Melissa A. Mares

Melissa A. Mares is a project attorney in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Pittsburgh office.

Ms. Mares provides legal advice to growth companies from startup through exit as well as venture capital and private equity in their fund formation and venture capital investments.

Ms. Mares acts as an outside general counsel to her clients, where she works with a team of lawyers to provide advice in all areas that affect their business. These activities include, among others, establishing the form of entity, developing and implementing equity compensation plans, negotiating and drafting material contracts, structuring financings, acquisitions and divestitures and overseeing and managing entire business deals. She also counsels boards of directors and senior management on corporate governance, securities laws and other strategic matters.

Prior to joining Pepper, Ms. Mares was a business associate attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. Before that, she was a corporate governance attorney at the Delaware law firm of Richards, Layton & Finger.

Ms. Mares also enjoys coaching basketball and gymnastics.