Brian is a business lawyer with over 20 years experience in assisting
clients with corporate finance transactions, mergers & acquisitions,
reorganizations and SEC matters.
In the corporate finance area, Brian has worked with publicly-traded and privately-held businesses in accessing sources of capital and in structuring, negotiating, documenting and closing the resulting transactions. Brian's experience in capital finance has ranged from working with early-stage companies seeking venture financing, to more mature companies conducting private placements and public offerings.
Brian's practice in mergers & acquisitions has involved counseling companies through the acquisition or sale process in stock and asset-based transactions. Brian has served as lead counsel on mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies, corporate reorganizations and corporate takeovers and proxy battles.
Brian has advised public companies regarding securities regulation and SEC enforcement actions, handled executive compensation and corporate governance matters; counseled private investment companies and brokers/dealers on regulatory matters and transactions, negotiated executive employment arrangements and terminations, handled commercial banking transactions and settled corporate litigation.
Brian has served on boards of directors of public companies, has served as independent counsel to NYSE and NASDAQ companies in connection with internal and SEC investigations, and has worked as managing director of an investment banking firm. In representation of corporate clients, Brian generally has acted as advisor to management and boards of directors in assisting them to work through the applicable legal issues while achieving their business objectives.
Brian received his B.S. from Yale University (1971), and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law (magna cum laude, 1978), where he ranked first in his class of 272 students and served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Miami Law Review.
Brian is a member of The Florida Bar, the American Bar Association, and the American Bar Association Federal Regulation of Securities Committee.
Brian can be reached at bf@atkinson-diner.com.