Bill Shearer has more than 40 years of experience representing public and privately traded businesses and their owners, directors, officers and managers in sales, acquisitions, financings, corporate governance matters, and dispute resolution.

In this role, he has been involved in numerous transactions totaling more than $45 billion in transaction value in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and Russia involving, among others, Gannett, Minnesota Mining & Minerals, Groupa Televisa, Havas (a subsidiary of Vivendi), CBS, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom, Infinity Outdoor, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Eller Media (a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications), Del Webb Corporation, Auto Nation, Fisher Communications, Proctor & Gamble, Nioxin and Utility Service Holding Corp.

He has served as the outside general counsel for Outdoor Systems, Inc., a NYSE company having a $7 billion plus market cap, and as the outside general counsel for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim major league baseball team.

In dispute resolution matters, he served as appellate counsel in an 8th Circuit appeal of a RICO jury verdict and obtained the reversal of the civil RICO jury verdict and a judgment of dismissal for the client. In addition, he served as trial counsel in a $350 million contract damages dispute which was successfully decided in favor of Angels Baseball after a month long jury trial and in a $100 million class action matter which was also decided in favor of Angels Baseball at the trial level. Both of these matters were affirmed on appeal. In addition, Mr. Shearer successfully negotiated the only two settlements, with a reduction of tax liability, granted by the IRS in a national tax shelter fraud investigation.

Mr. Shearer is currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Atlanta History Center and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Presbyterian College. He is Vice Chair of the board at Mercer Law School.

Mr. Shearer served as a panel member on the annual White House Conference on Consumer Awareness and the Regulation of the Financial Services Industry. He has also served as a consulting editor for Research Institute of America, the Tax Management publication division of the Bureau of National Affairs, Prentice-Hall and the Institute of Business Planning. He has conducted numerous continuing education courses for the American Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, the Georgia Society of CPAs and a wide variety of professional and business organizations.

Bar and Court Admissions

Georgia, 1966

South Carolina, 1972

Education

New York University, LL.M., 1971

Mercer University, LL.B., 1967

Presbyterian College, B.S., 1964

Professional Affiliations

• Advisory Committee to Georgia Secretary of State on Investment Advisor Revisions Law, Chairman, 1983
• Atlanta Bar Association
• International Association for Financial Planning, Board of Directors; President, 1981-1982; Chairman, 1982; and Member, 1977-1983
• International Bar Association
• Lawyers Club of Atlanta

Civic Involvement and Honors

• Best Lawyers (Mergers & Acquisitions Law, 2009 & 2010)
• Best Lawyers’ 2012 Atlanta Mergers & Acquisitions Law Lawyer of the Year
• Georgia Super Lawyer (2004-2012)
• Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law - Chairman of the Board of Visitors
• Atlanta History Center - Chairman of the Board of Trustees
• Presbyterian College - Board of Trustees, Member 2002-present; Chairman 2006-present
• Presbyterian College Foundation - Board of Trustees
• Leadership Georgia - 1982
• Presbyterian College - Board of Visitors, 1991-1992
• The Executive Committee - 1992-1998
• Lake Burton Club - Board of Advisors