Securities

Alston & Bird has one of the most active and sophisticated securities practices in the United States.  We represent issuers and underwriters in public and private securities transactions across a wide range of industries.  We also represent over 75 public companies in connection with securities matters generally, providing them the most current advice on disclosure and corporate governance matters, corporate and securities regulatory issues and transactional structuring.  Our securities lawyers have a broad base of experience representing public company clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startup community banks.

EXPERIENCE

In the past five years, we have completed over 150 public and 144A offerings with an aggregate value in excess of $50 billion.  For 2006 and 2007, we ranked 5th in the U.S. based on the aggregate value of IPOs completed as issuer’s counsel.  The range of our securities expertise is evidenced by the following recent transactions:

• Represented Gold Kist, Inc., in its $550 million conversion from a non-profit agricultural cooperative to a for-profit corporation and simultaneous $150 million IPO
• Represented American Honda Finance Corporation in its $25 billion U.S. and European medium term note programs and its $1.26 billion public offering of asset backed notes
• Represented Mohawk Industries in a $1.4 billion public note offering
• Represented Goldman Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., and Bank of America Securities in four global public offerings of debt securities by The Coca-Cola Company aggregating $3 billion principal amount
• Represented Post Properties, Inc.’s board of directors in successfully defending a hostile proxy fight by founder John A. Williams
• Represented Wells Real Estate Investment Trust II, Inc., in a $7.7 billion IPO, the third largest IPO in U.S. history at the time
• Represented Duke Realty Corporation in over $2 billion of public and private securities offerings

WHY ALSTON & BIRD?

We have over 75 attorneys who regularly advise clients on securities matters. The large number and wide variety of securities transactions we have completed, the multitude of day-to-day securities issues we have handled and the diversity of industries in which we have worked attest to the fact that there are few securities issues that we haven’t seen.  And unlike most law firms, we are equally equipped to handle the most sophisticated offerings and other securities transactions, as well as the daily securities needs of our public company clients.  We also have particular insight into many of the securities rules and regulations through members of our firm who have served at the highest levels of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including as chief of the SEC’s Office of Mergers and Acquisitions and as Deputy Chief Counsel of the Division of Corporation Finance.