Mary is a Member in Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Louisville office and has been with the firm since 2009. She is part of several practice groups at the firm, with a focus on Mergers & Acquisitions and serves as Chair of the Firm’s Business Development Committee. Mary also serves on the board of directors for the firm.
Honored as a Rising Star on the 2018 Kentucky Super Lawyers List for her work in her Mergers & Acquisitions practice, Mary has negotiated multimillion-dollar sales of businesses, in both stock and sales assets. In 2010, she assisted in drafting amendments to various Kentucky business entity statutes and the Kentucky Business Entity Filing Act.
Mergers & Acquisitions: Mary draws on her accomplished track record in representing both sellers and buyers in the negotiation and finalization of complex transactions involving the sale of companies and business assets. Depending on the nature of the deal, she considers regulatory, tax, contractual or other concerns.
Public Benefit Corporation Services: Mary’s familiarity with Kentucky’s Public Corporation statute and her work with Canopy (the Kentucky Public Benefit Corporation Association) allows her to help business clients determine if a public benefit election and/or certification is beneficial for their organizations.
Business Services: Beyond Mergers & Acquisitions, Mary assists clients with a broad range of business needs, including all types of contract review, drafting and negotiation, as well as entity formation. She represents local companies and major corporations across a variety of industries.
Corporate Finance & Lending: For financial institutions, commercial lenders and equity investors, Mary offers services that include documenting and negotiating loan originations and restructurings.
Real Estate: Many of the business transactions that Mary helps shepherd involve the acquisition, development and disposition of commercial real estate, as well as lease drafting and negotiating on behalf of both landlords and tenants.
Ambulance Certificates of Need: Mary has developed a niche in guiding local fire protection districts through the certificate of need application process to obtain authorization to provide ambulance services.
Recognition
• Kentucky Rising Stars® Honoree, 2017-2018
Work Highlights
Auto Dealership
Represented Kentucky auto dealership in the acquisition of an Indiana auto dealership. The $8.5 million transaction was structured as an asset purchase.
Related Practices: Mergers & Acquisitions
Food Industry
Represented seller in the negotiation and documentation of a $10 million asset sale of the client's chain of quick-service restaurants.
Related Practices: Alcohol & Hospitality, Mergers & Acquisitions
Tourist Attraction
Represented the sellers in the negotiation and documentation of a $16.4 million stock purchase sale of a major tourist attraction.
Related Practices: Mergers & Acquisitions
Manufacturing
Represented Canadian seller in the negotiation and documentation of a $13.5 million asset sale of the client's Kentucky manufacturing business.
Related Practices: Mergers & Acquisitions
Sale of California-based Wine Business
Represented a major wine and spirits corporation in the sale of its Hopland, California-based wine brands to another business based in Santiago, Chile. The $238 million transaction was structured as a stock purchase.
Related Practices: Business Services, Labor, Employment & Employee Benefits, Mergers & Acquisitions, Intellectual Property
Acquisition of Aggregate Processing & Handling Business
Represented a holding company in its acquisition of a business that designs, fabricates, installs and maintains aggregate processing and handling equipment.
Related Practices: Business Services, Mergers & Acquisitions
News
SKO Members appointed to ALFA International Leadership Roles, Sep. 21, 2020
Becoming a B Corp Benefits More Than the Greater Community, June 28, 2017
Five SKO Attorneys Recognized Among Top 50 Kentucky Super Lawyers, Nov. 18, 2016
SKO Elevates Nine Attorneys to Member Status, Feb. 25, 2016
SKO Attorney Mary Garris Chair-Elect of the KBA Business Law Section, June 27, 2011
Brown-Forman to Sell Fetzer Vineyards and Related Assets to Viña Concha y Toro S.A., Mar. 2, 2011
Five New Attorneys Join Stoll Keenon Ogden, Oct. 26, 2009
Publications
Becoming a Kentucky-Based Benefit Corp, Mar. 15, 2017
Are You Certifiable?, Nov. 11, 2016
Adverse Domination—Tolling the Statute of Limitations in Kentucky Business Organizations (Part I & Part II), Mar. 1, 2011
Affiliations
• Kentucky Bar Association
• Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Board Member; Executive Committee, Secretary
• StageOne, Board Member, 2018 - 2021
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
