Jay Watkins

John (Jay) Watkins is a Partner in our Corporate Practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital and debt and growth equity transactions, particularly as counsel to private equity funds, technology and healthcare companies and other growing businesses. With his extensive experience and knowledge of a wide range of transactions, Mr. Watkins has successfully completed transactions for companies in all stages of development, from startups to emerging companies to large public companies.

In addition, Mr. Watkins regularly advises company boards of directors and management on the governance and regulation of corporations, LLC's, REITs and other business entities and in regard to compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulatory requirements.

Representative Experience

Selected Private Equity Matters

• Company counsel in a platform acquisition sponsored by a middle-market healthcare-focused private equity fund and in the equity offering by the platform company to institutional investors;
• A private equity fund portfolio company in its acquisition of a healthcare data analytics company and in several bolt-on acquisitions;
• A private equity portfolio company in its leveraged recapitalization and payment of special dividend to shareholders;
• A private equity fund platform company in its acquisition of several companies in the testing, inspection and certification space and the issuance of roll-over equity to the shareholders of the target companies;
• A leading Florida-based ophthalmology physician practice/surgery center in its sale to a private equity fund;
• A private equity backed leading national fertility network in numerous physician practice acquisitions;
• A performance support and education software company in connection with its growth equity investment by its founders and a private equity fund;
• A New York-based family office in connection with its growth equity investment in a national luxury resort-wear retailer and several tuck-in acquisitions; and
• A leading DC-based healthcare advisory company in connection with receiving a substantial minority investment from a private equity firm.

Selected Merger and Acquisition Matters

• A large national dental care company in its acquisition of a publicly-held provider of dental insurance;
• A NYSE-listed international media and market research company in various acquisitions, including the acquisition of a Finland-based mobile audience measurement and analytics company and the acquisition of a media and Internet audience measurement company;
• A Fortune 500 company in several major growth acquisitions in the science and technology industries; and
• A NYSE-listed asset manager in its acquisitions of several regional asset managers and the spin-off of its private equity business to management.