David Eaton is highly experienced in securities offerings and capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and advising public companies and their directors and officers on securities regulatory, corporate governance, stock market, and fiduciary issues.

Mr. Eaton has served as issuer’s counsel in over $7.4 billion of equity and debt security offerings in the past four years. He has extensive experience in representing companies issuing stock, bonds and other securities in capital-raising and other transactions. His knowledge encompasses a wide variety of offering methods, security types and transaction structures, including: SEC-registered initial and follow-on public offerings, Rule 144A, and traditional private placements; common stock, secured and unsecured corporate bonds, trust preferred or “capital” securities, and other instruments; and “shelf” registrations, “at-the-market” equity offerings, balance sheet liability management transactions such as tender and exchange offers, and other transactions. He also has a significant background in representing public and private buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions.

Complementing his transactional practice, Mr. Eaton is a regular counselor to companies of all sizes and across industries on the corporate and securities law aspects of being a public company. He routinely advises and assists boards and management in areas such as: corporate governance and fiduciary duties; SEC reporting and public disclosure; insider trading, Rule 144 and Section 16 compliance; proxy statements; stock market listing standard compliance; Sarbanes-Oxley matters; and the securities law aspects of executive and employee compensation and benefits.

Mr. Eaton has been named in the "Big Deals" column of the American Lawyer and as a top "Dealmaker" of 2008 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. He has also been recognized as a 2008 Georgia "Super Lawyer" in the areas of Securities & Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions and Business/Corporate by SuperLawyers magazine. He is a frequent speaker on securities law topics.

Education

  • Emory University School of Law, J.D. (1995)

    with honors

  • Trinity University, B.A., English and Political Science (1992)

Bar Admissions

  • Georgia (1998)
  • New York (1996)

Clerkships

  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York — Honorable Howard G. Munson

Who We Are

What fully engaged means to me:

Delivering the highest quality, state-of-the-art legal advice and representation, and also ensuring that the advice is communicated clearly, delivered on a timely basis and, importantly, informed by practical considerations, including a deep understanding of the client's business and needs.

Suite 2800, 1100 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA, 30309-4528
USA
t +1 404.815.6051
f +1 404.541.3188

David M. Eaton

Experience Highlights

$300 million corporate bond offering for AGL Resources Inc.
Represented AGL Resources Inc. in its SEC-registered public offering of $300 million principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2019. The offering more
Institutional private placements of $110 million of notes for Aaron's Inc.
Represented Aaron's, Inc., a leading specialty retailer, in the institutional private placements of $110 million of senior notes. more
Business combination of Certegy Inc. and Fidelity National Information Services Inc.
Represented Certegy Inc., a major publicly held credit card and check verification company, in its $4.5 billion merger with Fidelity National more
"At-the-market" public offering of common stock for Delta Air Lines
Represented Delta Air Lines in connection with its $196 million registered "at-the-market" offering of common stock. more