Gerd Damsgaard Thomsen focuses her practice on securities and capital markets transactions. She works with underwriters and placement agents, and public and private companies in a wide range of capital raisings. Ms. Thomsen has been involved in a number of public and private offerings of equity securities, including IPOs, follow-ons, confidentially marketed offerings, and private offerings of common and preferred stock, including PIPEs. She also has extensive experience with debt capital markets transactions, including shelf and Rule 144A offerings, of convertible, investment grade and high-yield debt securities. Her experience covers a wide range of industry areas, including biotechnology, heathcare, technology, energy, financial services and gaming.
As part of her liability management experience, Ms. Thomsen has represented financial intermediaries in debt exchange offers involving distressed companies. She has been involved in several complex refinancing and restructuring transactions, including the recapitalizations of two of the largest banks in Iceland, and as a member of the firm’s corporate team in connection with the debt restructuring and preparation of sale of the mortgage origination and servicing platform of Residential Capital, one of the largest residential real estate finance companies in the United States.
She also counsels public and private companies in developing and maintaining corporate governance best practices, ongoing disclosure and compliance obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and NYSE and NASDAQ stock exchange requirements. Her work also involves FINRA rules and compliance for financial intermediaries.
Ms. Thomsen is recognized as a “Rising Star” by IFLR1000 2014 in the categories of Capital Markets, Equity Capital Markets and Debt Capital Markets.
Ms. Thomsen is co-author of the Annual Review of Federal Regulation of Securities published by The Business Lawyer (2012). She is also co-author of Considerations for Foreign Banks Financing in the U.S., published by International Financial Law Review (2012) and Guide to U.S. Capital Markets: Morrison & Foerster LLP published by International Financial Law Review (2012).
Ms. Thomsen resides in the firm’s San Francisco office. Prior hereto, she was resident in the firm’s New York office for several years. Before practicing in the U.S., she was with Kromann Reumert, Denmark’s premier law firm, and focused on securities transactions and cross-border M&A. While working full-time there, she also taught European Union Law at the University of Copenhagen School of Law as an assistant professor. Ms. Thomsen received her Candidata Juris in 1997 from the University of Copenhagen School of Law. She earned her LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 2002.
She is a native speaker of Danish, and is fluent in English, Swedish and Norwegian.