Jerita L. DeBraux Salley

Jerita is a corporate and transactional attorney who advises clients in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, commercial contracting negotiations, and corporate governance matters in various industries. She often serves as lead counsel in M&A transactions and in a wide range of contract negotiations, including negotiations of technology contracts, purchase and merger agreements, leases, NDAs, and other commercial contracts. Jerita counsels clients through all stages of a sale or acquisition, as well as manages commercial contract portfolios for clients, advising on complex risk allocation matters, such as indemnification, representations and warranties, liability limitations, etc. Her deals have ranged in size from less than $1 million to more than $500 million. Jerita represents a wide range of clients, including government contractors, broadcasters, cable providers, software and other technology providers, financial institutions, and non-profit corporations, among others.

Representative Matters

• Lead transactional counsel for a rapidly growing national radio broadcaster in multiple, complex asset and stock acquisitions ranging from $254 million to $3 million transactions.
• Lead counsel negotiating software license agreements and agreements for ancillary products and services.
• Lead transactional counsel in the sale of 200 broadcast towers and related assets to a tower company, including negotiating leaseback and similar use arrangements.
• Lead transactional counsel for companies acquiring or selling government contractors.
• Drafts and negotiates a variety of agreements, including letters of intent, NDAs, asset and stock purchase agreements, loan documents, lease agreements, non-competition agreements, local programming and marketing agreements, closing documentation, and other corporate contracts, conducts due diligence and handles closings.
• Drafts and negotiates purchase agreements on behalf of government contractors and prepares novation and name change submissions to the Government.
• Drafts joint venture operating agreements on behalf of government contractors.
• Manages commercial contract portfolio (including NDAs, supply agreements, supply and data agreements, supplemental distribution agreements and tolling agreements) for leading chemical manufacturing company.
• Counsels clients in connection with acquisitions, sales, and exchanges of numerous radio and television stations in multiple markets for publicly traded and private companies.
• Counsels clients in general corporate compliance matters, including drafting bylaws, operating agreements, and merger agreements.
• Assists non-profit corporations that are filing for tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and general compliance issues.

Affiliations

• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) (2017)
• Past Board Chair, DC Family & Youth Initiative
• Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA)
• Co-chair, Transactional Practice Committee (2014)
• National Bar Association (NBA)
• Women's Bar Association (WBA)

Recognitions

• National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 (2021)
• Recognized by The Legal 500 US as a "Recommended Lawyer" in Telecom and Broadcast: Regulatory (2018) and Telecom and Broadcast: Transactional (2018, 2022-2024)
• Named one of DC's "Rising Stars" for Business/Corporate by Super Lawyers magazine (2016-2017)
• Named one of City Year Washington, DC's Idealists of the Year (2013)