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M. Everett "Rett" Peaden
Partner / AtlantaRett Peaden is a Partner in the Corporate Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
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Full Bio
Rett started out thinking he wanted to be a college professor, until he realized that a PhD in the humanities was not the surest path to gainful employment. Now, instead of spending his days in library stacks filled with dusty tomes, he can be found lost in thought coming up with ideas for his clients.
Rett’s multidisciplinary practice often focuses on helping clients with mergers and acquisitions. Many of his clients are the owners of closely-held and family enterprises for whom selling a business is the most significant financial transaction in their lives. Rett has a strong interest in middle market deal-making and sits on the Association for Corporate Growth’s Committee for M&A South, the largest middle market focused M&A event in the Southeast.
In addition to a traditional law school degree, Rett earned an advanced degree in Taxation. His in-depth knowledge of tax strategies and entity structures helps clients achieve their goals whether forming a partnership, structuring a deal, or planning for the tax-efficient transfer of family wealth.
Rett has extensive experience working with international clients from many parts of the world, especially Europe, Canada, and Japan. He is sensitive to the cultural differences of doing business that each international client brings to the table, and successfully helps his clients navigate the U.S. tax and business environment. He has assisted many clients with structuring their international in-bound investments and strategic acquisitions.
Rett also acts as outside general counsel for many of his clients. Coming from a family business background himself, Rett is keenly attuned to the concerns of business owners and strives to provide common-sense, actionable advice without confusing legalese.
Along with the growth of Atlanta’s technology sector, Rett has gained extensive experience working with emerging companies and their owners. He routinely advises clients regarding their capital and fundraising activities and how to best position themselves for growth and tax efficient exits. He is a firm liaison to the Atlanta CEO Council (formerly Atlanta CEO Hi-Tech Council) which is a peer networking group for C-suite executives predominately in tech.
It is not unusual for clients that Rett has worked with when selling their business to continue working with him long afterwards to implement family wealth strategies including setting-up family offices, preparing sophisticated trust and estate plans, making charitable bequests, and advising on privately-placed investments.
Rett grew up in Atlanta and graduated summa cum laude from Woodward Academy where he was a National Merit Finalist and Captain of the Academic Team. He earned a B.A. degree in philosophy from Emory University, where he was in the Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Honor Society and won the Byzantine History Award. He received a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was President of Colloquy, a student organization that invites outside speakers to campus. His LL.M. in Taxation is from the University of Florida.
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Representative Experience
- Representation of Atlanta-based international SAAS business in sale to U.K. buyer
- Representation of Japanese public company in purchase of U.S. medical device manufacturer
- Representation of German family-owned enterprise in the automotive supply chain with corporate restructuring
- Representation of a venture equity fund in its Series A investment for an Atlanta-based tech start-up
- Representation of a leading Southeastern infrastructure construction company in its sale to a national strategic buyer
- Representation of a Canadian chemical company as its U.S. outside counsel
- Representation of a physician-owned health care business in its sale to a private equity fund
- Representation of majority shareholders in $100 million merger of a software business
- Representation of a German public company in its acquisition of a U.S. national trade show
- Representation of German Mittelstand on its acquisition of a manufacturing facility from a U.S. public company
- Representation of an international private equity firm on its acquisition of a West Coast manufacturer
- Representation of a commercial insurance managing general agency in its sale to a Carlyle portfolio company
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Bar Admissions
Georgia
Georgia State Courts -
Education
Undergraduate- Emory University
Law School- Vanderbilt University
LL.M.- University of Florida
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Memberships
- Association for Corporate Growth
- Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises
- Atlanta CEO Council
- Board of Directors, Camp Kudzu
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Recognitions
The Best Lawyers in America®, Tax Law, Atlanta (2023-2026); Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2026)
Georgia Super Lawyers "Rising Star" (2014-2017)
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Publications and Speaking Engagements
- SGR Webinar – “Is Now a Good Time to Sell Your Business? Doing Deals in an Uncertain World.” – Host, September 22, 2022
- SGR Webinar – “Navigating Family Enterprises Amid COVID-19”, moderator, July 31, 2020
- CFO Leadership Council – “M&A Trends” – presenter, January 23, 2020
- CFO Leadership Council – “Law School for CFO’s” – moderator, October 18, 2018
- Association for Corporate Growth – “Deals with Globalization” – panelist, August 14, 2018
- Georgia Society of CPAs –“10 Most Important Things to Know about Buy-Sell Agreements” – presenter, July 28, 2018
- Atlanta Capital Connection – “Annual M&A Update” – panelist, February 7, 2018
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SGR Publications
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Press
- Smith Gambrell Russell Advises the Brightly Network on Successful Sale
- Smith Gambrell Russell Advises Brown & Watson Company, Inc. on a Successful Sale
- The Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 105 SGR Attorneys in 2025 Edition
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents Agrochemical Company Sipcam Agro USA in Acquisition of Odom Industries
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents EJOT Group in the Realignment of Long-Standing Industrial Fasteners Joint Venture with ATF
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents RapidIT-Cloudbera in Acquisition by Kainos Group
- The Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 102 SGR Attorneys in 2024 Edition
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents ERCO Worldwide in Vancouver Hydrogen Project with HTEC
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents CAIRE in Acquisition of MGC Diagnostics to Expand Clinical Healthcare Portfolio
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents Disclo in $5 Million Series Seed Investment Led by General Catalyst
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents Amtech in Significant Investment Led by Fire Pit Capital
- Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 91 SGR Attorneys in 2023 Edition
- Smith Gambrell Russell Represents Slope Software in $2 Million Investment Led by Tech Square Ventures
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents Ruby-Collins, Inc. in Acquisition of Southern Horizontal
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents SecurEnds, Inc. in $21 Million Series A Investment by Elephant Partners
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents Flip Electronics in Deal with O2 Investment Partners
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents RCP Equity in Investment in Citiri, Inc.
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents Astra Group in Sale to Equix
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents Georgia Pain and Wellness Center in Acquisition by Fulcrum Equity Partners
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Welcomes Partner Rett Peaden to Corporate Practice