Top managers and serial entrepreneurs rely on Hayden’s combination of creativity, experience and foresight to overcome the problems inherent in building, growing and selling their life-sciences and other growth companies. Forty years of experience representing private and public companies enable Hayden to provide his clients with an unmatched level of sound judgment, personal commitment and exceptional quality. Even more rare – and equally important – are his responsiveness and direct involvement which his many repeat clients value in high-stakes transactions.

Hayden knows that out-licensing transactions, acquisitions, venture capital financings, securities offerings and strategic alliances are stressful for even the most seasoned executive. He stays involved throughout the lifecycle of a company to provide consistent and practical legal advice to help his clients make informed decisions about their desired outcomes. When negotiations heat up at the eleventh hour of an important transaction or acquisition, he acts swiftly and efficiently to remove barriers and close the deal in his client’s favor.

Hayden has a unique off-duty distinction:  He owns the most important original documents in the history of baseball. The three “Laws of Base Ball” manuscripts (called the "Magna Carta of Baseball" by the official MLB historian) pertain to the 1857 Base Ball Convention in New York. The Convention adopted an official set of playing rules which introduced, for the first time, the following fundamental concepts: 9 innings; a mandatory team size of 9 players; and 90-foot basepaths. The Convention also constituted the birth of "organized baseball" and links directly to today's major leagues.  The three manuscripts were displayed as the centerpiece of a baseball exhibition at the Library of Congress from 2018-2019.

Some highlights of Hayden’s career include the following:

Working with the general counsel of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ GM: LGND), Hayden has helped Ligand establish revenue streams through drug discovery, early-stage drug development, product reformulation and partnerships. To date, Hayden has completed over 40 major out-licensing deals for Ligand with counterparties ranging from the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies to start-ups. He has also guided his client through seven buy-side acquisitions and several important strategic alliances. 

Hayden guided the CEO and CFO of Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLGN) through two registered-direct offerings which raised a total of $18 million, soon after handling the company’s complex reverse-merger transaction with a Nasdaq-listed company.  Qualigen Therapeutics is developing drugs for treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, in addition to conducting its longstanding medical diagnostics business.

Hayden has worked closely with the CEO of Emmyon, Inc., a Midwestern-based biotech with patented compounds for muscle health and metabolic health, since the company’s inception. He has assisted the company in completing two development and out-licensing deals with major multinational companies – one for use with production animals and one for use with dogs and cats – as well as Emmyon’s in-license of the patents from the University of Iowa’s technology transfer office. 

When a unit of Veritas Capital acquired Hayden’s long-term client MIR3, Inc., an intelligent mass-notifications software company, Hayden saved the deal by creatively formulating a novel two-mergers structure to resolve the buyer’s concerns about MIR3’s stockholders base.

After working directly with the CEO and CFO at all stages of the development and financing of Planet ATE, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, he led the final on-site negotiation of its acquisition by Intersil and resolved all remaining negotiation points favorably for Planet ATE to close the deal.