Corporate transactions attorney Michelle Rae Heisner has joined Baker Donelson as a shareholder in the Firm's Washington, D.C. office, strengthening the national law firm's complex mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and board-level advisory capabilities.
Ms. Heisner advises boards, sponsors, and founders on high‑stakes transactional decisions, including conflicted transactions, cross‑border acquisitions, liquidity events, and transactions requiring fairness opinions, special committee processes, or enhanced governance oversight. Her experience includes advising public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, joint ventures, carve-outs, roll-ups, and minority equity transactions.
Sebastian Meis, chair of Baker Donelson's Corporate Group, noted, "As our clients increasingly require advice on major transactions both in the U.S. and internationally, Michelle is a remarkable addition to our team. With her solid background in guiding U.S. businesses on international expansion strategies and acquisition deals, she has the skillset to serve a genuine demand we are seeing throughout our client base across numerous industries."
Ms. Heisner also counsels financial advisors and boards in connection with fairness opinions, solvency opinions, and related transaction governance matters. Her practice includes capital markets and public company advisory work, including IPO readiness, alternative listing options, corporate governance matters, and global subsidiary and entity management, including governance frameworks and compliance considerations. She regularly serves as lead deal counsel on complex transactions, guiding matters from strategic structuring and negotiations through closing and post-transaction integration.
"Many middle‑market transactions involve more complexity than they appear on paper – from valuation and governance to cross‑border execution," said Ms. Heisner. "Baker Donelson provides the platform to serve clients facing those realities, with sophisticated deal support that remains practical and business‑focused, while also scaling seamlessly to larger, more complex matters as clients' needs evolve. I have been impressed with how that same platform allows Baker Donelson to support clients beyond the transaction itself, addressing the operational and governance issues that shape their businesses day to day."
Ms. Heisner's practice reflects a mix of global "big‑deal" transactional training and hands‑on execution for growth‑oriented and mature companies facing sophisticated deal dynamics. Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Ms. Heisner practiced at Baker McKenzie and Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, Washington, D.C., and Australia. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Michigan State University, she has been recognized among Global M&A Network's Top Women Deal Makers and was named to the Women in Business Law (Americas) Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year Shortlist and its Corporate Rising Star Shortlist. She has served as co-chair of the D.C. Bar M&A and Corporate Disclosure Subcommittee and on the D.C. Executive Board of How Women Lead (HWL).