Steven R. Harmon
Education
J.D.University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, 1997Order of the CoifCalifornia Law Review B.A.with distinctionStanford University, 1994Sobieski Award for Creative Thinking in Economics
Areas of Experience
Business & TechnologyGeneral Business ServicesDistressed Asset GroupCorporate Securities and TransactionsTax and Entity Structuring Memberships
Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)American Bar AssociationContra Costa County Bar AssociationJunior Achievement of the Bay AreaTri-Valley Business CouncilProfessional Activities
- Speaker, "Critical Junctures in M&A Deals," with Rich Vasquez, EDAB Law Symposium, May 2004
- Speaker, "Legal Basics for Small Business," Contra Costa Council Small Business Task Force, October 2003
- Speaker, "Which Entity is Best?" with George Cabot, Society of Financial Service Professionals, San Jose Chapter, September 2002
Newsstand
Morgan Miller Blair Represents Greenbox in Acquisition by Silver Spring Networks, Inc.Date: October 7, 2009Ninth Circuit to M&A Parties: "Say What You Mean!"Date: September 17, 200840 Under 40 - Steve HarmonDate: July 28, 2006California Supreme Court Strikes Down Contractual Jury Trial WaiversDate: August 12, 2005Steve Harmon Named "Top Drawer" Attorney in Mergers and AcquisitionsDate: June 17, 2005Venture Capitalists Catch a Break in CaliforniaDate: November 3, 2003Don't Let Your Corporate Charter Documents Go Out of StyleDate: July 3, 2003Historic Redesign of Securities Law Should Be of Interest to AllDate: August 30, 2002A Case of Corporate Identity Crisis?Date: July 15, 2002Avoid the Suspense of Corporate SuspensionDate: July 15, 2002When are contractual obligations created?Date: May 17, 2002New UCC Article 9 Requires Action Before July 1, 2002Date: January 24, 2002New California Usury Exemption Should Facilitate Bridge LoansDate: May 24, 2001Boilerplate Basics, or Why Should I Care about That Stuff at the End of My Contract?Date: March 2, 2001Avoid Being Snukal-ed: Lack of Signing Authority as a Corporation's Defense to a Breach of Contract SuitDate: March 2, 2001Office Leasing with Your EquityDate: February 9, 2001Steve Harmon’s practice emphasizes counseling business and technology clients in key transactions, throughout all stages of the life of a business.
Steve is Chairman of the firm’s Business & Technology Group. His practice involves formation and governance of business entities; venture capital investments and other financing transactions; mergers, acquisitions and other reorganizations; executive compensation and stock options; employment and consulting relationships; shareholder buy-sell agreements; compliance with federal and state securities laws affecting public and private companies; and commercial contracts.
Steve has advised his clients in the following transactions:
- Advised East Bay construction materials companies in an internal organization, and later represented them in their acquisition by a subsidiary of Hanson PLC, a global building materials leader.
- Acquisition of a privately held engineering software company client by a NASDAQ-listed engineering simulation software & technologies company
- Represented client in negotiating $100 million sale of networking equipment company
- $6 million venture financing of an image sensor technology client, followed by the client’s acquisition by NYSE-listed technology company
- Acquisition of a privately held online earth imagery company client by a Fortune 1000 real estate information services company
- Secured debt financing of a private voice browser technology client, followed by its acquisition by a leading Italian telecommunications company
- Acquisition of a privately held employment screening client by a public company
- Canadian client’s acquisition of a California-based clinical healthcare software business from a Fortune 500 research and engineering company
Before joining Morgan Miller Blair in 2000, Steve practiced at Cooley Godward LLP, where he counseled business and technology clients in corporate and securities law matters. Steve is an active member of the Corporations Committee of the State Bar of California’s Business Law Section, a committee of experienced California attorneys that evaluate and recommend changes to federal and state corporate and securities laws. In June 2005, he was named by the East Bay Business Times as a “Top Drawer Attorney” in the area of Mergers & Acquisitions. In 2005, Steve was also named by Law & Politics Media, Inc. as a “Northern California Super Lawyer,” a designation given to approximately 4% of the members of the Bar in Northern California.
Admissions
Education
J.D.University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, 1997Order of the Coif
California Law Review B.A.with distinctionStanford University, 1994Sobieski Award for Creative Thinking in Economics
Memberships
Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)American Bar AssociationContra Costa County Bar AssociationJunior Achievement of the Bay AreaTri-Valley Business Council
Professional Activities
- Speaker, "Critical Junctures in M&A Deals," with Rich Vasquez, EDAB Law Symposium, May 2004
- Speaker, "Legal Basics for Small Business," Contra Costa Council Small Business Task Force, October 2003
- Speaker, "Which Entity is Best?" with George Cabot, Society of Financial Service Professionals, San Jose Chapter, September 2002