Practice Areas
Education
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University J.D., 2013, magna cum laude
- Journal of Law and Health, executive editor, 2012-2013
- University of Dayton, Master of Public Administration, 2010
- Miami University, B.A., 2008
Bar & Court Admissions
Sarah is an associate in the Vorys Cleveland office and a member of the corporate group and the firm's public company subgroup.
Sarah routinely counsels publicly traded clients as a key member of outside general counsel teams in Securities Exchange Act of 1934 reporting and compliance, including preparing and filing periodic, current and annual reports (Form 8- Ks, Form 10-Qs, and Form 10-Ks), proxy statements and registration statements, compliance with stock exchange requirements, planning and managing annual shareholder meetings, and providing strategic advice relative to shareholder views and disclosure considerations. She assists boards of directors and senior management teams of publicly traded clients with corporate governance matters, Section 16 reporting obligations and Rule 144 compliance.
Sarah also advises private equity funds, private equity-backed companies, venture capital funds, and emerging growth companies on matters relating to capital formation, recapitalizations, joint ventures, domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, private placements and compliance with securities regulations.
Her career highlights include:
- Represented Plaskolite, LLC, an Ohio-based family owned acrylics manufacturing company, with operations throughout the United States and Internationally, in the acquisition of Rotuba Extruders, Inc.’s profile lighting business
- Represented a publicly-traded holding company operating local natural gas utilities in a $200 million merger with an energy infrastructure investment fund
- Represented a publicly-traded utility holding company in a $92 million debt refinancing and simultaneous corporate reorganization of its utilities within a wholly-owned subsidiary
- Counseled an executive in the negotiation of an employment agreement and stock award agreement as the incoming chief executive officer of a publicly-traded producer of printing and specialty papers and pulp
- Successfully defended a publicly-traded company against a dissident shareholder in his proxy campaign to replace the board of directors
- Assisted a publicly-traded utility company in connection with its $50 million shelf offering
- Represented a publicly-held utility holding company with the $17 million sale of a subsidiary and its pipeline assets and related real estate, equipment and contracts
- Assisted a publicly-traded utility holding company in a $5 million bridge loan
- Assisted a publicly-traded utility holding company with a $2.7 million divestiture of two of its utilities
- Counseled a publicly-traded utility holding company with the sale of its former corporate headquarters for $1.35 million and a $3 million bridge loan
Sarah received her J.D. magna cum laude from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University, where she was an executive editor of the Journal of Law and Health. She received her MPA from the University of Dayton and her B.A. from Miami University, where she studied at the John E. Dolibois European Center in Differdange, Luxembourg.
Professional and Community Activities
- Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Ladder Down Cleveland for Women Lawyers, 2020 Graduate, 2021 Committee Member
- PRADCO Women in Leadership Program, 2019 Graduate
- Association for Corporate Growth - Cleveland Chapter, Women in Transactions Committee
- Miami University Alumni Association, lifetime member
- Western Reserve Rowing Association, Rower
- The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, former volunteer coordinator
Insights
- 12/26/2018On December 18, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a final rule implementing Section 955 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which required the SEC to establish rules requiring companies to disclose whether their employees or directors are permitted to hedge the market value of equity securities granted as compensation to, or held by, employees or directors.
- 11/21/2018On November 19, 2018, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) released updates to its proxy voting guidelines for 2019 (2019 Updates).
- 11/21/2017On November 16, 2017, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) released updates to its proxy voting guidelines for 2018 (2018 Updates). The 2018 Updates are effective for shareholder meetings on or after February 1, 2018. This alert summarizes the highlights of the 2018 Updates.