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Emily Wang Murphy

Emily Wang Murphy

Partner

Washington, D.C.
202 585 6939 202 585 6939 direct


  • OVERVIEW
  • EXPERIENCE
  • INSIGHTS
  • NEWS & EVENTS

INDUSTRIES

PRACTICES

  • Education

    • Georgetown University Law Center,

      J.D., 2004

      Georgetown Journal of International Law, Notes and Articles Editor

    • Emory University,

      B.A., magna cum laude, 2000

  • Admissions

    • District of Columbia

    • New Jersey

    • New York

    • New Jersey USDC

  • Affiliations

    • Asian Pacific American Bar Association - DC

    • Taiwanese American Lawyers Committee - DC

  • Employment

    • Thompson Coburn LLP

      Partner, 2016-Present

      Associate, 2014-2015

    • Venable LLP

      Associate, 2006-2010

    • Dow Lohnes PLLC

      Associate, 2004-2006

    • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

      Judicial Intern to the Honorable Ellen Segal Huvelle, 2002

    • Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP

      Law Clerk, 2000-2002

  • Languages

    • Mandarin Chinese

  • Community

    • Lawyers Have Heart Executive Leadership Team

      Member, 2016-2017; 2018-2021

      Co-chair, 2017-2018

Clients have consistently praised Emily for her "practical, common sense solutions" and "natural instincts" for deal flow.

She counsels company owners, executives and boards on both their short-term and long-term business goals. Her clients range from start-ups to established companies, including a large government-sponsored enterprise and many institutions of higher learning. She is fortunate to serve as a trusted advisor to both non-profit and for-profit organizations as they tackle numerous strategic transactions, business contracts and corporate governance matters. While her clients run the gamut from global manufacturers to EdTech to closely-held businesses, Emily has a special focus in federally regulated areas, including government contracts and higher education.

Emily has successfully closed a variety of complex transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; equity and debt financings; and commercial finance transactions. She finds it particularly rewarding to support the education sector, including colleges and universities, so that they in turn can provide accessible education to countless individuals. She has served as legal counsel in numerous strategic transactions involving secondary and postsecondary institutions, including stock and asset acquisitions, institutional mergers and sole member installations.

In addition, Emily practices in the area of export finance, serving as outside counsel to the U.S. Export-Import Bank. She has closed corporate, asset-backed and small project financings, supporting American exports to and financings in Morocco, Gabon, Nigeria, Turkey and Mexico, among other countries.

Emily is a member of the Firm's Diversity Committee and the Joint Subcommittee on Professional Development. She is also co-chair of the Asian South Asian Middle Eastern Affinity Group and serves as the Partner Champion for the Firm's collaboration with Diversity Lab's OnRamp Fellowship program.

Representative Matters

Represented a private client with an acquisition valued at $375 million in the manufacturing sector.

Represented a non-profit institution of higher learning with the acquisition of a second non-profit institution, resulting in a combined institution of nearly 6,000 students.

Represented a target company in a merger transaction valued at over $100 million with a publicly-traded fund management services company.

Represented an international corporation with the acquisition of a majority stake in a U.S. subsidiary in the manufacturing sector.

Represented a large U.S. conglomerate with the acquisition of multiple subsidiaries in the manufacturing sector.

Represented an EdTech company in a sale transaction to a publicly-traded multinational publishing company.

Represented a large publicly traded company in connection with the offering of $725 million in senior notes.

Represented an American media company in connection with the acquisition of certain NBC television stations for $600 million.

Represented a hedge fund firm in connection with the divestiture of cable systems to Columbus Investments, Inc. for $162 million.

Represented a public company in connection with the equity offering of $50 million in common stock.

Represented a private equity fund in the acquisition of several higher education institutions for $10 million in the aggregate.

Represented a private client in connection with the private placement of $300 million in senior secured notes, as well as a loan refinancing in the amount of $30 million.

TCLEs

Intellectual Property 101 in Higher Ed: Trademarks, Patents, and Online Protection

The Value of Cyber and Privacy Diligence

Higher Education Transactions: Valuation & Structure

Merging Institutions of Higher Education: Corporate and Tax Considerations

Mergers and Acquisitions in Higher Education: Key Points of the Letter of Intent

Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act)

Thompson Coburn Publications

Diversity-related derivative actions are on the rise, and Corporate America is on edge

Three key elements of good corporate governance

Blogs

Mergers and acquisitions in higher education: Considering the letter of intent

Publications

"Diversity-related derivative actions are on the rise, and Corporate America is on edge,"
September 4, 2020

"Three Key Elements of Good Corporate Governance,"
October 16, 2019

"Mergers and Acquisitions in Higher Education: Considering the Letter of Intent,"
September 10, 2018

“Raising Capital through Crowdfunding,"
BISA OneSource, September 2015

Presentations

"Higher Education Transactions: Valuation & Structure,"
TCLE Webinar, February 23, 2021

"Merging Institutions of Higher Education: Corporate and Tax Considerations,"
TCLE Webinar, October 16, 2019

"Mergers and Acquisitions in Higher Education: Key Points of the Letter of Intent,"
TCLE Webinar, September 12, 2018

"Evolving Role of the Corporate Secretary, 101, 201 and Current Hot Issues,"
Corporate Law Forum: Corporate Governance Conference, July 12, 2018

"The Role of In-House Counsel in Corporate Governance,"
Association of Corporate Counsel, May 2017

"Structuring International Recruiting and Marketing Arrangements,"
APSCU, June 2016

"Government Contracts M&A,"
October 2015

"Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act),"
May 2015