Damon O. Barry is the managing partner of Ballard Spahr’s Denver and Boulder offices and is a member of the firm’s expanded board. As an experienced mergers and acquisitions and government affairs attorney, Barry solves problems for his clients and assists companies with complex business and legal transactions. He advises and represents both buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, and sophisticated commercial transactions. Barry’s clients include directors and executives of public companies, owners of closely held companies, executives and directors of government agencies and others in a wide range of industries including software and technology, retail, hospitality, food and beverage, real estate, cannabis, financial services, government, and manufacturing. He also advises professional athletes and coaches on sports law matters. A former in-house counsel, Barry routinely advises corporate legal departments as well as serving as outside general counsel for middle-market companies. Barry spent more than a decade at a publicly traded, multinational corporation where he served as vice president of business affairs, assistant general counsel (deputy), and corporate secretary. In that role, he advised the executive team and provided oversight on the operational and legal aspects of all business operations, including corporate growth strategies, corporate governance, and oversight of regional operations in Europe and Central and Latin America. In this position, Barry played a key role in a number of mergers, acquisitions, and commercial transactions exceeding $3.5 billion in value. Barry is a co-leader of the firm’s cannabis team in which he provides strategic advice to organizations as they navigate the patchwork of state and federal laws governing cannabis use.