Clients say Justin ‘is one of the most diligent, hard-working and reliable attorneys we’ve worked with. His expertise and advice is invaluable.’
AngelList

Justin Hovey, Pillsbury's Global Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) Industry Leader, is recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. in the Venture Capital and Emerging Companies category.

Justin focuses on startup formation, venture and seed financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance matters. Representing entrepreneurs, investors and emerging companies in the video game/esports, social media, online advertising and entertainment space, he regularly counsels on early-stage investments and joint ventures. In the M&A arena, Justin works with both strategic acquirers and target companies. He also advises public companies on securities reporting and compliance matters.

Representative Experience

  • Represented AT&T Inc. in its Otter Media joint venture with The Chernin Group, and in AT&T’s acquisition of Quickplay Media Inc., a supplier of over-the-top video and TV Everywhere services.
  • Represented Signia Venture Partners in connection with various early-stage investments in consumer and enterprise technology businesses.
  • Advised Clearwater Paper Corp. on governance, Securities Act compliance and other related corporate matters.

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  • Representative Mergers and Acquisitions Experience
    • Served as counsel to Grow Mobile in its acquisition by Perion Network.
    • Served as counsel to PLX Technology in its acquisition by Avago Technologies.
    • Served as counsel to CLARA in its acquisition by Jive Software.
    • Served as counsel to Confirmit in its acquisition of CustomerSat.
    • Served as counsel to Wild Needle in its acquisition by Zynga.
    • Served as counsel to Phantom EFX in its acquisition by WMS Gaming.
    • Served as counsel to CareCounsel in its acquisition by Stanford Hospital and Clinics.
    • Served as counsel to social gaming developer in its acquisition by international gaming company.
    • Served as counsel to Clearwater Paper Corporation in its acquisition of Cellu Tissue Holdings.
    • Served as counsel to Atheros Communications in its acquisition by Qualcomm.
    • Served as counsel to a top international media and communications company in its acquisition of an online order fulfillment company.
    • Served as counsel to a top international media and communications company in its acquisition of an online pay-per-call advertising company.
    • Served as counsel to a top international media and communications company in its acquisition of a provider of cross-platform mobile application solutions.
    • Served as counsel to California Micro Devices in its acquisition by ON Semiconductor.
    • Served as counsel to Techwell in its acquisition by Intersil.
    • Served as counsel to LogicVision in its acquisition by Mentor Graphics.
    • Served as counsel to Centillium Communications in its acquisition by TranSwitch.
    • Served as counsel to WebEx Communications in its acquisition by Cisco.
    • Served as counsel to Marvell Technology Group in its acquisition of Intel Corporation’s communications and application processor business.
    • Served as counsel to a leading international energy company in two separate acquisitions of energy conservation services companies.
    • Served as counsel to a leading international energy company in its sale of a gasification technology business.
    • Served as counsel to a leading international energy company in its sale of a gasification power plant.
    • Served as counsel to Shamrock Capital Growth Fund in its investment in Modern Luxury Media, a magazine publishing company.
  • Representative Securities Offerings and Corporate Transactions
    • Served as counsel to Textron, Inc. in its tender offer for its $600 million of convertible notes.
    • Served as counsel to Clearwater Paper Corporation in its offering of $375 million of senior notes.
    • Served as counsel to Potlatch Corp. in its spin-off of Clearwater Paper Corp.
    • Served as counsel to Clearwater Paper Corp. in its offering of $150 million of senior notes.
    • Served as counsel to Potlatch Corp. in its offering of $150 million of senior notes.
    • Served as counsel to Potlatch Corp. in its conversion to a real estate investment trust.
    • Served as counsel to Genomic Health in its initial public offering.
    • Served as counsel to LogicVision in its initial public offering.
  • Representative Emerging Growth Clients
    • Iddiction
    • Mastermind Studios
    • Idle Games
    • mNectar
    • Accellion
    • Signia Venture Partners
    • The Kive Company
    • Grow Mobile
    • The Orange Chef Company
    • Embee Mobile
    • Liftigniter
    • MadeSolid
    • Tap Slots
    • Mytona
    • AirXP
    • Elysium Space
    • Hackbright Academy

Professional Highlights

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in America (published by BL Rankings LLC) for Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions (2024)
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 U.S., Venture Capital and Emerging Companies (2014) and M&A Middle-Market (SUB – $500M) (2019)
  • Speaking Engagement
    • “From Startup to Success: The Startup Life Cycle Explained,” Berkeley’s SkyDeck Fall 2020 Cohort (November 2020).

Education

  • J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law, 1997
    magna cum laude

    LL.M., Taxation, New York University School of Law, 1998

    B.A., University of California, Davis, 1994

Admissions

  • California