Aaron R. Sims practices primarily in the areas of corporate, business, and complex commercial litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Aaron also has experience litigating appeals in the Delaware Supreme Court. He has represented corporations and their directors and officers, as well as alternative entities, including limited liability companies and limited partnerships, and their boards and management. Aaron has extensive experience in a broad range of matters, including breach of fiduciary duty litigation, actions involving breach of contract and breach of operating agreements, post-merger earnout and indemnity disputes, busted deal litigation and actions involving material adverse effect provisions, advancement and indemnification suits, contests for control and director election disputes, books and records demands, stock appraisal litigation, dissolution proceedings, and actions seeking the appointment of a custodian or receiver. Aaron has also assisted companies with special investigations of alleged improper conduct in response to stockholder pre-suit demands.
Aaron has an active pro bono practice and has served as a Guardian ad Litem with Delaware’s Office of the Child Advocate since 2017.
Representative Matters
- Gilead Sciences, Inc. in litigation relating to an alleged breach of contract arising out of Gilead’s acquisition of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Directors and officers of Ambry Genetics Corporation in expedited litigation brought by a stockholder seeking to preliminarily enjoin Ambry’s acquisition by Konica Minolta, Inc.
- Kite Pharma, Inc. in stock appraisal litigation arising out of Kite’s acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Inc.
- WhistlePig, LLC in expedited litigation relating to the proper composition of the company’s Board of Managers and executive management
- A large stockholder in a fintech company in books and records litigation where the Court shifted attorneys’ fees in the stockholder’s favor
- Directors and officers of Occam Networks, Inc. in a suit by stockholders alleging breach of fiduciary duty in connection with Occam’s acquisition by Calix Inc.
- A demand review committee of a global company’s board of directors in connection with several pre-suit stockholder demands
- Directors and officers of GrowX, Inc. in connection with litigation relating to the proper composition of the company’s Board of Directors and executive management
- NAMA Holdings LLC in protracted litigation with The Related Companies relating to a breach of contract
- Altera Corporation in stock appraisal litigation in connection with Altera’s acquisition by Intel Corporation
Publications
- February 16, 2022
- Law360, March 8, 2019
- Practice Points, ABA Litigation Section, February 1, 2019
- Business Law Today, February 2016
- Washington and Lee Law Review (winner of the Washington and Lee Law Council Award for Outstanding Student Note), 2010
News
- August 17, 2023
- Promotions Further Strengthen Leading Corporate Litigation PracticeDecember 15, 2020
- August 20, 2020
- December 12, 2017
Education
Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2011
- Order of the Coif
- Managing Editor, Washington and Lee Law Review
- Roy L. Steinheimer Jr. Commercial Law Award
- American Bankruptcy Institute Medal
George Wythe University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2007
JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
- Law clerk to the Honorable Ferdinand F. Fernandez of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2012-2013
- Law clerk to the Honorable Glen E. Conrad of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, 2011-2012
Bar & Court Admissions
- Delaware, 2014
- Virginia, 2011
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
Practices
Professional Activities and Honors
The Best Lawyers in America® for Corporate Law (2024)
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® for Commercial Litigation and Corporate Law (2021)
Member, J. Reuben Clark Law Society
Associate Member, Delaware Board of Bar Examiners (2017-2018)
Attorney guardian ad litem for Delaware's Office of the Child Advocate