Exhibit 5.1
ELLENOFF GROSSMAN & SCHOLE LLP
1345 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10105
TELEPHONE: (212)370-1300
FACSIMILE: (212)370-7889
www.egsllp.com
January 26, 2018
Forum Merger Corporation
135 East 57th Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10022
| Re: | Registration Statement on FormS-4 (File No. 333-221848) |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special counsel to Forum Merger Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 30, 2017 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, FMC Merger Subsidiary Corp., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, FMC Merger Subsidiary LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, C1 Investment Corp., a Delaware corporation, and Clearlake Capital Management III, L.P., in its capacity as the seller representative.
This opinion is being rendered at the request of the Company in connection with the registration by the Company under the above-referenced Registration Statement (together with all amendments thereto as of the date hereof, the “Registration Statement”) filed by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of up to 66,971,153 shares of Common Stock to be issued by the Company pursuant to the Merger Agreement (the “Shares”).
We have examined such documents and considered such legal matters as we have deemed necessary and relevant as the basis for the opinions hereinafter set forth below. With respect to such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as reproduced or certified copies, and the authenticity of the originals of those latter documents. As to all questions of fact material to these opinions, we have, to the extent deemed appropriate, relied upon certain representations of certain officers and employees of the Company.
In connection with the opinions expressed below, we have assumed that, at and prior to the time of the issuance and delivery of any securities by the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement, (i) the Registration Statement has been declared effective and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings with respect thereto have been commenced or threatened, (ii) the business combination and transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and Registration Statement will be consummated in accordance with the terms of the documents pertaining hereto, without any waiver or breach of any material terms or provisions thereof, and that such transactions will be effective under applicable law and (iii) the stockholders of the Company will have approved the Merger Agreement and the other proposals set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus included in the Registration Statement, which are to be presented and voted upon at the meeting as set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus included in the Registration Statement.
Based on the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued in the manner and on the terms described in the Registration Statement and the Merger Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.