Sara A. Needles

Sara Needles is an associate in the firm’s Washington, DC office and a member of the firm’s Corporate group.  Her practice focuses on advising public and private companies in transactional matters, including registered and exempt offerings and mergers and acquisitions, securities regulatory matters, corporate governance and general corporate issues.

Representative Matters

• Represents pharmaceutical clients in drafting and negotiating purchase and sale, licensing, supply and other commercial agreements.
• Advises public companies on Exchange Act reporting requirements, responses to SEC staff comment letters, proxy statement disclosures, disclosure controls, and securities compliance matters.
• Provides advice and drafting on board committee charters, compliance with stock exchange listing standards, insider trading policies and governance policies and guidelines.
• Represented Union Station Redevelopment Corporation in the establishment of the District of Columbia’s intercity bus terminal at Union Station and other commercial real estate matters.
• Represented the National Hockey League in various transactional and financing matters, including the sale of the Buffalo Sabres.
• Assisting ExxonMobil in forming the Marine Well Containment Company, a joint venture created to respond to future deepwater well blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Assisting a multimedia company with a $200 million debt exchange offering.
• Representing sports and media companies in corporate formation and equity offerings.

Previous Experience

• Oxford University Press, Production Editor
• Cambridge University Press, Project Manager

Pro Bono

• Providing analysis and advice to governmental bodies on State practice relating to witness and victim protection mechanisms and war crimes prosecution.
• Providing real estate advice to non-profit organizations in connection with commercial leases.
• Drafting corporate organizational and governing documents for non-profit organizations.

Publications and Speeches

• "Anticipating the First Wave of Proxy Access Shareholder Proposals," Insights (October 2011), Co-Author
• "The Data Game: Learning to Love the State-Based Approach to Data Breach Notification Law," 88 N.C. L. Rev. 267 (2009), Author