DAVID TAYLOR
PARTNER
direct: 650.398.7660
EDUCATION:
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Williams College (B.A., 2000)
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UC Berkeley School of Law (J.D., 2006)
ADMISSIONS:
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California, Northern District of California, Central District of California, Ninth Circuit
BIOGRAPHY
David Taylor is a trusted advisor to clients in and around financial distress. He was the last General Counsel—and, ultimately, CEO—of Theranos, where he led a team that worked to repair stakeholder relations and secure a $100M financing.
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David counsels companies in Silicon Valley and beyond on solvency issues and guides them through in-court and out-of-court restructurings. His experience and judgment have been particularly valued by venture capital- and private equity-backed companies, with which he has worked on restructurings in a variety of industries.
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David is also a seasoned litigator, having spent the first decade of his career at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, and Williams & Connolly LLP. His diverse skill set has enabled him to serve as “crisis general counsel” for clients facing an array of enterprise-scale threats.
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David has written on corporate governance, including co-authorship of “Corporate Governance for Private Companies,” and spoken on topics related to crisis management and financial distress.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Keller Benvenutti Kim LLP
Partner
(2020 – present)
Taylor Strategic PC
Owner
(2018 – 2020)
Theranos, Inc.
General Counsel
(2016 – 2018)
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Associate
(2012 – 2016)
Public Defender Service for D.C.
Attorney
(2010 – 2012)
Williams & Connolly LLP
Associate
(2006 – 2010)
sPEAKING & WRITING engagements
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“Theranos (and Someday You?) in Financial Distress: Governance, Strategy, and the Role of the GC,” TechGC Webinar (September 2023)
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“The Modern GC: The Fallacy of the Black Swan Event,” WSJ Custom Event (September 2023) – New York, NY
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“Corporate Governance for Private Companies,” Counseling California Corporations, California Continuing Education of the Bar (Co-author, 2019-2020)
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“Lessons Learned from Surviving Crises at Theranos and Beyond,” The Recorder (April 28, 2020)
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“Corporate Crises,” Berkeley Law GC Roundtable (March 2019) – San Francisco, CA
REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS
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Restructuring
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Venture-backed medical device company in successful Chapter 11 reorganization.
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Special Committee of digital health startup in debt restructuring enabling continued operations.
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Numerous distressed tech companies in scenario planning and stakeholder negotiations.
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Venture lender to solar energy company in successful debt restructuring.
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Independent directors of private equity-backed manufacturer in distressed M&A transaction.
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Special Committee of distressed oil-and-gas producer in internal review and stakeholder negotiations.
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Renowned art institute in negotiation of debt restructuring and Chapter 7 filing.
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Numerous distressed private companies in assignments to preserve asset value.
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Litigation
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Trustee in $100M+ fraudulent transfer suit against former officers of oil & gas producer.​
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Reorganized public utility company in resolution of litigation and pre-litigation bankruptcy claims.
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Fortune 50 bank in successor-liability suits stemming from acquisition of troubled mortgage lender.
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Private tech company in defense and favorable resolution of trustee’s fraudulent transfer action.
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* Other representations available upon request.