Curtis R. "Curt" Hearn

Curtis R. "Curt" Hearn


Jones Walker LLP

Recognized since 1997

New Orleans, Louisiana

Practice Areas

Corporate Law

Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Securities / Capital Markets Law

Venture Capital Law

Navigate to map location for Curtis R. "Curt" Hearn
Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Securities / Capital Markets Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Securities / Capital Markets Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2011 - Corporate Law
Spinning circle Big letter B

Curt Hearn is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. Curt served as co-leader of the Corporate Practice Group for more than 20 years, stepping down at the end of 2022. Drawing on his extensive experience and knowledge of what works — and what doesn’t — he works with firm clients to solve their most challenging, complex business and legal challenges. Curt advises private equity and venture capital firms, as well as publicly traded and privately held companies, working with them to solve their most challenging and critical business and legal challenges, including negotiating major acquisitions and dispositions, working through sensitive board fiduciary issues and conflicts, raising capital, and helping financially distressed businesses navigate competing interests as they seek to restructure their balance sheets and return to solvency. He provides sophisticated guidance at the leading edge of emerging market and regulatory developments, with an emphasis on companies in the energy, energy service, offshore wind, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics industries. As part of his extensive work in the private equity sector, Curt has advised on whole-company acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, carve-outs, and spinoffs, among other transactions. He represents clients on mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, as well as capital raising transactions. Curt also advises owners, senior executives, and boards of directors of a variety of public and private companies on matters such as compliance with US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure laws and Sarbanes-Oxley; preparing proxy materials and navigating proxy contests; implementing anti-takeover defenses, including stockholder rights plans; and drafting indemnification and employment contracts, among other corporate governance matters. Curt has been involved in numerous healthcare industry company transactions. He has represented buyers and sellers in public and private transactions involving the acquisition of hospitals and hospital groups; purchase and sale of managed healthcare plans; and purchase of companies in ancillary healthcare services such as imaging, healthcare technology, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities. He also has been lead counsel on complex healthcare joint ventures. Throughout the past decade, Curt has been a lead transactional lawyer in assisting buyer and sellers of financially distressed companies. He works closely with the firm’s bankruptcy and finance practice groups with respect to purchases and sales of distressed businesses both outside of bankruptcy and through sales completed under the administration of the bankruptcy courts. Ranked Band 1 in the area of Corporate/M&A in Chambers USA – America's Leading Lawyers for Business, he is described by clients as a "very thoughtful and articulate" professional providing "strategic negotiating advice" that draws on his "general and specialized expertise."

Location
  • 201 Saint Charles Avenue
    New Orleans, LA 70170-5100
Education
  • George Washington University, J.D., graduated 1979
  • University of Delaware, BA, graduated 1976
Bar Admissions
  • Louisiana, LA
  • Texas, TX
Affiliations
  • American Bar Association - Section on Business Law, ABA Task Force on Public Company Mergers
  • Louisiana Bar Association - Member
  • Tulane University Law School - Mergers and Acquisitions, Former Adjunct Professor

Jones Walker LLP
Headquarters: New Orleans, Louisiana

150 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

39 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

Visit Website View Firm Profile

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Securities / Capital Markets Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Securities / Capital Markets Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2011 - Corporate Law
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law, New Orleans (2024)
  • Venture Capital Law, New Orleans (2024)
  • Corporate Law, New Orleans (2019)
  • Corporate Law, New Orleans (2015)
  • Venture Capital Law, New Orleans (2013)
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law, New Orleans (2012)
  • Corporate Law, New Orleans (2011)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Corporate Law
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law
  • Venture Capital Law

Publications

Your browser is not fully compatible with our automatic printer friendly formatting.

Please use the print button to print this profile page.

Spinning circle Big letter B