• People
  • Practices
  • Insights
    • Firm News
    • Press Releases
    • Publications
    • Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Subscribe
    • Media Contacts
  • Careers
    • Career Opportunities
    • Attorney Development
    • Contact Us
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Awards & Accolades
    • Offices
    • Diversity
    • Pro Bono
    • Alumni
    • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Biography
  • Education
  • Recent Publications
Profile Picture

John M. Williams III

John
Williams

Partner

CONTACT INFO

jwilliams@gibsondunn.com

TEL:+1 949.451.3923

FAX:+1 949.475.4673

Orange County

3161 Michelson Drive, Suite 1200, Irvine, CA 92612-4412 USA

  • Print
  • |
  • Share
  • |
  • vCard

PRACTICE

Mergers and Acquisitions Betting and Gaming Capital Markets Emerging Companies Energy Life Sciences Power and Renewables Private Equity Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Sports Law

BIOGRAPHY

John M. Williams is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Orange County office and is a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups.

Mr. Williams has extensive experience in representing boards of directors and private equity funds in structuring, negotiating and closing transactions for public and private companies. These transactions have included domestic and cross-border mergers, stock and asset acquisitions, joint ventures and restructurings. He also has significant experience in advising boards of directors in corporate governance, securities compliance and general corporate matters. Mr. Williams has also served as counsel to investment banks as an advisor in securities and M&A transactions.

Mr. Williams has been selected by members of the southern California legal community for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® as an expert in mergers and acquisitions every year since 2008. Over the course of his career, Mr. Williams has represented clients in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, hospitality, energy, consumer/retail, sports, life sciences, communications, technology and industrial.

Mr. Williams received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Georgetown University where he was 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. 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.

An active member of the Orange County community, Mr. Williams sits on the Board of Governors of the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF), a nonprofit organization which manages assets in excess of $400 million and facilitates annual grants of over $100 million from family offices and other donors to nonprofit organizations that have been reviewed and screened by OCCF. He also sits on the Board of Councilors for the School of Social Sciences at the University of California, Irvine.

Representative Transactions:

  • Weedmaps: Representing the founders of Weedmaps in the recently announced $1.5 billion merger with Silver Spike Acquisition, a publicly-traded SPAC.
  • Cellular Biomedicine Group: Advising this publicly-traded biotech company in connection with an announced management-led going private transaction.
  • Compass Diversified Holdings: Represented this publicly-traded private equity firm in the $450 million acquisition of BOA, a designer and marketer of dial-based fit systems for footwear, headwear and medical bracing products.
  • MGM Resorts International: Represented MGM in the recent sale of Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for $825 million.
  • MGM Resorts International: Represented MGM in the acquisition of Empire City Casino and Racetrack in New York for $850 million.
  • MGM Resorts International: Represented MGM in the acquisition of the Hard Rock Rocksino in Ohio for $1.06 billion.
  • HMI Cardinal: Represented the shareholders of HMI Cardinal, a manufacturing company based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the sale of the company to private equity firm Riverside Companies.
  • Viant Technology/Time Inc.: Represented Viant in the acquisition of the company by Time Inc.
  • MGM Resorts International: Represented MGM in a joint venture transaction with Anschutz Entertainment Group to develop and operate a 20,000 seat arena in Las Vegas
  • Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Uranerz Energy Corporation: Advised the independent committee in its proposed merger with Energy Fuels, Inc. to create the largest integrated uranium production company in the United States
  • Compass Group: Represented this private equity firm in the acquisition of SternoCandleLamp
  • Argyros family/DST Systems, Inc.: Represented the Argyros family in a proposed proxy contest involving DST Systems, Inc. and the subsequent repurchase of the family’s equity position
  • Richland Towers: Represented the shareholders of Richland in the sale of the company to American Tower Corporation
  • MGM Resorts International: Represented MGM in a joint venture to finance, develop and operate a resort and casino in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Edison International: Represented Edison in a joint venture transaction with TIAA-CREF and Cook Inlet Region, Inc. to form and finance an entity to fund development of wind energy projects in North America
  • Walters Wholesale Electric Co.: Represented the shareholders of Walters in the sale of the company to Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc.
  • Edwards Lifesciences: Represented Edwards in the acquisition of Embrella Cardiovascular as well as more than ten other acquisitions and dispositions
  • The Ergo Baby Carrier, Inc.: Represented Ergo Baby in the acquisition of baby products maker Orbit Baby, Inc.
  • Compass Group: Represented Compass in the acquisition of The Ergo Baby Carrier, Inc.
  • Diedrich Coffee, Inc.: Represented Diedrich Coffee in a public company merger transaction with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
  • Document Sciences Corporation: Represented Document Sciences in the sale of the company to EMC Corporation
  • Johnny Rockets Group, Inc.: Represented the private equity owners of Johnny Rockets in the sale of the company to private equity firm RedZone Capital Management
  • Advantage Sales and Marketing: Represented the management team at Advantage in the sale of the company to a private equity buyer
  • Edison Mission Energy: Represented Edison in the sale of a 50% equity interest in Brooklyn Navy Yard Cogeneration Partners to Delta Power Company
  • Edison Mission Energy: Represented Edison in the sale of James River Cogeneration Company to NRG Energy, Inc.
  • Knott’s Berry Farm: Represented the shareholders of this amusement park operator in the sale of the company to publicly-listed Cedar Fair, L.P.

EDUCATION

Georgetown University - 1991 Juris Doctor

University of Southern California - 1987 Master Public Administration

University of California - Irvine - 1985 Bachelor of Arts

ADMISSIONS

California Bar

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Firm News - August 15, 2019 | Gibson Dunn Lawyers Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America® 2020
Client Alert - March 2, 2009 | Where Have All the Deals Gone?
  • Sitemap
  • Client Extranet
  • Terms of Use and Legal Notices
  • Privacy Statement
  • Cookie Notice
  • Contact Us
© 2023 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.  All rights reserved.  For contact and other information, please visit us at gibsondunn.com.
Top
Gibson Dunn uses cookies which are essential for our website to function. With your consent, we and third parties may also use non-essential cookies to collect information about your browsing activities, and improve the content, functionality and performance of our website. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of all cookies on our website as set out in our Cookie Notice. You can reject all non-essential cookies by clicking “Reject All”. Choose "Manage Cookies" to view and customize your cookie settings.
Manage CookiesACCEPT ALLREJECT ALL
Manage consent

Your Privacy Choices / Cookies

This website uses cookies – small text files stored on your device, when you visit a website - including third party cookies to collect information about your browsing activities and improve the content, functionality and performance of our website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as Necessary Cookies are stored on your browser as they are essential for the operation of the website. You may accept all cookies, or reject all cookies other than Necessary Cookies.  If you visit us from a different device or browser, or clear cookies, then you may need to return to this screen to re-select your preferences.   Note that rejecting some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Please note that if you do not make a selection below, only necessary cookies will be set.

You can learn more about our processing of your personal data by visiting our Privacy Policy.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are essential for our website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. Without these cookies, our website will not operate properly.   Cookie Details
Analytics
These cookies are used to collect information on how you use our website, including information about the pages you visited, how long you visited and if you experienced any errors. We use this information to help us improve the quality of our website and monitor the level of activity on our website. They may be set by third parties whose services have been added to our pages. Cookie Details
Save & Accept