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 financial distress. He counsels companies in Silicon Valley and beyond on solvency issues and guides them through in-court and out-of-court restructurings, from complex chapter 11 cases to distressed M&A, debt refinancings, and assignments for the benefit of creditors.
David’s 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. He regularly advises distressed tech companies and their directors and officers on fiduciary duties and strategic alternatives.
David served as the last General Counsel—and, ultimately, CEO—of Theranos, where he led a team that secured $100M in debt financing before winding the company down. He 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 ENGAGEMENTS
In-Court
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LeFever Mattson et al., USBC, N.D. Cal. (2024-present) – lead counsel for 61 affiliated real estate investment entities in their ongoing chapter 11 cases.
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Potrero Medical, Inc., USBC, Del. (2023-2024) – represented medical device company in chapter 11 reorganization.
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San Francisco Art Institute, USBC, N.D. Cal. (2022-2023) – represented art school through debt restructuring and eventual chapter 7 filing.
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McConnell v. Grewal (In re HVI Cat Canyon, Inc.), USBC, C.D. Cal. (2022-present) – special litigation counsel for chapter 7 trustee in clawback litigation.
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PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, USBC, N.D. Cal. (2020-present) – co-counsel for the PG&E entities in their chapter 11 cases.
Out-of-Court
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Numerous tech companies in debt restructurings, distressed M&A, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and wind-downs.
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Special Committee of digital health startup in debt restructuring enabling continued operations.
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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.
* Other representations available upon request.