David W. Ghegan

A veteran corporate attorney with more than 25 years of experience, David regularly counsels public and private companies and their boards of directors in connection with corporate governance, securities disclosure matters, securities offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. He routinely advises investment banking firms and serves as underwriters’ counsel in connection with various public and private securities offerings. David also devotes a significant amount of his practice to representing financial institutions, and is experienced in formation and capital-raising activities of community banks, mergers and acquisitions, and bank regulatory matters.

David leads the firm’s Corporate Practice Group – a team of more than 200 attorneys providing comprehensive transactional support to a wide range of clients across key industry verticals. The practice has received numerous rankings and awards, including recognition in various league tables, as well as in The Legal 500, IFLR1000, and Chambers USA for more than twenty years.

• Represented Quikrete Holdings, Inc. in its $11.5 billion acquisition of Summit Materials, Inc., a publicly traded producer of aggregates and cement.
• Represented Franchise Group, Inc., a publicly traded owner and operator of franchised and franchisable businesses, in its $2.6 billion “going private” acquisition by its senior management team in partnership with an investor consortium.
• Represented Quikrete Holdings, Inc. in its $2.74 billion acquisition of Forterra, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed manufacturer of water and drainage infrastructure pipe and products.
• Represented PRGX Global, a Nasdaq-listed recovery audit firm, in its $200 million acquisition by Ardian Capital.
• Represented Franchise Group, Inc., a publicly traded owner and operator of franchised and franchisable businesses, in various equity offerings and multiple acquisitions and dispositions, including the acquisitions of The Vitamin Shoppe, Buddy’s Home Furnishings, and Badcock Home Furnishings, and the sale of Liberty Tax to a Canadian SPAC.
• Represented Repay Holdings Corporation, a Nasdaq-listed payments technology company, in various equity offerings and multiple acquisitions, including the acquisitions of BillingTree, Payix, and cPayPlus.
• Regularly serves as underwriter’s counsel in multiple securities offerings for Synovus Financial Corp., including a $300 million subordinated notes offering, a $200 million preferred stock offering, a $300 million senior notes offering and a $250 million subordinated notes offering.
• Represented America II Electronics in its recapitalization with Wynnchurch Capital.
• Represented FirstAtlantic Bank in its $110 million acquisition by National Commerce Corporation.
• Represented Metropolitan Bank in its $190 million acquisition by Renasant Corp.
• Represented MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. in its $60 million follow-on equity offering.
• Served as underwriter’s counsel in a $225 million subordinated debt offering for Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.
• Represented Inmark Packaging in its recapitalization with Quad-C.
• Represented Snyder’s-Lance in its $2.2 billion acquisition of Diamond Foods, Inc.
• Represented Metro Bancshares in its $40 million acquisition by ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc.
• Served as underwriter’s counsel in ServisFirst’s initial public offering.
• Represented private equity investor in connection with several investments focused on the financial institutions industry.
• Represented PRGX Global in connection with its $40 million follow on public offering.
• Served as underwriter’s counsel in connection with multiple public equity and debt offerings by a property and casualty insurer based in St. Petersburg, FL.
• Represented BlueLinx Holdings in connection with its $60 million public rights offering.
• Represented Matria Healthcare, Inc. in connection with its $1.1 billion acquisition by Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc.
• Represented numerous financial institutions and community banks in negotiating a variety of corporate reorganization transactions, including mergers, asset acquisitions, stock acquisitions, and branch transactions.
• Represented directors and officers of troubled financial institutions in connection with bank regulatory matters.

• Best Lawyers in America®: “Lawyer of the Year” in Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2024)
• Best Lawyers in America®: Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2020-2026), Securities/Capital Markets Law (2013-2026), and Corporate Governance Law (2024-2026)
• Chambers USA: Corporate/M&A, Georgia (2009-2014, 2017-2025)
• IFLR1000, Capital Markets: Debt + Equity, M&A (2024)
• Best Lawyers in America®: “Lawyer of the Year” in Securities/Capital Markets Law (2017)
• Law and Politics and Atlanta Magazine: Super Lawyers, Securities & Corporate Finance (2007, 2009-2017)
• Georgia Trend Magazine: “Legal Elite” (2013, 2016)