Jason Harmon practices in the area of corporate and securities law, including public and private equity and debt offerings, mergers and acquisitions, securities compliance and other corporate matters. His practice emphasizes high technology and emerging growth companies, including Internet, communications and biotech companies, and real estate investment trusts.

Mr. Harmon's mergers and acquisition experience includes serving as buyer's counsel in several transactions, including counsel to Green Courte Partners in the acquisition of American Land Lease, Inc. in March 2009 and Inland American in the acquisition of Winston Hotels in July 2007. His seller's counsel experience includes the representation of Applied Signal Technology in its acquisition by Raytheon and Argon ST in its acquisition by Boeing in August 2010 and Laureate Education in its sale to a KKR-led consortium in August 2007. Mr. Harmon has been responsible for public company acquisitions having a combined value of more than $6 billion.

In his equity offering and debt offering experience, Mr. Harmon has been both company counsel and banker's counsel. He has been responsible for more than 35 public securities transactions raising proceeds of more than $9 billion.

The respected English publisher Chambers & Partners names Mr. Harmon in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. It has called him a "well regarded" lawyer who is viewed as "an expert in corporate and securities law," "focused and results-driven" and acclaimed for "anticipating and spotting issues," and it notes, "Sources say he is 'exceptionally smart, very thorough and extremely easy to work with.'" Mr. Harmon is also recognized in Legal 500.

Mergers and Acquisition Experience

Buyer's Counsel

• Green Courte Partners, tender offer for American Land Lease, Inc. (March 2009)
• Vertis, Inc., acquisition of American Color Graphics, Inc. (October 2008)
• Forward Air Corporation, acquisition of Service Express, Inc. (September 2008)
• Forward Air Corporation, acquisition of Pinch Holdings, Inc. (March 2008)
• Winston Hotels, Inc., acquisition by Inland American (July 2007)
• Vertis, Inc., acquisition of USA Direct, Inc. (March 2006)
• Spectrum K12 School Solutions, acquisition of Tranquility School Solutions, Inc. (September 2005)
• Allied Capital Corporation, acquisition of Service Champ II, L.P. (April 2005)
• US counsel to Nuplex Industries Ltd. in connection with the acquisition of the global coating resins business of Akzo Nobel N.V. (December 2004)
• Laureate Education, Inc., acquisition of Walden e-Learning (September 2004)
• Precise Software Solutions Ltd., acquisition of W. Quinn Associates, Inc. (September 2001)
• iSky, Inc., acquisition of Telecom Potential Group plc (August 2000)
• T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., acquisition of Rowe Price-Fleming International, Inc. (August 2000)

Seller's Counsel

• NovaMed, Inc., acquisition by Surgery Partners (pending)
• Applied Signal Technology, Inc., tender offer by Raytheon (January 2011)
• A.D.A.M., Inc., acquisition by EBIX, Inc. (January 2011) 
• Argon ST, Inc., tender offer by Boeing (August 2010)
• Laureate Education, Inc., acquisition by a KKR-led investment group (August 2007)
• Palm Coast Data, acquisition by Kable Media Services (January 2007)
• Sizeler Property Investors, Inc., acquisition by Revenue Properties Company Limited (November 2006)
• Vertis, Inc., sale of fragrance division to Arcade Marketing (September 2006)
• STS Operating, Inc., acquisition by Code Hennessy & Simmons (April 2006)
• Columbia Bancorp, acquisition by Fulton Financial Corporation (February 2006)
• VIU Media, acquisition by Lamar Advertising (January 2006)
• The Hillman Group Inc., acquisition by Code Hennessy & Simmons (March 2004)
• Precise Software Solutions Ltd., acquisition by VERITAS Software Corporation (June 2003)

Equity Offering Experience

Company Counsel

• Human Genome Sciences, Inc., $456 million secondary public offering (December 2009)
• Human Genome Sciences, Inc., $360 million secondary public offering (August 2009)
• Human Genome Sciences, Inc., $950 million secondary public offering (November 2000)
• Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation, initial public offering (October 2003)
• Columbia Bancorp, three issuances of trust preferred securities (June 2004, December 2004 and June 2005)
• Network Access Solutions, initial public offering (June 1999)

Banker's Counsel

• Roth Capital Partners, secondary public offering of ChinaCast Education (December 2009)
• Legg Mason Wood Walker, Incorporated, initial public offering of NCI, Inc. (October 2005)
• Legg Mason Wood Walker, Incorporated, secondary public offering of US Xpress Enterprises, Inc. (December 2004)
• Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., secondary public offering for Hub Group, Inc. (July 2004)
• Legg Mason Wood Walker, Incorporated, secondary public offering of Celadon Group, Inc. (May 2004)
• Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., secondary public offering for Forward Air Corporation (November 2003)
• Legg Mason Wood Walker, Incorporated, secondary public offering of Corporate Office Properties Trust (May 2003)
• Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., secondary public offering of Cumulus Media, Inc. (May 2002)
• Merrill Lynch & Co., secondary offering of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC (February 2002)
• Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, two secondary public offerings of shares of Lamar Advertising (January 2001 and June 2001)
• Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, two secondary public offerings by Corporate Executive Board Company (March 2001 and February 2002)

Debt Offering Experience

Company Counsel

• The Ryland Group, Inc. simultaneous exchange offer and issuance of $300 million of Senior Notes (April 2010)
• Dutch auction tender offer by Laureate Education, Inc. for high-yield debt securities (February 2009)
• Laureate Education, Inc. $1.0 billion Rule 144A offering of high-yield debt securities (May 2008)
• Human Genome Sciences, Inc., $1.3 billion of Convertible Subordinated Notes (June 1999, December 1999, February 2000, March 2000, October 2004 and September 2005)
• The Ryland Group, Inc., $1.5 billion of Senior Notes (August 2000, June 2003, January 2005, June 2005, June 2006 and May 2009) and $150 million of Senior Subordinated Notes (August 2001)
• Registered tender offer by Human Genome Sciences, Inc. for $125 million Convertible Subordinated Notes (January 2000)

Banker's Counsel

• Marriott International, Inc., $2.2 billion of Notes (September 1999, April 2000, January 2001, June 2005, June 2006 and June 2007)
• Marriott International, Inc. 144A debt exchange offer for $427 million of Notes