J. Lee Lloyd

Lee Lloyd’s law practice is concentrated in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing transactions, entrepreneurial/venture law and corporate governance matters. With a professional background in business law, investment banking and accounting, Lee helps clients navigate the entire spectrum of legal, financial, tax and strategic business considerations that go into successfully negotiating and structuring complex business transactions. Recognized in "The Best Lawyers in America" in the areas of Corporate Law and Venture Law, he has advised clients on transactions ranging from $5 million to $4 billion, including cross-border transactions in over 24 countries.

Prior to joining Brooks Pierce, Lee worked as an investment banker in the mergers and acquisitions group of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York and as the founder and Managing Director of Lloyd & Company, a boutique investment banking firm in Greensboro and Charlotte, NC. He began his professional career as a certified public accountant in the tax group of Arthur Andersen & Co.

Bringing clients the benefits of his multi-disciplinary experience, Lee provides strategic advice in connection with merger and acquisition transactions, private equity and venture capital investments, senior, mezzanine and subordinated debt financings, shareholder disputes, and public-private partnerships including the development, financing and management of sports stadiums, a university research park and a nanotechnology research consortium.

Lee has served as an active volunteer leading numerous entrepreneurship initiatives in North Carolina and the Piedmont Triad region. His practice includes advising start-ups, early-stage and emerging growth companies on legal and financial aspects of capital-raising, technology licensing agreements and strategic alliances. He also is regularly engaged as an expert consultant in transaction-related complex litigation matters.

Lee publishes a microblog on Twitter with commentary on current M&A, legal, finance and entrepreneurship topics @JLeeLloyd. He also created and curates The M&A Daily, an online newspaper updated daily with a selection of deal-related articles, blog posts and videos shared on Twitter by leading M&A journalists, dealmakers and commentators.

Representative Clients and Transactions

Over the course of his career, Lee has provided strategic advice and negotiated significant transactions for a broad range of publicly-held and privately-held companies and their owners, including Waste Industries USA, Dell Computer, the National Football League, the ESPRIT apparel companies, Patagonia, Einstein/Noah Bagels, leading franchisees of Bojangles and Waffle House restaurants, Gateway University Research Park, Russell Athletic, Verizon, 3M Company, Unilever, West Point-Pepperell and Kindermusik International.

Selected recent transactions include:

• Surpass Medical, Ltd. in the sale of its neurovascular medical device business to Stryker Corporation for $100 million plus up to an additional $35 million in milestone payments
• Community Health, Inc. and its Community Hospice affiliates in the sale of its hospice services business to Curo Health Services, a portfolio company of GTCR
• Legal Tech Holdings LLC and its subsidiary, LT Court Tech LLC, in the sale of its court system case management software business to Thomson Reuters
• Carolina Veterinary Specialists, P.A. in the sale of its specialty veterinarian services business and hospitals to an affiliate of Catterton Partners
• Coble Trench Safety, Inc. in the sale of its construction safety equipment business to United Rentals (North America), Inc.
• Confiance IP Solutions, Inc. in the sale of its information technology systems consulting business to Onepath Systems, LLC, a portfolio company of Trivest Partners
• Environmental Air Systems, Inc. in the sale of a 60% stake in its mechanical and specialty HVAC construction business as part of a strategic partnership with Comfort Systems USA, Inc.
• Keystone Partners, LLC in the sale of its commercial real estate services business to Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc.
• Slugger Partners, L.P. in the sale of its Kinston Indians Class A Carolina League baseball franchise to Carolina Mudcats Professional Baseball Club, Inc.
• Global Value Commerce, Inc. in the financing of its new and pre-owned golf equipment online retail business through a subordinated debt/warrant investment of $7,500,000 by Plexus Fund II, L.P.  
• Majority Shareholders and Senior Management Team of Waste Industries USA, Inc. in their partnership with Goldman Sachs and Macquarie Bank to take the company private in a $544 million management buyout
• Gateway University Research Park, Inc. in a variety of corporate and regulatory matters involving the formation, development, financing and management of its two research campuses, including the $64 million COPs-funded facility for the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering

Professional Activities

• Rand McNally & Company - Independent Director and member of the Audit Committee/Board of Directors, 2003-2007
• MIT-RCF, LLC - Independent Director/Board of Directors, 2011-present
• Geneva Group International Inc. (GGI) - Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group, 2011-present; Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group North American Regional Co-Chairperson, 2013-present
• Piedmont Angel Network - Founding member and investor, 2001-present
• American Bar Association - Business Law Section, 2002-present; Mergers and Acquisitions Committee, 2012-present
• North Carolina Bar Association - Business Law Section, 2002-present
• Greensboro Bar Association - Business Law Section, 2002-present

Community Activities

• Action Greensboro - Chairman, 2012-present; member of the Operating Group/Core Committee, 2001-present; Co-Chairman of the Task Force on Entrepreneurism and Small Business Development, 2001-2004
• Greensboro Partnership – Board of Directors and Executive Committee, 2004-2008 and 2012-present
• United Way of Greater Greensboro - Chairman and Chief Volunteer Officer, 2001-2002; Board of Directors, 1995-2003
• Opportunity Greensboro: A Business and Collegiate Partnership - Founding member of the Leadership Team, 2010-present
• Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network (PTEN) - Founding member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee,  2004-2006
• Triad Entrepreneurial Initiative (TEI) - Co-Chairman and founding member of the Board of Directors, 2001-2004
• Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro - Board of Directors and Executive Committee, 2003-2005
• Greensboro Symphony Endowment Fund - Board of Trustees, 2010-present
• UNC Law Foundation, Chairman, 2001-2004; Board of Directors, 1991-2007
• Council for Entrepreneurial Law at the UNC School of Law - Chairman, 2000-2007
• Leadership Greensboro Alumni Association, 1993-present
• Greensboro Other Voices Alumni Association, 1998-present

Seminars and Speaking Engagements

• "Growth and Exit Strategies Roundtable," Client Seminar by Brooks Pierce, Dixon Hughes Goodman, US Trust, Wells Fargo and Huron Capital, May 21, 2013
• "Purchase Price Adjustments and Earn-Outs in M&A Transactions," GGI Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group Meeting, GGI North American Conference, San Francisco, CA, May 10, 2013
• "Current Status of and Outlook for Merger and Acquisition Activity in 2013," LFA Business Law Community Webinar, April 17, 2013
• "Preparing for a Successful Exit," Client Seminar by Brooks Pierce and DMJ, October 2, 2012

Publications

The M&A Daily is an online newspaper, curated and updated daily with a selection of deal-related articles, blog posts and videos shared on Twitter by leading M&A journalists, dealmakers and commentators. Readers may sign up for a free subscription and receive each issue via email. Readers also are invited to contribute deal-related content by using the "#mergers" hash tag on tweets with relevant links or by emailing contributions directly to Lee.

News

• Lee Lloyd Featured in M&A Article, Triad Business Journal