Bar Admissions

North Carolina

Education

Yale University, J.D., 1995, Editor-in-Chief; Yale Journal of International Law, 1994-95

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., with honors and highest distinction, 1992, Phi Beta Kappa

Profile

Laurie Smith Helms brings a broad range of experience to facilitate clients' corporate ventures. Her practice currently focuses on mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries and on joint ventures for clients in the health care space. In addition, Laurie has significant experience representing public and private companies in a variety of corporate transactions, including equity offerings and complex financing transactions, and in counseling clients on corporate governance, securities compliance matters, and executive compensation and benefits.

Laurie chairs the Robinson Bradshaw Women's Initiative affinity group for the firm's women attorneys, and she serves on the firm's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Honors & Awards

Clerkships

  • Law Clerk, The Honorable T.S. Ellis III, U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Virginia, 1995-96

Experience

Experience

  • Assists strategic and private equity clients in structuring, documenting and negotiating acquisition and disposition transactions.

  • Represented private equity buyer in two separate but simultaneous equity acquisitions.

  • Represented strategic health care buyer in five separate asset acquisitions into joint ventures with physician partners.

  • Represented sellers in asset disposition of related businesses to strategic buyer and negotiation of contract to provide comprehensive management services to the buyer.

  • Represented buyer in strategic acquisition of specialty manufacturer.

  • Regularly represents clients on a variety of matters related to health care joint venture transactions and assists with managing legal aspects of large portfolios of joint ventures.

  • Routinely assists clients with a broad range of other general business matters, including complex contracts and corporate restructurings.

News & Events

Events

Insights

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations

  • North Carolina Bar Association, Women in the Profession Committee, 2019-present
  • Mecklenburg County Bar Association

Community Affiliations

  • Catawba Lands Conservancy, Board of Directors, 2013-19
  • Terrafirma Risk Retention Group, LLC, Members Committee, 2017-19; Advisory Committee, 2020
  • Former Girls on the Run coach
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