Ira has more than 24 years of experience representing clients in all aspects of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, joint ventures, and general corporate and board of director counseling. He has extensive boardroom experience and advises clients on strategic transactions, corporate governance, and board advisory matters. He is known for his problem-solving abilities, judgment, and drive to achieve positive results for his clients. He represents public companies, private companies, and entrepreneurs during all points of a company’s life cycle. His practice encompasses a multitude of diverse industries. He has counseled corporate boards and executives at a senior level dating back to the early 1990s.
Ira started his career in 1989 as an associate at an international law firm. In 1993, he joined Genesis Health Ventures, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed, health care company headquartered in Kennett Square, Pa. At Genesis, Ira served as a senior executive in the positions of vice president – office of the chairman, corporate general counsel, and corporate secretary. Ira was involved in all aspects of the company’s board of director’s activities, strategic corporate transactions, and public company representation. Ira oversaw the company’s securities filings and signed the company’s proxy statements. During his tenure, Ira was involved in more than a billion dollars of mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures assisting in the company’s growth from $200 million to more than $2.5 billion in annual revenues and 1,200 to 45,000 employees. Ira was also principally involved in the initial public offering of ElderTrust, an NYSE listed health care REIT, and its subsequent sale to Ventas, Inc., a leading health care REIT.
In 2000, Ira left Genesis to join supplyFORCE.com, a highly regarded technology startup company specializing in streamlining the supply chain for indirect materials (MRO) to Fortune 500 companies. At supplyFORCE, he served as a senior executive in the positions of senior vice president and general counsel. While supplyFORCE raised $87 million in private equity financings, he was instrumental in the company’s second round of $52 million in private equity raise, which included investments from APAX Partners (then known as Patricof & Co.) and Comcast Interactive Capital. In 2004, Ira returned to private practice, and in 2013 joined Cozen O'Connor's Corporate Practice Group.
Ira received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1989. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting, with distinction, from The George Washington University in 1986. He is a member of the accounting academic society, Beta Alpha Psi; the business academic society, Beta Gamma Sigma; and the leadership honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa. He served as president of The George Washington University Student Government and was the first-ever recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the University’s School of Government and Business Administration. He is a former alumni trustee of The George Washington University.