Carrie Leahy

Practice Areas

Ms. Leahy concentrates her practice in corporate and business law. She counsels both established and emerging businesses on general corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with securities regulations, and issues involving venture capital funding.

Ms. Leahy is chair of Bodman’s executive management committee.

Ms. Leahy has drafted and negotiated transactional documents for both publicly and privately held entities involved in mergers and acquisitions ranging in size from $250,000 to more than $1 billion. She has drafted and negotiated operating and joint venture agreements and advised corporate boards in connection with various transactions. She has also advised clients on entity formation, corporate governance and other general business issues. Ms. Leahy has extensive experience working with the University of Michigan’s Technology Transfer Office and is part of a Bodman team that has represented a significant number of start-up and spin-off companies that have recently licensed technology from U of M.

Ms. Leahy’s securities law experience includes representing clients in connection with public and private securities offerings; preparing registration statements, proxy statements, and periodic reports; and advising clients generally on their securities law obligations. Ms. Leahy also assists public companies with their NYSE listing and reporting requirements.

For ICLE, Ms. Leahy has authored materials in the past on Choosing a Business Entity and moderated a panel discussion on “Advising the New Startup Company: Formation and Funding” (2013).

Ms. Leahy serves on the board of directors of Inforum Michigan. She is also a board member for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority and a member of the United Way of Washtenaw County Campaign Cabinet. Ms. Leahy also serves on the board of the Detroit Regional Chamber. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section Council.

In 2021, Crain’s Detroit Business honored Ms. Leahy as one of Michigan’s 100 Most Influential Women. DBusiness magazine has twice listed her among Detroit’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders (2019, 2022). Ms. Leahy has been listed in Chambers USA under Corporate/M&A, in IFLR1000 under Mergers & Acquisitions, in DBusiness magazine “Top Lawyers” 2025 under Corporate Law, in Michigan Super Lawyers 2019-24 under Business/Corporate, and in The Best Lawyers in America 2021-25 under Corporate Law.

Publications

Co-Author (with Mark W. Peters), “Updating Your Company’s Disclosures in the Time of COVID-19,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, April 2020

Personal

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, J.D.