Hays will be the first woman chair to lead the nearly 200-attorney mid-Atlantic firm
HADDONFIELD, NJ (June 3, 2019) — Archer & Greiner is pleased to announce that Deborah A. Hays has been appointed Chair of the firm’s Board of Directors. As the firm’s first female attorney to assume the role of Chair, Hays will begin her five-year term on October 1, 2019. She succeeds James H. Carll, who has led Archer’s Board of Directors for the past 17 years and will continue to focus on his practice where he advises businesses and institutions on the many issues facing corporations in the 21st century.
“We would like to thank Jim for his exemplary service and devotion over the past two decades,” said Chris Gibson, President of Archer & Greiner. “Jim has made exceptional contributions through his vision and business acumen to our board, and we are thrilled Debbie will be taking the helm to expand Archer’s presence and success in the region.”
Gibson also noted that together with Stacey Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer, two thirds of Archer’s senior leadership are now women lawyers. “We believe this again shows that we are strongly committed to diversity and no limits are placed on what our attorneys can achieve.”
Hays has been with the firm since 1987 and has served on the firm’s Board of Directors for five years. She has more than 25 years of business-transactions experience representing established companies and financial institutions, from small local businesses to large international corporations (both privately-held and public), as well as startup and development-stage enterprises. She has a particular expertise in the areas of business financing, securities offerings and compliance, director advisory services, M&As, and technology transfer and licensing.
In this appointment, Hays will work closely with Chris Gibson, the governing board and firm partners to provide oversight and leadership to Archer’s strategic and operational priorities.
“This is a tremendous honor and true privilege,” Hays said. “I am committed to driving our firm’s advancement into the next generation and thrilled to work alongside our talented group of attorneys to provide high-quality and results-driven services so Archer can sustain another 90 years of success and prominence in the legal industry.”
Mr. Carll stated: “It has been an honor to serve Archer during a period of growth, as we have more than doubled in size over my tenure. I’m also proud to see Debbie, with whom I have worked closely for many years, follow me as Chair. She will be a tremendous asset for the firm.”
Archer also announced that it has formed an Office of the President, tasked with setting and driving the strategic direction of the Firm. Joining Gibson, Hays, Sinclair and Carll in the Office of the President is Marc Rollo, chair of Archer’s Environmental Law Department and its Petroleum Industry Practices Group. Mr. Rollo served for five years as chair of the firm’s Finance Committee and currently serves as chair of its Business Development Committee.