fall into two main categories. First, he has overseen numerous transactions involving public and private companies in many industries, including acquisitions, divestitures, equity and debt financings, restructurings, and joint ventures. Second, he has advised senior management on the full range of non-transactional legal issues facing businesses, such as commercial contract negotiations, compliance (including regulatory compliance), corporate governance, executive compensation, related-party transactions, and matters relating to control and ownership of businesses. Ken also has a background in providing these services to clients as an outsourced General Counsel.

It has often been observed that there is no teacher like experience, and nowhere is this truer than in corporate law. Ken brings a unique, enormously valuable background to his work — a singular combination of hands-on experience both as a senior-level client and as a practitioner. His integration of judgment, practicality, decisiveness, and focus makes him a major legal asset for the companies he counsels.

In his free time, Ken enjoys travel, wine, reading, and the New York Times crossword puzzle. He’s a golfer, tennis player, has completed several triathlons, and coached many youth sports teams in soccer, baseball, softball, and basketball. He has two children who, like him, have grown up to be avid New York Mets fans.

Admissions

Connecticut
New York

Areas of Practice

Corporate
Mergers & Acquisitions
Corporate Finance
Growth Companies
Joint Ventures
Qualified Opportunity Zone Investments