February 4, 2021
Page 2
As to certain factual matters relevant to this opinion letter, we have relied upon the representations and warranties made in the agreements and other documents entered into or to be entered into by the Company in connection with the issuance of the Shares, including, without limitation, the Underwriting Agreement, certificates and statements of responsible officers of the Company, and certificates of public officials. Except to the extent expressly set forth herein, we have made no independent investigations with regard thereto, and, accordingly, we do not express any opinion or belief as to matters that might have been disclosed by independent verification.
In our examination of the relevant documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the accuracy and completeness of all documents submitted to us, the authenticity of all original documents, and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies (including telecopies). This opinion letter is given, and all statements herein are made, in the context of the foregoing.
Our opinion set forth below is limited to the laws of the State of Maryland, applicable provisions of the Constitution of the State of Maryland, and reported judicial decisions interpreting such laws and Constitution that, in our professional judgment, are normally applicable to transactions of the type contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, and federal laws of the United States of America to the extent referred to specifically herein, and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other laws.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject, in all respects, to the assumptions, qualifications, and limitations set forth in this opinion letter, it is our opinion that:
(1) The issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized and, upon due execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement by the parties thereto, and upon issuance and delivery of the Shares against full payment therefor as provided in the Underwriting Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable.
This opinion letter is provided for use solely in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus Supplement, and may not be used, circulated, quoted, or otherwise referred to or relied upon for any other purpose without our prior written consent, which may be granted or withheld in our sole discretion. The only opinion rendered by us consists of those matters set forth in the paragraph numbered (1) above, and no opinion may be implied or inferred beyond the opinion expressly stated. Our opinion expressed herein is as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to advise you of any changes in applicable law or any other matters that may come to our attention after the date hereof that may affect our opinion expressed herein.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement (or to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to a Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement), and to the reference to this law firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus Supplement constituting a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are an “expert” within the meaning of the Securities Act.
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