Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Todd Johnson's practice focuses on renewable energy companies, companies seeking to have an impact on sustainable growth, energy efficiency, the Internet, and "for-benefit" corporations. His areas of practice include corporate finance, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, corporate counseling, and mergers and acquisitions. Todd founded Jones Day's Northern California practice in 2000 by opening its office in Silicon Valley. During his 20 years at Jones Day, Todd has represented public and private corporations in a variety of major negotiated transactions (including mergers and acquisitions, private and public offerings of debt and equity securities, and special structured financing transactions designed to leverage intangible assets that are most often transnational and are sometimes structured to gain additional tax or accounting benefits), venture capital funds and private companies in venture capital investments, and directors or special committees of large public companies.

Todd has represented SunPower in its acquisition of PowerLight and in its $206.5 million public offering of common stock and its $200 million public offerings of common stock and convertible debt; Harman International (as regular outside counsel); Goldman Sachs in Solectron's sale of Klavico; Houlihan Lokey as investment advisor in Ashland, Inc.'s $2.9 billion sale of certain businesses to Marathon Oil; IBM in its acquisition of CrossAccess; Isuzu Motors of America in its North American restructuring with General Motors; SunPlus in its acquisition of the optical storage division of Oak Technology; and Metering Technology in its sale to Echelon, as well as Bank of America in nearly $20 billion in financings.

Today, Todd's practice focuses on renewable energy companies (and their suppliers), including SunPower, Emcore, and EPV, energy efficiency companies, clients focused on sustainability, Internet companies (particularly in the cause social networking space), and "for-benefit" corporations. Todd serves as regular outside counsel to SunPower Corporation, Taoit, SearchMe, Funny or Die, Green Harvest Technologies, and LaborFair.com; works regularly with partners at Sequoia Capital and other top-tier venture funds; assists Airline Reporting Corporation in strategic issues involving the airline industry; and represents a number of other founders and start-ups through the formation, venture financing, and liquidity phases.

Todd has provided pro bono assistance to several organizations, including the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, and is particularly focused in providing pro bono support to organizations seeking to expand the for-benefit sector, including the Aspen Institute, Good Capital, GlobalGiving, B Labs, and Pura Vida.

In the past year, Todd has been quoted for his work on behalf of "for-benefit" corporations in an article in a Sunday New York Times, which appeared on the front page of the business section, and in Inc. magazine in its article on B Labs.

Areas of Practice

• Energy
• Energy Renewables and Sustainable Development
• Private Equity
• Buyouts
• Fund Formation
• Venture Capital - Investor
• Venture Capital - Issuer
• Banking & Finance
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• M&A
• Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
• Climate Change
• Financial Services
• Business Restructuring & Reorganization
• Intellectual Property
• Life Sciences

Representative Cases

• Acquisition of CompuCom by Platinum Equity
• Acquisition of PowerLight Corporation
• Incorporation of U.S. subsidiary and intellectual property advice.
• Initial Public Offering
• Issuance of Shares by Market Wire, Incorporated
• Joint Venture with Oak Technology
• Private Placement
• Private Placement
• Private Placement
• Private Placement
• Private Placement
• Private Placement by Bravo Technology
• Private Placement by MarketWire, Inc.
• Private Placement by Ophthonix Inc.
• Private Placement by Uniscape Incorporated
• Public Offering
• Public Offering of Common Stock
• Public Offering of Senior Convertible Debentures
• Purchase of assets of Oak Technology, Inc.
• Sale of assets to Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and membership interest in joint venture with General Motors.
• Sale of DMAX
• Solvency Opinion in Marathon Ashland Petroleum Transaction
• U.S. restructuring

West Practice Categories

Banking & Finance Law, Business & Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Business Successions, Closely Held Businesses, Commercial Banks, Commercial Leasing, Copyrights, Corporate Governance, Credit Unions, Debtor/Creditor, Directors' & Officers' Liability, Dissolution, Formation & Business Planning, Franchising, Intellectual Property Law, International Banking, International Intellectual Property, Joint Ventures, Lending & Secured Transactions, Limited Liability Companies, Loan Workouts, Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures, Mortgages & Foreclosures, Non-profit & Tax-exempt Organizations, Partnerships, Patents, Public Finance, Reorganizations, Savings & Thrifts, Shareholders' Rights, State & Municipal Bonds & Financing, Technology Licensing, Trade Associations, Trade Dress, Trade Secrets, Trademarks, Venture Capital

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• California

Education

• Catholic Univ of America (The)

Address

1755 Embarcadero Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303

Phones

1.650.739.3999 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.650.739.3900 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com