Judson Hawk Simmons
Judson (or “Jud”) Simmons is a seasoned attorney who serves as Counsel to the Corporate Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
Mr. Simmons has a broad-based international, corporate and commercial finance practice, representing U.S. and foreign clients in connection with domestic, overseas, and cross-border business transactions. His areas of experience include the following: diverse types of domestic and international commercial and financing transactions, distributorships and other sales arrangements, strategic alliances and joint ventures, international trade compliance and business operations (including customs matters, import and export regulations, FCPA matters, antiboycott regulations, and compliance with the OFAC santctions program), government contracting, diversity contracting for minority and disadvantaged business enterprises, intellectual property licensing, corporate finance matters (including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital/private equity, mezzanine finance, private placement syndications, public offerings, and American depository receipts), and various general corporate and corporate governance matters. Mr. Simmons has extensive experience on both sides of financing transactions having represented a variety of financial institutions and financial intermediaries, as well as companies either seeking debt or equity financing or seeking to refinance or reorganize their outstanding indebtedness.
His practice has involved transactions throughout the U.S. and in more than 30 countries around the world. For a number of clients, Mr. Simmons has effectively served as outside general counsel, supervising all of their legal needs, including tax issues and planning, diverse types of litigation, real estate and construction matters, executive compensation, health, retirement and other social (ERISA) benefits, labor relations, non-discrimination employment law violations, and other human resource matters. Because Mr. Simmons has previously had bottom-line responsibility as the President of a developer and manager of retirement facilities and continuing care communities, as well as the Executive Vice President of a public company in the long-term care industry, he brings a practical and expansive perspective to his legal advice for clients in helping them to achieve their business goals.
Mr. Simmons has represented clients operating in (or financing their customers’ operations in) a variety of industries ranging from consumer products and services to the basic materials sector (including chemical companies, foundries, manufactur ers and fabricators of industrial parts, oil and gas drilling and exploration, power producers, pulp and paper plants, and refineries). Some of his significant representations have involved manufacturers, producers, distributors, wholesalers, value-added resellers, retailers, and service providers in the following industry segments: air transport; automotive dealers; beverages and food products; broadband media and broadcasting; design, engineering, construction, and equipment procurement for industrial facilities; highly engineered avionics, communications equipment, controls, and other specialty equipment; home and office furnishings; hospitality; internet based services; logistics; outsourcing services; packaging; pharmaceuticals; printing; professional sports; software and technology; supply chain management; telecommunications and telematics; textiles; utilities; and waste management. In addition, he has extensive experience working with clients in the health care delivery field, particularly rural, community hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and providers of ancillary healthcare services.
Mr. Simmons previously served as an Adjunct Professor of International Business Transactions at the Emory University School of Law. He has authored a number of papers on various aspects of international business activities. He also has been a frequent guest lecturer concerning international business topics at numerous continuing legal education seminars.
Mr. Simmons earned his B.S. degree, with special attainments in Commerce (Accounting, Business Administration, and Finance), from Washington and Lee University, where he served as Secretary of the Student Body and was elected to Who’s Who Among Students of American Colleges and Universities. He also spent a year abroad at the University of Nottingham, England, studying Economics and Economic Development, where he received a Certificate of High Honours from his tutor, Dr. Brian Tew. Mr. Simmons earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was the Executive Editor of the Georgia Law Review. After law school, he clerked for The Honorable David W. Dyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Miami, Florida. Later, Mr. Simmons joined the Law School Faculty of Columbia University in New York, New York, as an Associate-in-Law. While teaching at Columbia, he was a joint JSD-MBA candidate (studying in the areas of International Transactions and Equipment Financing, Legal Education, and Jurisprudence). Mr. Simmons earned both a Certificate in Foreign and Comparative Law from Columbia University’s Parker School and also a LL.M. degree from the Columbia University School of Law.
