Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)

Registration Statement No. 333-163861

PROSPECTUS

$200,000,000

 

 

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

 

 

 

 

We may offer and sell from time to time common stock, preferred stock, debt securities or warrants, either together or separately. The total aggregate offering price for these securities will not exceed $200,000,000.

 

This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which we will offer them. Each time that we offer and sell securities using this prospectus, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities and their terms and the manner in which we will offer them for sale. The supplement also may add or update information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, any post-effective amendment and any supplement to this prospectus, as well as any documents we have incorporated into this prospectus by reference, before you invest in any of these securities.

 

We may offer and sell these securities through underwriters, dealers or agents, or directly to purchasers. We will provide the names of any such agents and underwriters used in connection with the sale of any of these securities, as well as any fees, commissions or discounts we may pay to such agents and/or underwriters in connection with the sale of these securities, in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

 

 

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “DM.” Any common stock we sell under this prospectus, as it may be supplemented, will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance.

 

 

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 2.

 

 

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

 

 

The date of this Prospectus is January 27, 2010

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this process, we may sell the securities, or combinations of the securities, from time to time in one or more transactions, up to a total dollar amount of $200,000,000. In this prospectus, we provide you with a general description of the securities that we may offer for sale. When we offer a type of securities for sale under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe in more detail the specific information about the terms of those securities and the manner in which they will be offered for sale. Information that we provide in a prospectus supplement may add to, update or change information we have provided in this prospectus or in the documents we have incorporated in this prospectus by reference. Before buying any securities being offered under this prospectus, you should carefully read this prospectus, all applicable prospectus supplements as well as the information we have incorporated by reference.

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any supplement to this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. If anyone provides you with different or additional information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any supplement is accurate as of its date only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

In this prospectus, unless the context requires otherwise, the terms “company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Dolan Media Company and its consolidated subsidiaries.

 

We are a leading provider of necessary business information and professional services to the legal, financial and real estate sectors in the United States. We serve our customers through two complementary operating divisions: Professional Services and Business Information. Our Professional Services Division provides specialized outsourced services to the legal profession. Through our subsidiary, NDeX, we provide mortgage default processing services to eight law firms and also directly to mortgage lenders and loan servicers on California foreclosure files. Counsel Press provides appellate services to law firms and attorneys nationwide and DiscoverReady, which we acquired on November 2, 2009, provides outsourced discovery management and document review services to major United States companies and their counsel. Our Business Information Division publishes business journals, court and commercial newspapers and other publications, operates web sites and e-mail notification systems and conducts a broad range of events for targeted professional audiences in the 21 geographic markets that it serves in the United States.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 222 South Ninth Street, Suite 2300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 and our telephone number is (612) 317-9420. Our web site address is www.dolanmedia.com. Information on our web site does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

For additional information concerning us, please refer to the documents incorporated by reference that are listed under the caption “Documents Incorporated by Reference.”

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks incorporated by reference herein that are described under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and Item 1A of Part II of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 7, 2009, and November 6, 2009, as well as any applicable prospectus supplement and the reports we file from time to time with the SEC that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. If any of the events described in such “Risk Factors” section occurs or the risks described in such “Risk Factors” section actually materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or prospects could be materially adversely affected.

 

This prospectus contains and/or incorporates by reference forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. Forward-looking statements are statements such as those contained in projections, plans, objectives, estimates and anticipated future economic performance, as well as assumptions relating to any of the foregoing. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. We have tried to identify forward-looking statements by using words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “goal,” “continue” and similar expressions or terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to us and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include:

 

 

 

See “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and Item 1A of Part II of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the second and third quarters of 2009, as well as in our other reports filed from time to time with the SEC that are incorporated in this prospectus by reference and in any applicable prospectus supplement, for a description of these and other risks, uncertainties and factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

 

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason after the date of this prospectus.

 

The table below sets forth our historical consolidated ratio of earnings to fixed charges and ratio of combined fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings for the periods indicated. Earnings available to cover fixed charges include pretax income (loss) from continuing operations before non-controlling interest and income (loss) from equity investees. Fixed charges consist of interest expensed and capitalized, amortization of debt issuance costs, preferred security dividend requirements of our consolidated subsidiaries and that portion of our rental expense that we believe to be a reasonable approximation of the interest. Preference security dividends are the amount of pre-tax earnings that is required to pay the dividends on outstanding preference securities. See Exhibit 12 filed with the registration statement to which this prospectus is a part for a statement setting forth the computation of these ratios.

 

 

 

 

For the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, the ratio of earnings to fixed charges indicates less than one-to-one coverage. Accordingly, the dollar amount of the deficiency is $46.0 million, $14.6 million and $3.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

 

Unless we otherwise specify in any applicable prospectus supplement, we expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including for acquisitions, capital expenditures, the repayment of debt, and working capital. However, unless we receive a waiver from the lenders under our credit facility, we will be required to apply 50% of the net proceeds from the sale of any equity securities under this prospectus to the repayment of debt outstanding under our $200 million credit facility. We may provide additional information regarding the use of net proceeds from the sale of these securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings: common stock; preferred stock; debt securities; and/or warrants. The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus summarize the material general terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any securities the particular terms of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, the terms of the securities may differ from the terms we have summarized below. We will also include in the prospectus supplement information, where applicable, about material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the securities, and the securities exchange or market, if any, on which the securities will be listed.

 

The following summary describes the material terms of our capital stock and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws that are included as exhibits to certain of the documents incorporated by reference below and by the provisions of applicable Delaware law. We refer you to the foregoing documents and to Delaware law for a detailed description of the provisions summarized below.

 

General

 

We are authorized to issue 70,000,000 shares of common stock, $.001 par value, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $.001 par value. As of January 15, 2010, there were approximately (x) 30,325,865 shares of common stock issued and outstanding held by approximately 1,760 holders of record and (y) no shares of preferred stock outstanding. We have designated 5,000 shares of series A junior participating preferred stock, as a series of preferred stock, in connection with our adoption of a stockholder rights plan on January 29, 2009.

 

Common Stock

 

If we offer shares of our common stock for sale under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that describes the terms of the offering, including the number of shares offered and the offering price.

 

Voting Rights.  Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders.

 

Dividends.  Subject to the rights of the holders of any preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for dividends. We have not historically declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock.

 

Other Rights.  In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preference, if any, of any then outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights and have no subscription, redemption or conversion privileges. All outstanding shares of common stock are, and all shares of common stock issued by us in an offering under this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement will be, fully paid and nonassessable. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock which our board of directors may designate and that we may issue in one or more offerings under this prospectus or at other times in the future.

 

Stockholder Rights Plan.  On January 29, 2009, our board adopted a Stockholder Rights Plan, which is designed to protect our stockholders from potentially coercive takeover practices or takeover bids and to prevent an acquirer from gaining control of the company without offering a fair price to our stockholders. The plan is not intended to deter offers that are fair or otherwise in the best interests of our stockholders.

 

This plan is similar to plans that other public companies have adopted and our adoption of this plan was not prompted by any external actions. We have received no hostile communications or takeover approaches of any kind. We adopted the plan to give our board time to evaluate and respond to any unsolicited future attempts to acquire our company. In connection with the adoption of this plan, our board declared a dividend of one Series A junior participating preferred stock purchase right for each outstanding share of our common stock, payable to the stockholders of record on February 9, 2009. Please see our current report on Form 8-K and the registration statement on Form 8-A, each dated February 3, 2009, and incorporated in this prospectus by reference for more information about the terms of our stockholder rights plan.

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar.  The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is BNY Mellon Shareholder Services. Their address is BNY Mellon Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 358015, Pittsburgh, PA 15252-8015 and their telephone number is 1-800-953-2495.

 

Listing.  Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “DM.” Any common stock we sell under this prospectus, as it may be supplemented, will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance.

Preferred Stock

 

We are authorized to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series, with such designations, preferences and relative, participating, option and other special rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions as determined by our board of directors, without any further vote or action by our stockholders, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences.

 

Our board may fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designations of these series by adopting a certificate of designation relating to each series. The prospectus supplement relating to each series will specify the terms of the preferred stock, including:

 

 

You should also refer to the applicable certificate of designation for complete information about the terms, preferences and rights related to a particular series of our preferred stock, which we will incorporate as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The prospectus supplement will contain a description of United States federal income tax consequences relating to the preferred stock, to the extent applicable.

 

Our issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. Our issuance of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock or could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock.

 

Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Our Second Amended and Restated By-Laws and Delaware Law

 

Authorized but Unissued Shares.  The authorized but unissued shares of our common stock and our preferred stock will be available for future issuance without any further vote or action by our stockholders. These additional shares may be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of our common stock and our preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control over us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

Stockholder Action; Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals.  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws require that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by a consent in writing. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also requires that special meetings of stockholders be called only by our board of directors, our chairman or our president. In addition, our by-laws provide that candidates for director may be nominated and other business brought before an annual meeting only by

the board of directors or by a stockholder who gives written notice to us no later than 90 days prior to nor earlier than 150 days prior to the first anniversary of the last annual meeting of stockholders. These provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control of our management, which could depress the market price of our common stock.

 

Number, Election and Removal of the Board of Directors.  As of the date of this prospectus, our board of directors consisted of seven directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes a board of directors consisting of at least five, but no more than eleven, members, with the number of directors to be fixed from time to time by a resolution of the majority of our board of directors (or by a duly adopted amendment to our certificate of incorporation). Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class shall consist of one-third of the directors. At each annual meeting of stockholders, a class of directors will be elected for a three-year term to succeed the directors of the same class whose terms are then expiring. As a result, a portion of our board of directors will be elected each year. The division of our board of directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms may delay or prevent a change of our management or a change in control. Between stockholders meetings, directors may be removed by our stockholders only for cause and the board of directors may appoint new directors to fill vacancies or newly created directorships. These provisions may deter a stockholder from removing incumbent directors and from simultaneously gaining control of the board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. Consequently, the existence of these provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, which could depress the market price of our common stock.

 

Delaware Anti-Takeover Law.  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law, will apply to us. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless the “business combination” or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own, 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock.

 

General

 

The debt securities that we may offer by this prospectus consist of notes, debentures, or other evidences of indebtedness. Any debt securities that we offer and sell will be our direct obligations. Debt securities may be issued in one or more series. All debt securities of any one series need not be issued at the same time, and unless otherwise provided, a series of debt securities may be reopened, with the required consent of the holders of outstanding debt securities, for issuance of additional debt securities of that series or to establish additional terms of that series of debt securities (with such additional terms applicable only to unissued or additional debt securities of that series). The form of indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and is subject to any amendments or supplements that we may enter into with the trustee(s). The material terms of the indenture are summarized below and we refer you to the indenture for a detailed description of these material terms. Additional or different provisions that are applicable to a particular series of debt securities will, if material, be described in a prospectus supplement relating to the offering of debt securities of that series. These provisions may include, among other things and to the extent applicable, the following:

 

 

 

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue debt securities in fully registered form without coupons and in denominations of $1,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000, and interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30 day months. If any interest payment date or the maturity date falls on a day that is not a business day, then the payment will be made on the next business day without additional interest and with the same effect as if it were made on the originally scheduled date. “Business day” means any calendar day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in New York, New York, and on which the trustee and commercial banks are open for business in New York, New York.

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the trustee will act as paying agent and registrar for the debt securities under the indenture. We may act as paying agent under the indenture.

 

The prospectus supplement will contain a description of United States federal income tax consequences relating to the debt securities, to the extent applicable.

 

Covenants

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe any covenants, such as restrictive covenants restricting us or any of our subsidiaries from incurring, issuing, assuming or guarantying any indebtedness or restricting us or any of our subsidiaries from paying dividends or acquiring any of our or its capital stock.

 

Consolidation, Merger and Transfer of Assets

 

The indenture permits a consolidation or merger between us and another entity and/or the sale, conveyance or lease by us of all or substantially all of our property and assets, provided that:

 

 

 

If we consolidate or merge with or into any other entity, or sell or lease all or substantially all of our assets in compliance with the terms and conditions of the indenture, the resulting or acquiring entity will be substituted for us in the indenture and the debt securities with the same effect as if it had been an original party to the indenture and the debt securities. As a result, such successor entity may exercise our rights and powers under the indenture and the debt securities, in our name and, except in the case of a lease, we will be released from all our liabilities and obligations under the indenture and under the debt securities.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may transfer all of our property and assets to another entity if, immediately after giving effect to the transfer, such entity is our wholly owned subsidiary. The term “wholly owned subsidiary” means any subsidiary in which we and/or our other wholly owned subsidiaries own all of the outstanding capital stock.

 

Modification and Waiver

 

Under the indenture, some of our rights and obligations and some of the rights of the holders of the debt securities may be modified or amended with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities affected by the modification or amendment. However, the following modifications and amendments will not be effective against any holder without its consent:

 

 

Under the indenture, the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities may, on behalf of all holders of the debt securities:

 

 

Events of Default

 

Unless we indicate otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, “event of default” under the indenture will mean, with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

 

 

If an event of default occurs and continues, the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series may declare the entire principal of all the debt securities to be due and payable immediately, except that, if the event of default is caused by certain events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the entire principal of all of the debt securities of such series will become due and payable immediately without any act on the part of the trustee or holders of the debt securities. If such a declaration occurs, the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series can, subject to conditions, rescind the declaration. In addition, if there is an “event of default” under the indenture, it may trigger an event of default under our credit agreement.

 

The indenture requires us to furnish to the trustee not less often than annually, a certificate from our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer, as the case may be, as to such officer’s knowledge of our compliance with all conditions and covenants under the indenture. The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any default, except defaults in the payment of principal of or interest on any debt securities if the trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of notice is in the best interests of the holders. For purposes of this paragraph, “default” means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an event of default under the indenture.

 

The trustee is not obligated to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request, order or direction of any holders of debt securities, unless the holders offer the trustee satisfactory security or indemnity. If satisfactory security or indemnity is provided, then, subject to other rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities may direct the time, method and place of:

 

 

The holder of a debt security will have the right to begin any proceeding with respect to the indenture or for any remedy only if:

 

 

However, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute right to receive payment of principal of and interest on the debt security when due and to institute suit to enforce this payment.

 

Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance

 

Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.  Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, if at any time,

 

 

then the indenture shall cease to be of further effect with respect to the debt securities of such series, except for (a) rights of registration of transfer and exchange, and our right of optional redemption, (b) substitution of mutilated, defaced, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, (c) rights of holders to receive payments of principal thereof and interest thereon upon the original stated due dates therefor (but not upon acceleration) and remaining rights of the holders to receive mandatory sinking fund payments, if any, (d) the rights, obligations and immunities of the trustee under the indenture, and (e) the rights of the holders of such series of debt securities as beneficiaries thereof with respect to the property so deposited with the trustee payable to all or any of them.

 

Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance.  Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may elect with respect to any debt securities of any series either:

 

 

We must comply with the following conditions before the defeasance or covenant defeasance can be effected:

 

 

In connection with defeasance, any irrevocable trust agreement contemplated by the indenture must include, among other things, provision for (a) payment of the principal of and interest on such debt securities, if any, appertaining thereto when due (by redemption, sinking fund payments or otherwise), (b) the payment of the expenses of the trustee incurred or to be incurred in connection with carrying out such trust provisions, (c) rights of registration, transfer, substitution and exchange of such debt securities in accordance with the terms stated in the indenture, and (d) continuation of the rights, obligations and immunities of the trustee as against the holders of such debt securities as stated in the indenture.

 

The accompanying prospectus supplement may further describe any provisions permitting or restricting defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to the debt securities of a particular series.

 

Global Securities

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, each debt security offered by this prospectus will be issued in the form of one or more global debt securities representing all or part of that series of debt securities. This means that we will not issue certificates for that series of debt securities to the holders. Instead, a global debt security representing that series will be deposited with, or on behalf of, a securities depositary and registered in the name of the depositary or a nominee of the depositary. Any such depositary must be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act. We will describe the specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to a series of debt securities to be represented by a global security in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Notices

 

We will give notices to holders of the debt securities by mail at the addresses listed in the security register. In the case of notice in respect of unregistered securities or coupon securities, we may give notice by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in New York, New York.

Governing Law

 

The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

 

Regarding the Trustee

 

From time to time, we may maintain deposit accounts and conduct other banking transactions with the trustee to be appointed under the indenture or its affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

 

Outstanding Indebtedness

 

On August 8, 2007, we, including our consolidated subsidiaries, entered into a second amended and restated credit agreement, effective August 8, 2007, with a syndicate of bank lenders and U.S. Bank National Association, as LC bank and lead arranger and as agent for the lenders, for a $200 million senior secured credit facility comprised of a term loan facility in an initial aggregate amount of $50 million due and payable in quarterly installments with a final maturity date of August 8, 2014 and a revolving credit facility in an aggregate amount of up to $150 million with a final maturity date of August 8, 2012. At any time the outstanding principal balance of revolving loans under the revolving credit facility exceeds $25 million, such revolving loans will convert to an amortizing term loan, in an amount that we designate if we give notice, due and payable in quarterly installments with a final maturity date of August 8, 2014. As of January 15, 2010, we had $143.5 million outstanding under our term loan, and $13.0 million outstanding balance under our revolving variable-rate credit facility and available capacity of approximately $27.0 million, after taking into account the senior leverage ratio requirements under the credit agreement.

 

Our obligations under the credit agreement are the joint and several liabilities of us and our consolidated subsidiaries and are secured by liens on substantially all of the assets of such entities, including pledges of equity interests in the consolidated subsidiaries. Our credit agreement prohibits redemptions and provides that in the event we issue any additional equity securities, 50% of the cash proceeds of the issuance must be paid to our lenders in satisfaction of any outstanding indebtedness. Our credit agreement also contains a number of negative covenants that limit us from, among other things and with certain thresholds and exceptions, merging, consolidating or entering into a reorganization or similar transaction with another person, incurring indebtedness (including guarantee obligations) or liens, paying dividends, redeeming or repurchasing shares or making other payments in respect of capital stock. As of the date of this prospectus, we are in compliance with these covenants.

 

We may offer to sell warrants from time to time. If we do so, we will describe the specific terms of the warrants in a prospectus supplement. In particular, we may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may also issue warrants independently or together with other securities and the warrants may be attached to or separate from those securities.

 

We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We will enter into the warrant agreement with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.

 

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:

 

 

 

You may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with other requested information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent.

 

Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If you exercise fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate, then we will issue you a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants.

 

You will not have any of the rights of the holders of the securities purchasable upon the exercise of warrants until you exercise them. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to, among other things, vote or receive dividend payments or similar distributions on the securities you can purchase upon exercise of the warrants.

 

The information provided above is only a summary of the terms under which we may offer warrants for sale. Accordingly, please carefully review the applicable warrant agreement for more information about the specific terms and conditions of these warrants before investing in us. In addition, please carefully review the information provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, which contains additional information that is important for you to consider in evaluating an investment in our securities.

 

We may sell the securities covered by this prospectus from time to time at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at negotiated prices or at fixed prices, which may change from time to time. We may sell the securities directly to one or more purchasers; through agents; to dealers; through underwriters, brokers or dealers; or through a combination of any of these sales methods. We reserve the right to accept or reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of securities, whether the purchase is to be made directly or through agents.

 

Each time that we use this prospectus to sell our securities, we will also provide a prospectus supplement that contains the specific terms of the offering, including:

 

 

 

Only underwriters that we have named in the prospectus supplement will be underwriters of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

 

If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement, other than securities covered by any over-allotment option. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.

 

We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, our agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

 

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

 

We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to these liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

 

All securities we may offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

 

Any underwriter may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, short-covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum price. Syndicate-covering or other short-covering transactions involve purchases of the securities, either through exercise of the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution is completed, to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a stabilizing or covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.

 

Under the securities laws of some states, to the extent applicable, the securities may be sold in such states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the securities may not be sold unless such securities have been registered or qualified for sale in such state or an exemption from registration or qualification is available and is complied with.

 

The validity of the issuance of the securities that are covered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Chicago, Illinois. Further, to the extent that we use any underwriters or agents in connection with any offering of the securities, we expect that the counsel for such underwriters and/or agents will pass upon the validity of the securities as well.

 

McGladrey & Pullen, LLP, an independent registered accounting firm, has audited (1) the consolidated financial statements of Dolan Media Company and its subsidiaries as of December, 31, 2007 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007, and 2008; (2) the consolidated financial statements of National Default Exchange Holdings, LP (and Predecessor) as of December 31, 2006 and 2007 and for the years ended December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007; (3) the consolidated financial statements of The Detroit Legal News Publishing, LLC for the year ended December 31, 2006; and (4) the internal control over financial reporting of Dolan Media Company and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008, all incorporated by reference in this prospectus. These financial statements are so incorporated by reference in reliance upon McGladrey & Pullen’s reports dated December 18, 2009 (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph referring to the retrospective adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements — an amendment of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51), September 2, 2008, April 25, 2007, and March 11, 2009, and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The financial statements of The Detroit Legal News Publishing, LLC for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2008, incorporated by reference in this prospectus, have been audited by Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (f/k/a Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP), an independent registered public accounting firm, and are so incorporated by reference in reliance upon its report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read, without charge, and copy the documents we file at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C., at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at no cost from the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. Our shares of common stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and you can inspect our reports, proxy statements and other information at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act for the securities being offered by us. This prospectus does not contain all of the information in the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules that were filed with the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and our securities, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits that were filed with the registration statement. Statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus about the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement are not necessarily complete, and we refer you to the full text of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Anyone may obtain the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules from the SEC.

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that we filed separately with the SEC. Information in this prospectus updates, and in some cases supersedes, information incorporated by reference from documents we have filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus, while information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and, in some cases, supersede the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

The following documents that we have previously filed with the SEC are incorporated by reference into this prospectus:

 

 

In addition, all documents filed by us under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus and prior to the sale of all of the securities covered by this prospectus are incorporated by reference into, and deemed a part of, this prospectus from the date of filing of those documents.

 

Copies of these filings are available free of charge on our web site, www.dolanmedia.com. In addition, if you request, either orally or in writing, we will provide you with a copy of any or all documents that are incorporated by reference. These documents will be provided to you free of charge, but will not contain any exhibits, unless those exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into a document. You should direct any requests for documents to Dolan Media Company, Attention: Corporate Secretary, 222 South Ninth Street, Suite 2300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, telephone: (612) 317-9420.