John Laco is a seasoned corporate lawyer with more than 25 years of experience advising public and private companies and financial investors. He works with some of the best-known Southern California and global private equity and institutional investors along the full investment cycle, from negotiating initial investments and acquisitions to subsequent tack-on acquisitions, financings, and portfolio company growth counseling.
John is also a boardroom level counselor who provides C-level executives, in-house counsel, and boards of directors with experienced corporate advice on matters ranging from fiduciary duties, corporate structuring, and stockholder agreements to transformative strategic undertakings.
He offers especially deep knowledge of business and legal issues in the manufacturing, retail, infrastructure, agriculture, aerospace, and technology sectors, and is a founding member of O’Melveny’s Water Industry Practice.
John leads O’Melveny’s Equity Investment Committee, an internal group managing the investment of more than US$150 million of the firm’s retirement funds. He is the Chair of the O’Melveny Scholarship Program, which provides college scholarships and mentors to fifth graders at LAUSD’s O’Melveny Elementary School, with the goal of encouraging each “O’Melveny Scholar” to succeed academically and pursue a college education.
Experience:
- Representing Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. in its formation, equity capitalization and the leveraged management buyout of Structure Tone and related companies, in addition to representing GIS in other acquisition transactions and general corporate matters
- Representing Carros Sensors Ltd. (fka Custom Sensors & Technologies), a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, PAI Partners, and Schneider Electric, in the sale of BEI Precision Systems & Space Company, Inc., and Systron Donner Inertial, Inc., as well as other disposition transactions and general corporate matters
- Representing Vance Street Capital portfolio company R.S.T. Instruments Ltd. in the acquisition of Measurand, Inc.
- Representing Vance Street Capital in portfolio company acquisitions
- Representing California Resources Corporation in water law transactions and issues
- Representing Panavision in general corporate matters, acquisitions and recapitalization transactions
Bar Admissions:
- California
Education:
- Loyola Marymount University, J.D., 1992: Loyola Law Review, Editor and Staff Member; Order of the Coif; American Jurisprudence Award, Torts/Legal Writing
- University of Notre Dame, B.S.E.E., 1987
- Lead Engineer/Manager, Northrop, Reliability Engineering Group, 1987-1989
Cost
Rate : $$$
