David Melloh, Taft

Partner, Taft

Dave Melloh is a partner and chair of the Health Care and Life Sciences practice group in Taft’s Minneapolis office. His practice primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring and regulatory counseling.

Melloh has 30 years in health care law and serves as primary outside counsel for several health systems, providing strategic transactions.

His experience has led him to advised Minnesota’s health system on multiple hospital and physician acquisitions, including a 150-physician multi-specialty group. Similarly, the represented a 120-physician multi-specialty group in its acquisition by Minnesota hospital system.

Mellow also serves as general counsel to one of the largest independent dentistry practices in the U.S.

What are the biggest challenges you currently see in the M&A world?

Practically, most of the current challenges are the same as always, such as the emotional attachment of sellers — and overvalue assigned — to the target business.

Without revealing the names of a client, what is the most interesting transaction you’ve worked on lately?

One of the most interesting transactions I’ve recently worked on involved a complex recapitalization of a 50-location medical practice, in which the founder had already attracted external minority investment.

How do you manage work/life balance?

It is a constant challenge, with an extremely busy household; not sure I have achieved “manage” status yet.

What is one thing you would change about Minnesota if you could?

February.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I drove a shuttle bus at Methodist Hospital — but not recently.