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Maureen Brennan Gershanik

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Partner

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Practice Focus

Corporate Governance Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Securities, Private Equity and Venture Capital

About

Maureen Brennan Gershanik practices primarily in the areas of corporate law and governance, securities law, and mergers and acquisitions. She also advises clients on ESG initiatives.

“[Maureen] continues to exceed our every expectation! As busy she is, she always provides you with her full attention and has an uncanny ability to explain very complex matters in a way that is easily understood.” —Corporate/M&A Client, Chambers and Partners

Maureen has an active business transactional and advisory practice. She works with clients on public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, acquisition transactions, restructuring transactions, business separations, new business formations, and other transactions. She also advises a range of public companies and private businesses and counsels boards of directors on corporate governance, securities law compliance, SEC reporting, executive employment matters, and executive compensation.

Experience

  • Represents public companies, including Sanderson Farms, Inc. prior to its acquisition, in securities law matters, such as periodic SEC reporting, corporate governance, executive compensation and general counseling of the board of directors.
  • Advises a board of directors on corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability matters and investor messaging on ESG and sustainability efforts.
  • Represented Sanderson Farms, Inc. in its $120 million secondary offering of common stock and other public companies in shelf registrations.
  • Represents public and private businesses in a range of industries in merger and acquisition transactions, including representation of a public company buyer in a recent stock acquisition of an exploration and production company.
  • Represents registered broker-dealer firm in FINRA and other compliance matters.

Professional Activities & Community Involvement

  • American Bar Association, Appointed Member, Corporate Laws Committee
  • Greater New Orleans Foundation, Advisory Committee Member, Impact 100
  • Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, Member, Board of Directors
  • Louisiana State Bar Association, Past Chairperson and Council Member, Corporate and Business Law Section
  • Louisiana State Law Institute, Member, Corporations Committee

Recognitions

Media

  • Panelist, “75 Years Young: The Model Business Corporation Act and Its Relevance for Corporate Law Today,” ABA Business Law Fall Meeting, Sept. 19, 2025.
  • Panelist, “Tips for Assessing and Serving on a Non-Profit Board,” Junior League of New Orleans Get on Board seminar, Oct. 5, 2024.
  • Panelist, “Activism and ESG Considerations in Today’s World,” 35th Annual Tulane Corporate Law Institute, March 24, 2023.
  • Panelist, “ESG Considerations in Dealmaking,” 34th Annual Tulane Corporate Law Institute, March 17, 2022.

Credentials

  • J.D., Class Valedictorian, from Louisiana State University, 2000
    • Editor-in-Chief of the Louisiana Law Review
    • Order of the Coif
  • B.S.F.S., cum laude, from Georgetown University, 1992
  • Clerk to the Honorable John M. Duhé, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2000-2001
  • Louisiana
  • Texas

Notable Rankings

Maureen Gershanik 2025 Chambers BadgeLegal 500 2026 New Orleans Elite badge for Corporate and M&AMaureen Gershanik Best Lawyers: Lawyer of the Year 2026 in Corporate Law BadgeMaureen Gershanik Best Lawyers: Lawyer of the Year 2026 in Securities/Capital Markets LawMaureen Gershanik Best Lawyers 2026 Badge