John M. Williams is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Orange County Office and is a senior member of the firm's Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group. He has over 20 years of experience in structuring, negotiating and closing transactions for public and private companies. These transactions have included mergers, stock acquisitions, asset acquisitions, restructurings and joint ventures. He also has significant experience in public and private financing transactions. His clients have included corporate entities, private equity funds, hedge funds, family business owners, boards of directors and special committees of boards. Mr. Williams has also served as counsel to investment banks as an advisor for securities and M&A transactions.

Mr. Williams received his law degree cum laude from Georgetown University where he was the Editor-in-Chief of Law and Policy in International Business. He holds a Master’s Degree in public administration with an emphasis in intergovernmental management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California at Irvine. He is admitted as a member of the Bars of California and Washington, D.C. Mr. Williams was selected by the southern California legal community for the 2008-2012 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Williams worked in municipal management in California and then spent several years in Washington, D.C. as the assistant director of a legislative advocacy firm.

Mr. Williams serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ocean Institute, an oceanographic facility located in the Dana Point harbor that educates more than 100,000 children per year through programs in marine science and maritime history. He is also an active volunteer and supporter of the Boy Scouts of America.
Representative Transaction Experience:

Walters Wholesale Electric Co. – representation of this privately-held distributor of electrical materials in the sale of the company to Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc.
Edison International – representation of this New York Stock Exchange company in connection with a $460 million joint venture transaction with TIAA-CREF and Cook Inlet Region, Inc. to form Capistrano Wind Partners, a new company to support and fund continued development of wind energy projects in North America. Separately, Mr. Williams has represented Edison International in numerous transactions related to the disposition of approximately $1 billion in assets to multiple purchasers.
Diedrich Coffee, Inc. – representation of this Nasdaq-listed food processing and packaging company in a merger transaction with publicly-listed Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation – representation of this New York Stock Exchange company in the acquisition of Percutaneous Value Technologies for $155 million. Mr. Williams has also represented Edwards Lifesciences in several domestic and foreign acquisitions.
Johnny Rockets – representation of the private equity owners of this casual dining chain in the sale of the company.
Document Sciences Corporation – representation of this publicly-traded software company in connection with multiple acquisition transactions and eventually the sale of the company to NYSE listed EMC Corporation.
Brooklyn Navy Yard Cogeneration Partners – purchase by Delta Power Company, LLC of a 50% equity interest in this 286-megawatt cogeneration plant located in Brooklyn, New York.
James River Cogeneration Company – purchase by NRG Energy, Inc. of a 50% equity interest in this coal-fired cogeneration facility located in Hopewell, Virginia.
Knott's Berry Farm – representation of this amusement park operator in the sale of the company to Cedar Fair, L.P., a master limited partnership listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Samsung Electronics – representation of this publicly-traded Korean company in the tender offer for all of the publicly-held outstanding shares of AST Research, a Nasdaq National Market company, and the completion of the subsequent merger.
Hudson Respiratory Care Inc. – representation of this manufacturer of medical products and equipment in a leveraged recapitalization transaction valued at approximately $250 million with an LBO fund.
American Airlines – served as one of the three attorneys representing AMR Corporation, parent company of American Airlines, in the negotiation and consummation of a strategic alliance with Canadian Airlines International. The transaction, valued at approximately $2 billion, involved multiple service agreements and alliances as well as the acquisition of a significant minority interest.