Brad West
Founder, West PLC
Brad West has over 40 years of experience in corporate finance law and accounting, with a focus on complex mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private placements, and public and private securities offerings.
He has represented clients in a wide range of transactions, including:
- $90+ million in Series A, B, and C financings for a SaaS company in the healthcare sector;
- $130 million in debt and equity placements on behalf of management in a CLEC transaction;
- $47.5 million acquisition of a Canadian subsidiary of a $550 million death services company, as counsel to the acquisition management team;
- $5 million seed financing for a biotechnology startup, as counsel to the private equity investor;
- £4.5 million sale of a London- and Cheshire-based death services business, as advisor to the business owner.
Brad’s industry experience spans SaaS and software, biotechnology, homebuilding, telecommunications, oil and gas, post-life services, private equity, mezzanine and real estate finance (including CMBS), manufacturing (including Asia-based operations), consumer products, hospitality and restaurants, retail, and financial services.
Brad began his professional career as a CPA with KPMG in 1983 before transitioning to law. He practiced corporate and securities law with Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Greenberg Traurig, and was later recruited by Lowndes, Orlando’s largest law firm at the time, to build its corporate finance practice.
In 2000, Brad founded West PLC, a boutique firm dedicated to M&A, joint ventures, venture capital, mezzanine and senior debt, and private offerings of equity and hybrid securities.
Brad earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida State University in 1983 and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Miami School of Law in 1988, while working full-time at KPMG.
Shana L. Bell
Senior Counsel
Shana L. Bell is Senior Counsel at West PLC, bringing deep experience in securities regulation, corporate governance, alternative investments, and complex corporate transactions. Her background spans public and private offerings, fund formation, M&A, and regulatory compliance, including roles in both private practice and in-house at public companies.
Shana’s legal career began as a Due Diligence Analyst at a national leader in alternative investment solutions, where she supported the legal department on a wide range of public and private offerings—including REITs, mutual funds, private placements, and business development companies (BDCs). This role sparked her ongoing focus on securities law and regulatory frameworks for registered and exempt offerings.
Following law school, Shana joined a boutique law firm in 2015, where she practiced third-party due diligence on complex alternative investment products, advising independent broker-dealers and RIAs on compliance and risk matters.
She later joined an AM Law 50 firm, where her practice included:
- Mergers and acquisitions;
- Fund formation and investment structuring;
- Corporate governance for public and private companies; and
- Regulatory compliance, including under the Advisers Act and Investment Company Act.
Shana was subsequently recruited to join the legal department of a Fortune 250 public company as Director of Legal – Securities and Governance, where she served as the lead securities and governance attorney. In this role, she oversaw:
- SEC filings and disclosure;
- Board and committee governance; and
- A range of general corporate and securities law matters for a $15 billion enterprise.
Shana holds a:
- B.A. in Psychology from Rollins College (Winter Park, Florida),
- J.D. from Florida A&M University College of Law (Orlando, Florida), and
- LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation from American University Washington College of Law (Washington, D.C.).
Fern Watts
Senior Counsel
With over 30 years of experience practicing law in both New York and Florida, Fern Watts brings exceptional breadth to her corporate and securities practice. She has advised public and private companies across a wide range of industries and geographies—providing strategic counsel in public offerings, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and complex corporate reorganizations.
Fern graduated from Harvard Law School in 1982 and has since served as associate, partner, and general counsel to companies navigating both established and emerging markets. Her approach combines rigorous legal analysis with a practical understanding of how businesses operate, delivering solutions that are not only sound—but strategic.
She has acted as:
- Issuer’s and underwriter’s counsel in numerous public offerings of equity and debt securities;
- Issuer’s counsel in Rule 144A debt offerings and private placements of equity and hybrid securities;
- Lead counsel on M&A transactions, divestitures, and reorganizations;
- Advisor to public companies on disclosure, compliance, and corporate governance matters, including board-level advisory work.
Areas of Concentration
- Corporate and securities law
- Public and private securities offerings
- Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures
- Joint ventures and reorganizations
- Financing transactions
- Corporate governance
Representative Experience
- Represented RailAmerica in connection with multiple acquisitions and financing transactions.
- Represented FDP Corp. in its acquisition by SunGard.
- Served as issuer’s and underwriter’s counsel in numerous public offerings of equity and debt.
- Advised on Rule 144A debt offerings and private placements of equity.
- Represented public companies in domestic and cross-border M&A and syndicated lending transactions.
- Advised public companies in going-private transactions.
- Counseled companies throughout the capital formation lifecycle, including joint ventures and restructurings.
- Provided strategic guidance on corporate governance and shareholder agreements.
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 1982
- B.A. in Linguistics, 1979
Bar Admissions
- Florida
- New York