Public
Companies
Jones Walker
represents more than half of the largest publicly traded companies based in the
New Orleans metropolitan area, and we represent most of those companies as
primary corporate and securities counsel. We also represent a number of public
companies headquartered elsewhere in Louisiana, Texas, and in other states. Our
attorneys handle public and private offerings of equity and debt securities,
mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing, takeover defense planning,
corporate governance matters, proxy contests, executive compensation, general
corporate matters, and compliance with federal and state securities laws and
the rules of national securities exchanges and markets.
Privately
Held Companies
Our corporate
attorneys serve as general counsel to many large private companies,
providing advice in a variety of areas. We represent both majority and minority
positions in shareholder disputes, and we represent both buyers and sellers of
privately held companies of all sizes. We regularly advise our clients
regarding organizational options, we have structured countless business
enterprises, and we have assisted many companies and investors in venture
capital and mezzanine financings.
Private
Equity & Venture Capital
We handle the
full range of transactional work for certain private equity funds, including
venture, leveraged buyout (LBO), accelerator, distressed debt, mezzanine, and
industry-specific funds involving public and private companies. Our work has
also included going-private transactions, acquisitions and dispositions of
subsidiaries, various acquisitions of businesses from entrepreneurs, roll-ups
of fragmented industries, sales of portfolio companies, and transactions
effected in bankruptcy proceedings.
Industry
Experience
Our attorneys
represent clients in a host of industries, including many highly regulated
industries. Our attorneys serve as principal corporate and securities counsel
to companies in such diverse industries as telecommunications; retailing;
banking; oil and gas exploration, development, and production; oilfield services;
mining; shipbuilding; marine transportation; construction; chemical production;
manufacturing; real estate development; pharmaceuticals; and death care. From
time to time, we also serve as principal securities law counsel to regional
investment banking firms. Our attorneys have substantial international business
law experience, including international mergers and acquisitions, the
formation of joint ventures, and licensing arrangements.
Public
Finance
Our reputation
for innovative strategies in the dynamic environment of public and project
finance makes us a leader in the area. We represent clients in numerous public
finance transactions and in state and local government tax-secured and revenue
bond issues as bond counsel, underwriters' counsel, special real estate
counsel, and/or special counsel to the issuer. We are proficient in securing
revenue bonds, tax exempt bond transactions, and related matters.
Our attorneys
serve as bond counsel, underwriters' counsel, or special counsel for many
transactions undertaken for the purpose of constructing, improving,
refinancing, or equipping various public projects and facilities, including
publicly owned infrastructure, tax-secured borrowings, colleges and
universities, manufacturing facilities, single- and multi-family housing
projects, hospitals and nursing homes, solid waste and wastewater facilities,
and student loan programs. Additionally, we provide opinions and draft
legislation related to public finance.
When we are
selected as counsel, we assist clients in legal proceedings leading to the
formation of issues; tax election matters; drafting ordinances, resolutions,
and notices for publication and supporting documentation; and reviewing
transcripts of legal proceedings leading to the issuance, sale, and delivery of
obligations.
In addition to
our core corporate law experience, we draw on our experience in our other
practice groups, including tax, intellectual property, securities, real estate,
antitrust, business and finance, labor and employment, environmental,
litigation, and healthcare, among others. We also have substantial experience
in all aspects of senior, mezzanine, high-yield, and structured debt
financings.
In addition to
control investments, we are experienced in advising clients in transactions involving
preferred equity, subordinated debt, and other types of securities, as well as
in formulating structures and provisions designed to protect the interest of
minority investors.
Our private
equity experience also includes representation of sponsors and institutional
investors, including trusts, foundations, universities, financial institutions,
pension plans, and other entities in the formation of and their primary and
secondary investments in private equity funds.
Debt
Financing
Jones Walker has
extensive experience in the area of debt financing, representing lenders,
borrowers, and funds. Our debt financing practice includes secured and
unsecured lending transactions; senior secured lending; mezzanine financing;
structured, asset-based, and cash flow loans; subordinated financings;
cross-border transactions; foreign debt restructurings; public and 144A debt
financings; and collateralized obligations, securitizations, and swaps.
