Maria (Alice) Alvares Dias

Alice Dias joined Smith Anderson in 2019. Her practice focuses on corporate law, banking and finance matters, and complex commercial transactions. She advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, collaborations and alliances, loans and debt, and international restructurings.

Prior to joining Smith Anderson, Alice was a senior associate at a highly respected full-service law firm in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she advised Brazilian and multinational companies on a broad array of corporate legal issues, including public and private companies working in regulated sectors, with a strong focus on the life sciences, tech, and engineering industries.

Alice advises clients in Portuguese and English, and is conversant in Spanish and French.

NOT ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN NORTH CAROLINA

Recognition

• Justin Miller Award for Leadership and Community Participation at Duke Law School
• Member of the Executive Board of the Duke Bar Association, as an LL.M. representative, while attending the Duke University LL.M. program

Education

• Duke University, LL.M., 2019
  • Certificate in Business Law
• Insper Institute of Education, Certificates in Business Administration and in People Management, 2018 (Brazil)
• Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo, LL.B., 2012 (Brazil)

Bar & Court Admissions

• Duke Law
  • Alumni Association Board of Directors
  • International Advisory Board 

• Advised a leading pharmaceutical and biotech contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in a definitive agreement to acquire a preferred provider of cGMP Biostorage and pharma support services for an undisclosed amount.
• Advised a middle-market private equity fund in its acquisition of a single-source regulatory, compliance, pharmacovigilance and medical information service provider.
• Advised a leading provider of patient affordability, access, adherence, and support services in a definitive agreement to acquire a healthcare information management software company.
• Advised a bank in a $2,359,900 financing of a search fund’s acquisition of a provider of healthcare analytics solutions.
• Advised a bank in a $7,500,000 syndicated financing to a dental service organization (DSO) to refinance existing debt and complete orthodontic acquisitions.
• Advised a bank in a $6,000,000 financing supporting a sponsor-backed acquisition of a cosmetic and preventative skincare clinic.
• Advised a leading global information provider in its worldwide corporate and financing restructuring.
• Advised a building supply company in the acquisition of a majority of the outstanding membership interests of a siding, roofing and decking installation company.

• Advised a contract research organization in a definitive agreement to acquire a specialized contract research organization for the biotechnology industry.

Prior to joining Smith Anderson, Alice:

• Represented multiple pharmaceutical companies in negotiating clinical and commercial manufacture and supply agreements.
• Represented a leading pharmaceutical company in negotiating and implementing a Productive Development Partnership in Brazil to transfer production knowhow to a government-funded lab, guaranteeing a growing access of the population to health care technologies.
• Advised global companies in connection with strategic mergers and acquisitions.
• Prepared, reviewed, and negotiated a wide range of agreements, including master service agreements, service level agreements, purchase and sale agreements, supply agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements and joint development agreements.