Sharon A. Kroupa represents publicly and privately held companies, including many REITs, in connection with major strategic transactions, private and public financings, corporate governance issues, and securities law matters. Sharon has advised buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, including many valued at more than $1 billion.
She has also provided counsel to issuers in multiple stock and debt offerings, including initial public offerings; and provided advice to companies, boards of directors, and board committees regarding corporate governance, takeover defense issues, and change of control transactions.
In addition, Sharon has assisted numerous non-traded registered REITs with their formation transactions and the state registration process under the NASAA REIT Guidelines, as well as many affiliated transactions.
Before joining Venable, Sharon worked as in-house counsel for a franchise company, a mortgage REIT, an aviation service company, and an Internet startup.
Experience :
- Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed student housing REIT in its $4.6 billion acquisition by a private equity real estate firm
- Served as Maryland counsel to the board of directors of a publicly registered, grocery-anchored shopping center nontraded REIT in its merger with an affiliated shopping center REIT to create a $6 billion retail REIT
- Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed data center REIT in its $7.8 billion stock-for-stock merger with another publicly traded data center REIT
- Served as Maryland counsel to the special committee of the board of directors of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with its $5.9 billion stock-for-stock merger with its publicly traded sponsor
- Served as counsel to the special committee of the board of directors of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with its $450 million merger with an affiliated REIT
- Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed REIT in its $2.3 billion acquisition by a registered SEC investment advisor
- Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed REIT in connection with its acquisition of two publicly registered, nontraded REIT affiliates
- Served as counsel to a publicly traded network security company in its stock-for-stock acquisition of a publicly traded information security company
- Served as Maryland counsel to Ares Capital in its acquisition of Allied Capital
- Served as corporate counsel to a large consulting and project management company regarding strategic acquisitions, governance matters, and litigation management.
Education :
- J.D.with honorsBoston College Law School1982
- B.A.Loyola College1979
Bar Admissions : Maryland
Professional Memberships :
- Chair, Business Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association, 2018 – 2019
- Member, Maryland State Bar Association, Joint Committee on Opinion Practice in Business Transactions; former member of steering committee – report published in June 2007
- Member, Working Group on Legal Opinions; Maryland representative and member of board of directors and chair of audit committee
- Graduate, Greater Baltimore Committee Leadership Program, 2007
Community :
- Member, board of directors, Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Member, board member, Catch a Lift, an organization that assists wounded veterans in beginning their healing process through physical fitness.
Cost
Rate : $$$