William Scott Ortwein

• Represented Sally Beauty, the leading distributor of beauty supplies in North America, in four secondary offerings of common stock by one of the world’s leading private equity funds with proceeds of approximately $2 billion and public debt offerings by the company of more than $5 billion.
• Represented Graphic Packaging, a leading provider of paperboard packaging, in its $6 billion combination with International Paper’s consumer products business and its $1.8 billion acquisition of Altivity Packaging, a portfolio company of one of the world’s leading private equity funds.
• Represented Graphic Packaging in numerous other acquisitions and dispositions with consideration exceeding $3 billion, multiple public debt offerings with proceeds totaling more than $8 billion, and multiple primary and secondary offerings of common stock with aggregate proceeds of more than $2.5 billion.
• Represented leading international investment banks in several public offerings of debt securities and related debt tender offers by The Coca-Cola Company totaling more than $100 billion.
• Represented Silverpop, a leader in pinpoint marketing messaging, in its sale to IBM.
• Counsel to the world’s largest and best-known home improvement retailer in public offerings of debt securities exceeding $30 billion.
• Represented Gold Kist, the third-largest integrated chicken company in the U.S., in several transactions, including its defense of a hostile takeover and subsequent negotiated sale for $1.25 billion, a $200 million 144A debt offering, and its $600 million conversion/recapitalization from a cooperative to a for-profit company and related $150 million initial public offering of common stock.
• Represented GMS Inc. in a public offering by its private equity sponsor, AEA Investors, of common stock with proceeds totaling $185 million and in a public debt offering for $350 million.
• Represented Mohawk Industries, the largest floor covering company in the world, in its $1.7 billion acquisition of a leading producer of ceramic tile and related $700 million 144A debt financing.
• Represented AuthenTec, a leading provider of fingerprint security and identity solutions, in four acquisitions, its defense of a hostile takeover, and its $360 million sale to Apple.

Scott Ortwein concentrates his practice in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He advises boards of directors and committees of boards in their consideration of extraordinary corporate transactions and significant corporate governance matters, including activist shareholder concerns. He has represented more than 100 public companies in a variety of industries in corporate governance, securities compliance, public and private securities offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. Specifically, Scott has represented public and private companies and investment banks in public equity and debt securities offerings and public and private company mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions with consideration of more than $200 billion.

The Best Lawyers in America^© named Scott the Atlanta “Lawyer of the Year” for Securities/Capital Markets in 2014, 2016, 2020, and 2024. He is recognized as a leading corporate attorney by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America^© in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities/Capital Markets practice areas and was recently named a Client Service All-Star by The BTI Consulting Group.

Scott is a former member of the firm’s Management Committee and recent co-leader of Alston & Bird’s global Corporate Department, which includes its Corporate & Securities, Finance, Financial Services & Products, Health Care, and Real Estate Groups.

Scott received his M.B.A. and J.D. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his B.A. in Latin and economics from University of the South.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia

Education

• The University of North Carolina (J.D., 1994)
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (M.B.A., 1994)
• University of the South (B.A., 1991)