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    J. Britton Williston

    Member • Chair of Commercial
    Office: Norfolk
    Admissions: Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington DC

    Biography

    Britton is a Member in the firm’s Norfolk office and serves as  Chair of the Firm’s Commercial Section and Chair of the Firm’s Recruiting Committee. He is a member of the Corporate & Public Finance and Mergers, Acquisitions & Strategic Alliances practice groups, as well as the firm’s Securities Team. Britton’s practice includes advising public and private companies, investment banks, and investors in all aspects of corporate transactions, including corporate finance, private equity financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and securities offerings and regulation. He has also assisted numerous domestic and international companies listed on NASDAQ and the NYSE with initial public offerings and SEC compliance as well as private placements, secondary offerings, shelf registrations, and other securities transactions.

    Representative Matters

    • Advised various clients with respect to Securities Act and Securities Exchange Act matters, including initial public offerings, periodic reporting and disclosure issues, private securities offerings, tender offers and proxy statements
    • Represented target company in the $700 million sale of a publicly-traded real estate investment trust
    • Represented various private equity groups in multiple acquisitions ranging from $10 million to $1.5 billion
    • Represented multiple private equity and hedge fund sponsors throughout formation and capital raising process, including capital raises in excess of $1 billion

    Recognition & Honors

    • Best Lawyers in America, 2024-2025
    • Top Lawyers; CoVaBIZ, 2017-2023, 2025
    • Virginia’s Legal Elite; Virginia Business Magazine, 2011-2024
    • CIVIC Leadership Institute; Class of 2020
    • Virginia Rising Stars; Law & Politics, 2013
    • Editor; Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems
    • Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar

    Associations

    • Virginia Bar Association; Young Lawyers Division, Executive Committee
    • Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association
    • Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Future Generations Board; Board Member
    • Children’s Museum of Virginia; Board Member
    • University of Virginia Alumni Association; Board of Managers
    • Tidewater Region Jefferson Scholars Selection Committee, University of Virginia
    • University of Virginia Young Alumni Council; Former Member

    Education

    • University of Virginia; B.A., with distinction, 2000
    • Columbia University School of Law; J.D., 2003, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar

    Press & Publications