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Paul B. Johnson

Paul B. Johnson

Partner

Paul B. Johnson


Address

12544 High Bluff Drive, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92130

Office Tel.

619.525.3866

Fax

619.744.5443

Overview

Paul helps entrepreneurs and their investors get companies formed, funded and sold, including initial formation of corporations and LLCs, negotiation of seed, early and mid-stage equity financings and buy and sell-side mergers and acquisitions. He is also adept at venture capital investments, public and private securities offering and compliance and general business counseling. Paul has also counseled some of San Diego’s most successful companies in Securities and Exchange Commission compliance and general corporate governance.

FORMATIONS AND FUNDING:

Formed a number of start-ups, including many entering the Procopio LaunchPad incubator:

  • Pendram, Inc., a company applying technology to controlling humidity and temperature in storage solutions.
  • Ivy Energy, Inc., a company focused on allowing landlords to bill tenants for their allocation of solar-generated power
  • Givatar, Inc., a company providing technology to read prescription medication labels and assist people with appropriate dosing
  • Planck Aerosystem drone company that also received multiple rounds of financing.
  • Bretelon, Inc., a company focused on hardware and software enabling location services, which received multiple rounds of financing and was ultimately sold to Sigma Designs.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS:

On the investor / buyer side, multiple transactions including for:

  • PacketFabric, Inc. in its acquisition of RStor, Inc.
  • Evoque Data Centers in its acquisition of Foghorn Consulting
  • VSP Global
  • Illumina, Inc.
  • Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc.

On the seller side:

  • AEM (Holdings), Inc. in its sale to Industrial Growth Partners
  • Blue Sky eLearn, LLC in its partnership with McCarthy Capital
  • The Compliance Group in its sale to Baker Tilly
  • Eton Bioscience in its sale to Codex DNA
  • Legend Smelting and Recycling in its sale to Elemental Holding Group
  • NetSapiens in its sale to Crexendo

“When looking for corporate and M&A legal services, I turn to Procopio and its M&A co-leader Paul Johnson, who brings great expertise in M&A transactions. I can count on Paul and Procopio’s corporate team to work efficiently and get the job done.” — Vessela Garvey, General Counsel, CP Global

“When we found ourselves looking at a potential sale of our firm, we turned to Procopio and Paul Johnson. Paul quickly replied, answered our most burning questions, and then guided us through the sometimes difficult process of selling the company we’d built over the past 20 years. Paul was so sharp and thorough in his review of all the complex laws and documents, and he maintained an even keel even in the face of sometimes heated negotiations, earning our complete trust. He was always available to us and a great listener to all the parties in the transaction which took months to complete. Thanks to Paul and Procopio, we were able to close our deal in what our bankers, Broadhaven, called ‘one of the smoothest processes’ they had been involved in. We couldn’t have achieved that without Procopio’s and Paul’s superb leadership and assistance. We’re very fortunate to have met them.” — Peter Mangan, CEO, Shareholders Service Group

“When the time was right to scale our DNA sequencing services and oligo synthesis business to its full potential and expand our customer reach, we knew Procopio was the right partner for us. Working with Paul Johnson and other Procopio M&A attorneys, we were able to secure an acquisition by a pioneer in automated benchtop synthetic biology systems to ensure our innovative solutions will continue to advance research and contribute to solving the world’s most challenging problems. The entire experience with Paul and his team was extremely pleasant and rewarding. Their guidance and support proved critical to getting the deal done.” — Tony Chen, PhD, Founder and CEO of Eton Bioscience

“Co-founding and growing a chain of skilled senior care facilities was a true passion of mine. When the time came to exit, I wanted to do it in a way that ensured both the future of the company and my own financial future. The expertise and assistance of Paul Johnson and Procopio’s M&A team was incredibly valuable. I’m grateful for their help and advice in helping me achieve a once-in-a-lifetime deal in a smooth and stress-free process.” — Alan Short, Co-Founder of Providence Group, Inc.

These testimonials or endorsements do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

  • Best Lawyers®, Corporate Law, 2024-present
  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer, 2024
  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating
  • Top Lawyers, San Diego magazine, 2015-present
  • Leaders in Law finalist, San Diego Business Journal, 2019 and 2020
  • M&A Advisor of the Year, BNY Mellon, 2016 and 2017
  • Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal, 2015
  • Top Attorney, Corporate Transactional, The Daily Transcript, 2012

  • JD, BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School, cum laude (Law Review Editor), 1996
  • MBA (International Finance), Brigham Young University, cum laude, 1996
  • BS (International Finance), Brigham Young University, 1992

  • J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Board
  • San Diego Venture Group, PitchFest 2012-2014 Steering Committees
  • CONNECT / University of San Diego Law School Law Clinic
  • YMCA Camps, Board of Directors

  • “2020 Leaders in Law Finalists,” San Diego Business Journal, November 9, 2020.
  • “Ei Risk Management Corp. acquires Colorado’s ABCO Engineering Corp. with help from Procopio,” San Diego Daily Transcript, February 25, 2020.
  • “M&A: Procopio Tapped for Solana Biosciences’ Sale to Inscripta” The Daily Transcript, September 11, 2018.
  • “M&A: San Diego Composites Finds New Home at Applied Composites Holdings,” The Daily Transcript, March 6, 2018.
  • Moran, Lyle. “Law firm helping launch startups,” The Daily Transcript, February 4, 2015.
  • Pierce, Emmet. “Smooth Selling,” San Diego Business Journal, March 10, 2014.