Securities & M&A Partner Molly Brown

Molly Z. Brown

Partner

200 Public Square
Suite 2800
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Primary Practices

Molly Z. Brown is a partner in Hahn Loeser’s Business Practice Area with an expansive blend of in-house and law firm experience. Her practice focuses on public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”), corporate governance and compliance matters.

Molly brings significant experience leading securities offering and M&A deal teams to successful completion of transactions that are revenue generating for clients. During her career she has completed over $11 billion in securities offerings and nearly $7 billion in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

In addition to strategic transactions, Molly routinely advises companies on the private sales of securities, including warrants, options, stock, and membership interests in companies to purchasers ranging from venture capital firms to private equity firms, and family offices. Molly also has experience with securities repurchases upon executive and director departure.

Molly brings experience advising clients’ board of directors and board committees, including counseling audit, nominating & governance, and compensation committees on the determination of executive compensation and overall bonus compensation to employees. Molly also brings special committee experience providing corporate governance to boards on transaction, litigation, and fiduciary duty reviews.  Molly also brings experience advising NYSE and NASDAQ issuers through securities enforcement matters, SEC comment letters, and SEC qualification and review of M&A transactions.

The wide variety of industries Molly has served, include banking and financial services, insurance, manufacturing, industrial, chemical, technology, mining, real estate development companies, and SaaS, on securities, M&A, corporate governance and compliance.

Molly’s in-house counsel experience includes serving for top banks, investment adviser/funds in high-impact roles for strategic acquirers and issuers listed on NYSE. She has also led diverse teams in the successful completion of public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions, banking finance, and counseled management and boards on complex compliance and regulatory matters, SEC filings, state securities filings, strategic transactions, and shareholder activism.

Molly’s regulatory experience includes advising issuers on securities investigations, funds, broker-dealers, investment advisers, and financial institutions on regulatory matters. Molly routinely takes on matters to assist issuers in resolving securities compliance issues and has a strong background in state and federal securities compliance resolution. Molly also served as counsel for the largest D&O insurer on securities litigation matters.

Molly brings experience in strategic preparation and planning for liquidity events and in evaluating what form of liquidity event is most helpful to sustain growth and achieve the client’s objectives.

Personal

Molly enjoys watching her son’s high school hockey games and rooting for University School.  When not attending hockey games, Molly likes to golf.

Credentials

Education
  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., 2000
  • John Carroll University, Boler School of Business, B.S. (Economics), 1995
    • Honors & Activities: Varsity swim team, letterwinner
Community Involvement

Breakthrough Schools, Advisory Board, 2023-Present

 

Union Club, Member

 

Fairmount Presbyterian Church, Treasurer, 2022, Finance Committee Member 2021-Present

 

Shaker Heights Youth Hockey Board, 2018

 

Hahn Loeser Women’s Leadership Institute Steering Committee, 2024-present

Awards & Distinctions

2018 Top 50 Women FOR John Carroll University’s 50th Anniversary of Admission of Women

 

Who’s Who in America, 2023

Bar Admissions

State of Ohio, 2008

 

State of New York, 2001

 

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

 

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Memberships & Affiliations

Association For Corporate Growth, Women in Transactions Steering Committee Member 2024-Present

 

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member

 

Society of Corporate Governance, Ohio Chapter, member, 2012-present, President, 2015-16

 

Ohio Bankers League, Member