Jeff Woodward is a member of the Business & Corporate Services Group in the Atlanta office where he represents privately held companies and investors in a variety of corporate transactional matters, including private equity finance, angel investments, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder-buy-outs, and strategic partnerships. Acting as outside general counsel, he helps manage contracts, compliance and legal affairs for a number of small and mid-sized Georgia companies. He also advises franchisors and franchisees with respect to the development, sales and acquisition of franchise systems and units, primarily in the food and beverage industry.
Jeff is active in the social venture movement, representing a number of social entrepreneurs, B-corps and investors in social enterprise. In addition, he has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit legal community advising private foundations, charities and schools, business and trade organizations, social clubs and fraternities. He has counseled non-profit and social venture boards on governance-related issues, and has been actively involved in structuring for-profit subsidiaries and real estate investments for tax-exempt organizations, including the use of low-income housing and other related tax-credits.
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
· "B Corps - A Movement to Redefine Success in Business," womenetics, February 8, 2012
· Presentation: "Building Your Social Enterprise: Business Models and Planning," Enterprise to Empower Conference, Georgia Tech, October, 2010
· Moderator: "Entrepreneurs: From Passion to Profit - Panel, "Ready, Set, Lift Off," Womenetics Conference, Atlanta, GA, September, 2010
· "Financing Non-Profits," Guest Lecture with Professor Susan Hogan, Goizueta School of Business, Emory University, September, 2010
· Webinar: Co-presented "An Introduction to L3C's: Low Profit Limited Liability Companiesm" Lorman Education Services, April, 2010
· "Looking Beyond Profits," by Mary Welch (quoting Jeff Woodward), Womenetics, June 27, 2010
Before Stites & Harbison
Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Mr. Woodward was a Partner with Foltz Martin, LLC, in Atlanta from 1999 to 2008. Before that, he was with Holland & Knight in Atlanta, and Jones Day in Atlanta and London. Before law school, Jeff worked in Washington D.C. for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (NY) and Senator John Glenn (OH).
More Than Stites & Harbison
Jeff is active in the promotion of social enterprise and a variety of community organizations. Currently, he serves as Vice Chair of Village Capital, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting seed-stage social entrepreneurs through peer support programs; he also serves on the board of the Wesley Foundation at Georgia Tech. From 2005-2009, Mr. Woodward served on the board of The Edge Connection, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing micro-enterprise training to low-to-moderate income entrepreneurs. He was also the founder and chairman of Community Redevelopment, Inc., a non-profit affordable housing organization, and the founder and prior chairman of the Atlanta Community Toolbank, a non-profit tool and materials distribution company serving hundreds of Atlanta area non-profit organizations.
Memberships
American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development
Atlanta Bar Association
State Bar of Georgia, Nonprofit Corporation Committee
Technology Association of Georgia
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE)
Entrepreneur Advisors
International Franchise Association
Georgia Center for Nonprofits
Net Impact
Independent Sector
Community Involvement
Village Capital, Vice Chair
Wesley Foundation, Board of Directors
Industry Experience
Restaurants / Food Services
Entrepreneurism
Venture Capital / Private Equity
Not For Profit & Professional / Trade Organizations
Technology / Hardware / Software
News
B Corps - A Movement to Redefine Success in Business