John H. Spillman

John H. Spillman is a partner in the Corporate Section of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Mr. Spillman’s practice is devoted primarily to counseling clients on corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, emerging company issues and international transactions. Mr. Spillman has represented both strategic and financial domestic buyers and sellers, including private equity firms completing leveraged transactions. He has also assisted numerous foreign companies entering the U.S. market through acquisitions and joint ventures. He has extensive experience in franchise law matters.

Mr. Spillman is a co-author of two books published by Kluwer Law International: “M&A — Protecting the Purchaser” and “Global Venture Capital Transactions.” He has spoken frequently at seminars and written articles on transactional topics.

Mr. Spillman attended law school at the University of North Carolina, where he served on the Law Review before graduating with honors in 1984. He received his undergraduate degree in international studies from the University of North Carolina in 1980. His undergraduate studies included a year of study in Spain.

He is a member of the Business and International Law Sections of the American Bar Association, as well as its Forum on Franchising. Mr. Spillman has served on the Corporate Law Committee of the Atlanta Bar Association and is on the organizing committee of the Southeastern M&A Forum. He is a former Board Chair of Traveler’s Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc.

Recent representative transactions in which Mr. Spilllman played a leading role include the following:

• $30 million leveraged purchase of a heavy equipment distributor on behalf of a private equity purchaser
• $45 million sale of specialty textile manufacturing division on behalf of European client
• $20 million venture capital financing raised in several rounds in the U.S. and Asia on behalf of a Singapore-based information security firm
• $300 million acquisition of a Latin American beverage products company
• $150 million sale of U.S. consumer products company on behalf of a European client
• Advised private equity firm on franchise law aspects of several franchise company acquisitions