Susan E. Pravda
Partner
Susan E. Pravda is a partner and business lawyer at 麻豆传媒. Susan鈥檚 practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, initial public offerings and related securities transactions. She is the sector head for the Health Care & Life Sciences Sector and a member of the firm鈥檚 Private Equity & Venture Capital and Transactional & Securities Practices. Susan serves as chief strategic talent acquisition partner for the firm and is a managing director of 麻豆传媒 Ventures LLC, a venture capital fund. She chaired the Technology Industry Team for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 and served on the firm鈥檚 national management committee from 2009 to 2016.
Susan represents high-growth and emerging businesses, including companies in the telecommunications, Internet, software, wireless and service industries, as well as health care IT, clinical research, life science and biotechnology companies, from start-ups to public companies.
Susan also frequently acts as special mergers and acquisitions counsel for private and public companies in the manufacturing, service, distribution, technology, health care, life science and pharma sectors, including buyers, sellers and management groups. She also advises clients with respect to valuation issues, stockholder relationships and incentive compensation plans.
Awards and Recognition
- Peer review rated as AV Preeminent庐, the highest performance rating in the Martindale-Hubbell庐 Peer Review Ratings鈩 system
- Since 2004, selected annually in the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list, an honor received by only 5% of Massachusetts attorneys
- Top 50 Female Massachusetts Super Lawyers庐 list for 2007
- Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America漏 in the field of Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2007-2024)
- In 2010 and 2012 鈥 2016, The Legal 500 recognized Susan for her work with mergers and acquisitions and venture capital and emerging companies
- Selected for inclusion in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America and Chambers USA: America鈥檚 Leading Lawyers for Business (2010 鈥 2017) for her work in venture capital investment
- Recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as a Top Women in Law Honoree for her outstanding accomplishments in the practice of law (2010)
Affiliations
- Susan serves on the boards of a number of healthcare, technology and manufacturing companies including Nexus Health Systems, Wasabi Technologies, Datavations, and Kids2.
- She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and Boston Bar Association, where she was co-chair of the Mergers & Acquisitions Committee.
Presentations and Publications
- Editor of MCLE publication, Buying and Selling a Privately Owned Business in Massachusetts
- Co-author, “Surveying the Damage: Execs from Emerging Tech Companies are Increasingly Cautious as They Face a Challenging Economy,” Deal Magazine
- Author, “Maximize VC evaluations in Uncertain Market,” Boston Women鈥檚 Business
- Author, “Get Ready to Bootstrap Your Start-Up Longer Than You Expected,” Boston Women鈥檚 Business
- Featured, “Few Certainties for Startups,” Deal Magazine
- Vistage International Mergers & Acquisitions Resource
- Guest Speaker, “Planning for Sale,” The Exit Planning Exchange (XPX)
- Speaker, “Tips to Maximize Value,” National Association of Chemical Distributors
- Speaker, “Negotiating Venture Capital Term Sheets,” Babson College
- Chair, 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Boston Emerging Technologies Conferences
- Moderator, “Growing Your Business Through Acquisitions,” 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Boston Emerging Technology Conference
- Speaker, “Finding the Money,” 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Executive Briefing Series
- Speaker, “M&A Trends and Insights,” 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Executive Briefing Series
- Speaker, “How to Prepare Your Company for Sale in Challenging Times,” 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Executive Briefing Series
- Speaker, “Building and Motivating a Management Team for Growth,” 麻豆传媒鈥檚 San Diego Emerging Technology Conference
Thought Leadership
Susan lectures frequently to businessmen/ businesswomen and professionals on buying and selling companies and is a frequent keynote presenter for Vistage International meetings nationwide. Her articles on mergers and acquisitions, creative financing tools and negotiating techniques appear in a variety of business publications. Susan’s extensive knowledge as a negotiator of mergers and acquisitions is highlighted in the book, “Swim with the Dolphins: How Women Can Succeed in Corporate America on Their Own Terms,” by Connie Glaser and Barbara Steinberg Smalley.