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 was 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.
David 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 debt negotiation, distressed M&A, and assignments for the benefit of creditors. 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.
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 ENGAGEMENTS
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​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.
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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.
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* Other representations available upon request.