Biography

Rob Lesan co-leads the firm’s Business Representation & Transactions Group, bringing extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, private equity investment, divestitures, joint ventures, and general corporate governance. His practice includes both public and private sector transactions, with a particular focus on complex carve-outs and co-investments.

In the area of franchise law, Rob skillfully navigates franchisors and franchisees through compliance with the FTC Franchise Rule and state-specific franchise disclosure, termination, and related regulations.

Additionally, Rob is a recognized leader in technology transactions. He represents numerous technology focused clients and cloud service providers, negotiating critical technology contracts and orchestrating major technology transactions that drive industry innovation and growth.  He also co-chairs the firm’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Team, providing strategic advice on a range of technology transactions from traditional software licensing to the structuring of sophisticated cloud services offerings.

Rob’s role extends beyond transactional and technology matters as he frequently serves in an “outside general counsel” capacity to key firm clients, including portfolio companies involved in private equity investments, where he delivers insightful guidance on day-to-day compliance matters, negotiation and drafting of operational contracts, and corporate restructuring.

Representative Work

Represented AtriCure, Inc. in connection with its acquisition of nContact, Inc. for approximately $100 million in cash and stock.

Represented Belcan Corporation in connection with its acquisition by AE Industrial Partners for an undisclosed amount.

Represented Great American Financial Resources, Inc., a subsidiary of American Financial Group, Inc., in connection with the divestiture of its long term care and medical supplemental insurance businesses.

Represented AtriCure, Inc. in connection with its acquisition of Endoscopic Technologies, Inc. for up to $60 million in cash and stock.

Professional and Community Involvement

Cincinnati Bar Association

Ohio State Bar Association

J. Reuben Clark Law Society

Kenzie's Closet, Board Member

PreventionFIRST!, Board of Trustees and Executive Committee

Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers, Class XVIII (2013), Fellow

Awards & Recognition

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2024-2025

Named to Ohio Leading Lawyers, 2024

Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, 2024

Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers ,"Up and Coming", 2021-2022

Named to Ohio Rising Stars

  • 2024 Rob Lesan Chambers
  • Best Lawyers (Don't Delete)

News & Resources

News

Speaking Engagements

Blogs

Blog Posts

Spotlight

Spotlight

What was your first job?
My parents owned Hallmark and American Greetings card and gift stores when I was growing up, and I started working there part-time when I was 12. It was a good experience in customer service and I can still hear my dad coaching me on the way to work with his favorite bit of wisdom: “the customer is always right.”

When I was 15 I somehow convinced my parents to help me start an Internet Service Provider Business. This was in the early days of the Internet, when the only way to get online was through a dial-up connection. We started with four phone lines in a basement office and grew to 120 phone lines in a small office. I was responsible for keeping the network running as well as customer support (after school, of course). We ended up with a few full time employees that were willing to report to a high school student and grew to several thousand customers. Needless to say it was a fantastic learning experience and certainly quite humbling to have parents willing to take that kind of risk on what started as a product of my overactive imagination.

How did you meet your significant other?
Holly and I met at BYU Law School. She had travelled the world and finished a graduate degree from Columbia in Medieval History. I had just returned from a two-year church mission to Hong Kong. We ended up in the same “small section” which just meant that we had every class together for the first year. It was fortuitous, as it gave me plenty of time to try to catch her eye! I’m not sure it was love at first sight for her (who can blame her?) but eventually I grew on her. I’m glad she was willing to follow me home to Cincinnati, and now we’ve got four kids that are all born and raised in Ohio.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday/Sunday?
Saturday is the one day a week I have to get all of the home chores done. It generally starts with a long bike ride down the Loveland Trail, followed by some combination of house cleaning, yard work, or whatever project my wife has come up with for me. 

Sunday may be the busiest day of the week, as for the last three years I have served in a volunteer leadership position in the local branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve got responsibility for seven congregations on the eastern side of Cincinnati all the way out to Maysville, Kentucky. It is something of a part-time job, as it can take anywhere from 30-40 hours a week, and typically all day on Sunday. I’ll often have some combination of meetings starting from early in the morning and ending in the early evening. It’s a labor of love, but it isn’t unusual to see me dragging a bit on Monday morning.

Admissions

  • Ohio

Education

J.D., J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, 2005, cum laude, Law Review

B.S., The Ohio State University, 2000, magna cum laude

Languages

  • Cantonese
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