Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
-Winston Churchill
SUSAN M. WISSINK
Susan Wissink is passionate about helping her clients, learning about their businesses, and helping them reach their goals in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, entity formation, loans, and general corporate matters. In numerous complex transactions, this experienced business attorney has represented both buyers and sellers, including asset and stock-based acquisitions and sales, mergers and other business reorganizations. As a Phoenix-based business attorney, she assists her clients in forming new companies, strategic partnerships, commercial loans, general corporate matters and commercial health care matters.
Helping the victims of 9/11 with their legal needs after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York left a profound impression on Susan, and the experience instilled in her a lasting desire to provide pro bono services to those in need. Outside of her work as a sought-after business attorney, her favorite hobbies are spending time with her family, snow skiing, hiking, biking, and volunteering for local charities that help children or animals.
Education
- J.D., cum laude, Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
- B.A., English, Northwestern University
Areas Of Practice
Our business and finance attorneys represent national, regional and local clients participating in significant transactions.
Our business attorneys recognize and appreciate the value of entrepreneurship and innovation, and are committed to providing efficient, straightforward and business-oriented solutions that facilitate success and avoid pitfalls while recognizing early capital is precious and expensive.
Fennemore boasts a large and sophisticated client-focused Mergers and Acquisitions practice.
Our experienced agricultural attorneys provide a broad range of assistance to clients, both domestically and internationally, in many areas of agribusiness and agricultural law.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
- Health Care
Representative Cases
- Represented Fortune 500 company in numerous asset and stock acquisitions and dispositions, in general corporate and contract matters, and municipal bidding
- Represented private lender in numerous loans in the Southwestern United States
- Represented building technologies company in both disposition and acquisition of stock or assets
- Represented physician-group in sale of practice to large hospital
- Represented privately-held pharmaceuticals benefits manager in the sale of company to publicly-held company
- Represented automobile dealership companies in connection with purchasing and selling various dealerships in the southwestern United States
- Represented a private individual in the sale of a well-known recording studio in West Los Angeles, California
- Represented an Arizona-based company in the acquisition of the assets of a California company involved in the formulation and packaging of agricultural, home and garden, and industrial products
- Represented a physician-owned group in the surgical device business in combination with a national physician-owned business
- Represented physician and dental practices in admission of new partners, reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions
- Represented family-owned retail business in sale of all assets
Awards and Honors
- Best Lawyers in America®, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law, 2011-2025
- Chambers USA, Leading Lawyers for Business, 2011-2024
- Southwest Super Lawyers®, Business/Corporate, 2018-2023
- Women of Achievement Recipient, InBusiness Magazine, 2022
- Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona, AZ Big Media, 2020, 2022
- Southwest Super Lawyers®, Top 25 Women in Arizona, 2016-2018, 2020-2021
- Top 100 Lawyers, AZ Business Magazine, 2016 -2020
- Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2019
- Southwest Super Lawyers®, Mergers and Acquisitions, 2007-2008, 2012-2017
- Recipient of Top 50 Pro Bono Attorney Award, 2006
- Recipient of Volunteer Lawyers Program Award for “Operation Good Neighbor” (assistance to Hurricane Katrina victims), 2006
- Recipient of Arizona Business Journal “40 Under 40” Award and State Bar of Arizona Young Lawyer of the Year Award, 2004
- Recipient of “Star of the Quarter” award in 2005 and “Star of the Year” award in 2002 from the American Bar Association – Young Lawyers Division
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale-Hubbell
Articles and Presentations
- Featured, “SCG Legal Announces 2024 Board of Directors,” SCG Legal, October 1, 2023
- Featured, “Top 10 Most Influential Corporate/M&A Arizona Lawyers to Watch in 2023,” Business Today, July 21, 2023
- Featured, “Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2023,” AZ Big Media, January 19, 2023
- Featured, “Leadership & Achievement: Celebrating 2022 Women of Achievement,” inBusiness, September 2022
- Featured, “15 Valley Women Honored, Celebrating Giving Back to Our Community through Event Oct. 7,” inBusiness, August 16, 2022
- Podcast, “The Process of Hiring an Attorney with Susan Wissink,” Fenn.Talks Podcast, May 13, 2021
- Interview, “The Balance – or Blur – Of Being an Attorney Mom,” Fennemore Blog, May 6, 2021
- Interview, “Fennemore Craig Continues 135-year Legacy of Innovation and Growth,” ASU Now, September 16, 2020
- Interview, “What Sets Fennemore Craig Apart From Other Law Firms?” ASU Law, September 15, 2020
- Interview, “Car Safety,” Fox 10, May 1, 2018
- Speaker, “Key Current Topics and Questions From Four M&A Healthcare Experts,” Alliance Arizona Chapter, November 16, 2017
- Quoted, “Growing Economy Keeps Merger Legal Firms Busy,” Phoenix Business Journal, August 26, 2016
- Speaker, “ULI Arizona & DY Deep Dive Series: What’s the Endgame?” Urban Land Institute, April 2016
- Speaker, “Private Equity – Acquiring the Privately-Held Company,” ACC Private Equity Presentation, December 2015
- Speaker, “Workplace Violence Happens. How will you respond?” State Bar of Arizona
- Author, “Sarbanes-Oxley and Recent Pronouncements of the Securities and Exchange Commission,” Financial Executives Institute
- Speaker, “Sarbanes-Oxley Considerations for Privately-Held Companies”, Maricopa County Corporate Council Division
Professional and community activities
- Treasurer, Board of Directors, SGC Legal, 2025
- Chair, She Rise
- Former Member, Management Committee, Fennemore
- President, Fennemore Foundation
- Former Practice Group Leader of Business & Finance
- Member, SGC Legal Women in Law Taskforce
- Member, Northwestern University’s Alumni Admissions Council
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Board of Trustees and Past President, Childsplay
- Past Chair, Director, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, 2006-2015
- Member, P.A.N.D.A. (which raises money for Steele Children’s Research Center), Board President, 2010-2011
- Former Director, Arizona Humane Society, 2003-2012; Board Chair, 2008; Compassion with Fashion Chair, 2010
Admissions
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado