Bio

A seasoned corporate attorney, Corinne Sprague advises both privately held and publicly traded companies on mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, corporate planning, governance and compliance with federal and state securities laws. Over the years, she has also developed two strong financial sub-specialties in addition to her general corporate practice – regulatory work for community banks and financial institutions and assisting nonprofit issuers of securities (primarily in the impact investing space) with their debt offerings. CDFIs and similar entities meet investors’ desires to make socially responsible investments by offering notes to investors, which in turn allow these organizations to provide loans to mission-aligned organizations advancing such causes as housing, child care or the environment. In a practice that is somewhat unique to Warner, Corinne helps clients across the country issue these debt obligations, in a way that complies with both federal securities laws and state securities laws and regulations in all 50 states and various U.S. territories. Corinne also works regularly with the regional and local community banks that play such a vital role in growing, investing in and supporting their communities throughout Michigan and nearby states. Whether they are growing through acquisitions; opening, closing or moving a branch; extending loans or relief to small businesses; or skillfully conducting day-to-day operations, these banks count on Corinne to help them grow their market share and operate in a sound manner in this highly regulated space. Never losing sight of the big picture and practical necessities, even as she drills down to perfect the details, Corinne prides herself on her ability to bring order to corporate chaos. When working with family-owned businesses dealing with leadership succession, growth and multi-generational transfers, Corinne treasures the close, trusted-adviser status that so often develops. And yet she finds her M&A practice for large corporate clients to be equally rewarding, as “Both sides are usually striving to increase value and create something bold and new. Even as a zealous advocate, I almost always see an opportunity for a win, win.”