Deborah A. Hays

Debbie’s practice is focused on complex business transactions and she has more than 30 years’ experience representing established companies and financial institutions, from small, local businesses to large international corporations (both privately-held and public), as well as start-up and development stage enterprises. Debbie has extensive experience in the areas of business financing, securities offerings and compliance, director advisory services, mergers and acquisitions, and technology transfer and licensing. Debbie has served as Chair of the firm’s Corporate Group since 2013. She has also served as Chair of the firm’s Board of Directors since October 1, 2019.

Debbie provides her business clients with general representation in such areas as entity formation, risk management/mitigation, corporate governance, corporate reorganizations and dissolution.  In addition, she has a strong financing background, with experience in a broad array of  transactions, both debt and equity, including public offerings, private placements, institutional lending (on behalf of both lenders and borrowers), venture capital, asset securitizations, and sale/leaseback transactions. These financings have included numerous transactions with a size of $100 million or more.

Debbie routinely represents clients, including companies, owners, buyers, sellers and executives, in merger and acquisition transactions such as asset purchases, stock purchases, joint ventures and strategic alliances. Her experience includes transactions involving public companies, private equity firms, financially distressed sellers, intellectual property assets, Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust compliance, assets located outside of the United States and complex licensing and regulatory issues. Debbie has particular expertise with M&A transactions in the home health care, automobile dealership, vehicle fleet management, and consumer products industries.

Debbie routinely assists clients across diverse industries with respect to contract preparation, review and negotiation. These types of contracts include procurement, vendor, professional services, supply, licensing and distribution agreements, as well as trade secret, confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements intended to protect proprietary business information and relationships.

Debbie also has considerable knowledge and practical experience in the securities law and director counseling/advisory services areas. This experience includes representation of issuers in initial and secondary public offerings, and representation of issuers and investors in numerous private placements of securities.  Debbie has also advised public companies, boards of directors of public companies, and individual directors and officers of public companies on myriad issues involving compliance with the requirements of various federal and state securities laws.

Debbie also has considerable knowledge and practical experience in the securities law and director counseling/advisory services areas.  This experience includes representation of issuers in initial and secondary public offerings, and representation of issuers and investors in numerous private placements of securities. Debbie has also advised public companies, boards of directors of public companies, and individual directors and officers of public companies on myriad issues involving compliance with the requirements of various federal and state securities laws.