Erica Opitz

Practice Areas

Corporate, Securities & Finance

Career

Erica Opitz is a shareholder in the firm’s Atlanta office in the Corporate, Securities, and Finance practice group. Often serving as a client’s outside general counsel, Ms. Opitz assists clients with corporate governance, commercial contract, mergers and acquisitions, and privately-held securities matters. Ms. Opitz also serves as the Atlanta office’s primary drafter of Georgia legal opinions.

Ms. Opitz has represented clients across a variety of industries, including moving and storage, merchant services, certified public accounting, investment management, airplane battery manufacturing, building supply distribution, chiropractic, waste and recycling, chicken processing, fast food, and plastic bottle manufacturing industries.

Ms. Opitz has significant experience representing professional organizations, including architecture, engineering and certified public accounting firms and chiropractic practices, with achieving their business goals while working within applicable state ownership requirements.

Professional Memberships

Board Member, Roswell North Elementary Foundation

Advisory Committee of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta

Fellow, American Bar Foundation

Phi Alpha Delta

Atlanta Bar Association

Georgia Bar Association

Publications

“Business Development: It's a Not-One-Size-Fits-All Enterprise”

Erica Opitz article on “Business Development: It's a Not-One-Size-Fits-All Enterprise”

Daily Report and The Legal Intelligencer, June 28, 2022

“Board Considerations for Covid-19 Vaccine Programs"

Article by Erica Opitz and Diana Perez Gomez on “Board Considerations for Covid-19 Vaccine Programs"

Board Leadership, June 2021

“Surviving COVID-19: Considerations for Selling Select Business Assets”

Article by Erica Opitz on “Surviving COVID-19: Considerations for Selling Select Business Assets”

Daily Report, July 6, 2020

Cybersecurity for the Board of Directors of Small and Midsized Businesses

Board Leadership, September 13, 2018

Co-Author, "Letters of Intent Can Carry Unintended Consequences," WardsAuto, August 2017.

Co-Author, “Georgia Businesses Don’t Have to Wait for SEC Clarity on Crowdfunding; Invest Georgia Exemption Offers Funding Opportunities,” Hypepotamus, October 2014.

Summary of the Tax Relief Act of 2010, Estate & Gift Tax Committee of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Section of the American Bar Association Publication.

“Retaliation and Discrimination – One and the Same? A Critique of Gomez-Perez v. Potter,” ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law, Fall 2009 Edition.

Work Highlights

Represent company as co-counsel in going public de-SPAC transaction valued at over $1.5 billion

Represent borrower in negotiating credit facility committing up to $125 million in term loans from private equity lender

Represent seller in $165 million asset sale of software development and consulting company to publicly traded company

Represent borrower in negotiating $80 million revolving line of credit

Represent seller in $224 million asset sale of chemical manufacturing and distribution company to private equity firm

Represent seller in over $100 million dollar asset sale of insurance brokerage firm

Represent sellers in multi-million dollar sale of equity interests in cold storage business

Represent purchaser in multi-million dollar acquisition of equity interests in landfill and waste business

Represent multiple start-up companies in Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D and Series E capital raises

Represent seller in multi-million dollar unit sale of investment management company to private equity firm

Represent minority owner in renegotiation of limited liability company agreement with private equity firm

Represent investor in negotiation of organizational documents of entity operating various restaurants

Represent borrowers in various loan facilities secured by real estate or other assets of borrower, including revolving, construction and ABL facilities

Represent non-profit entities in various matters, including formation, organization and reorganizations

Represent seller in multi-million dollar stock sale of company operating 13 AT&T dealerships

Represent purchaser in multi-million dollar purchase of chicken processing plant and business from multi-billion dollar company

Represent purchasers of chiropractic practices

Represent purchasers of certified public accounting practices

Represent purchaser in asset purchase of waste and recycling broker business

Represent over 25 different franchisees multi-million dollar asset sales of moving and storage businesses

Represent purchaser multi-million dollar real estate purchase of cheese factory

Represent fast food franchisee in purchase of real estate for franchise sites

Represent clients in purchase and leasing of luxury airplanes

Represent purchaser of wild bird specialty store franchise from franchisee

Represent franchisee in multi-million dollar asset and real estate purchase of 12 fast food franchise units from franchisor

Represent seller in multi-million dollar sale of employee benefits practice

Represent seller in multiple multi-million dollar asset sales of franchisee businesses to franchisor

Represent seller in multi-million dollar real estate purchase and sale and substitution of property as collateral under loan documents for company specializing in distributing building supplies

Represent publicly-traded company in multi-million dollar asset purchase of United States company and stock purchase of United Kingdom company specializing in distributing airplane batteries

Represent seller in multi-million dollar asset sale of credit card processing company

Education