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Speaking & Writing
Professional Experience
Representative Clients
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DAVID TAYLOR

PARTNER
direct: 650.398.7660
EDUCATION:
  • Williams College (B.A., 2000)
  • UC Berkeley School of Law (J.D., 2006)
ADMISSIONS:
  • 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.

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.  

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.  

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
  • “Theranos (and Someday You?) in Financial Distress: Governance, Strategy, and the Role of the GC,” TechGC Webinar (September 2023)

  • “The Modern GC: The Fallacy of the Black Swan Event,” WSJ Custom Event (September 2023) – New York, NY

  • “Corporate Governance for Private Companies,” Counseling California Corporations, California Continuing Education of the Bar (Co-author, 2019-2020)

  • “Lessons Learned from Surviving Crises at Theranos and Beyond,” The Recorder (April 28, 2020)

  • “Corporate Crises,” Berkeley Law GC Roundtable (March 2019) – San Francisco, CA 

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS
  • Restructuring 

    • Venture-backed medical device company in successful Chapter 11 reorganization.

    • Special Committee of digital health startup in debt restructuring enabling continued operations.

    • Numerous distressed tech companies in scenario planning and stakeholder negotiations.

    • Venture lender to solar energy company in successful debt restructuring.

    • Independent directors of private equity-backed manufacturer in distressed M&A transaction.

    • Special Committee of distressed oil-and-gas producer in internal review and stakeholder negotiations.

    • Renowned art institute in negotiation of debt restructuring and Chapter 7 filing.

    • Numerous distressed private companies in assignments to preserve asset value.

  • Litigation

    • Trustee in $100M+ fraudulent transfer suit against former officers of oil & gas producer.​

    • Reorganized public utility company in resolution of litigation and pre-litigation bankruptcy claims.

    • Fortune 50 bank in successor-liability suits stemming from acquisition of troubled mortgage lender.

    • Private tech company in defense and favorable resolution of trustee’s fraudulent transfer action.

* Other representations available upon request.

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