Patricia A. Gajda

Pat’s practice focuses on corporate and business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, general corporate counseling and securities. She negotiates complex, multi-entity acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures as well as advises clients on a variety of general corporate issues and agreements. Pat serves as an outside general counsel for many of her clients and assists in-house legal groups with overflow contract work and special projects. Pat has advised and consulted with both privately-held and publicly-traded clients. Her experience includes the negotiation and structuring of acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, private placements, equity investments, joint ventures, development agreements, licensing agreements, supply agreements, distributor agreements, sales agency agreements, limited liability company agreements, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, employment and consulting agreements, and corporate succession planning.

Experience

• Sale of a fitness business to private equity 
• Sale of a pharmacy business to a national business 
• Sale of a service industry commercial business to a large, national provider of the same services 
• Formation and negotiation of a joint venture, including the buy-out of a former venture partner; organization and structuring of subsidiary entity 
• Structuring supply, licensing, and distribution arrangements 
• Structuring and negotiation of development agreement, including equity buy-in of startup company 
• Formation of acquisition entity and preparation of equity and debt private placement offering 
• Negotiation of sale of stock of client’s business, including earn-out and later stage affiliate sale 
• Negotiation of the sale of stock of a family owned business, including earn-out, employment agreements, and consulting agreements for principals 
• Negotiation of the buy-out of a joint venture partner, including licensing rights and continuing supply agreements

Services

• Corporate & Transactional
• Closely Held & Family-Owned Businesses
• Joint Ventures, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Private Equity

1. Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D.
   • magna cum laude
2. John Carroll University, B.S.B.A.
   • magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

1. Ohio

• Named The Best Lawyers in America® Cleveland "Lawyer of the Year" for Commercial Transactions / UCC Law (2023, 2025)
• Named as one of The Best Lawyers in America® for Corporate Law (2018-2025); Commercial Transactions / UCC Law (2015-2025)
• Recognized attorney for “Notable Women in Law” by Crain’s Cleveland Business (May 2018)
• YWCA Women of Achievement (2016)
• Women in Law Making a Difference Honoree (2015)

Professional Affiliations

• Board of Bar Examiners, State of Ohio, Board Member (2015-present)
• Ohio Women's Bar Foundation, Past President 
• American Bar Association, Member 
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member 
• Ohio State Bar Association, Member 
• Ohio Women's Bar Association, Member 

Community Affiliations

• Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio, Past Board Member 
• Art Therapy Studio (fka The Art Studio) and Youth Challenge, Former Trustee and Former Co-Chair for The Art Studio's 1999 Annual Benefit 
• Case Western Reserve School of Law Alumni Board of Directors, Former Member 
• Project Learn, Former Trustee 
• Race for the Cure, Volunteer 
• Race for the Cure's 1998 "In the Pink" program, Former Co-Chair