James B. Moorhead has returned to Steptoe & Johnson as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, effective immediately. He will be a member of the firm’s business solutions and litigation practice groups.
Mr. Moorhead rejoins Steptoe after three years as General Counsel and CFO of CODEON Corporation, a fiber optic components company in Columbia, Maryland. This recent corporate experience has enhanced Mr. Moorhead’s already extensive background in business finance and legal compliance and provided him with greater insight into the needs of emerging companies, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists.
Mr. Moorhead led CODEON’s merger with another private company where he raised and negotiated over $50 million in equity and debt financings. Other accomplishments at CODEON included negotiating lease and debt restructurings as well as vendor and customer contracts, and implementing the company’s intellectual property protection and legal compliance strategies.
At Steptoe, Mr. Moorhead’s responsibility will be to serve as outside general counsel to emerging companies and to give advice on their business plans, equity and debt financings, and exit strategies. He plans to represent venture capital firms in structuring equity investments and mergers and acquisitions for their portfolio companies. In addition, Mr. Moorhead also will litigate insurance and commercial disputes and conduct internal investigations.
The 1981 graduate of Columbia University School of Law and former federal prosecutor in Maryland has nearly two decades of broad litigation experience, including legal malpractice defense and white collar criminal law. Prior to joining Steptoe in 1995, he was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and a commercial banker at J.P. Morgan.
Mr. Moorhead earned an undergraduate degree cum laude from Harvard University in 1976. He has spoken and written extensively on legal and business issues, including litigation prevention and the maximization of shareholder value.
Mr. Moorhead is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland and is active in the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Maryland High Technology Council.
