Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to welcome Debra B. Vernon to the firm’s Silicon Valley office located in San Jose, California, as a partner in the Corporate and Business Transactions practice group.
A recognized legal and technological force within Silicon Valley for three decades, Debra helps technology companies and their founders and investors who develop and commercialize innovations in technology navigate corporate, securities mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and commercial transactions throughout their life cycle, from formation to exit. She focuses her practice on domestic and cross-border buy-side and sell-side M&A, asset purchases, spin-outs, venture capital, corporate venture, and private equity. She also serves as outside general counsel to help leadership teams effectively manage day-to-day operational matters, new entity formation, ownership, and equity incentives.
In addition to her international impact navigating complex and high-value deals throughout the U.S., Asia, and South America, Debra also serves as trusted counsel on corporate structuring and corporate governance matters, helping clients gain a comprehensive understanding of functional and compliant systems that benefit their financial and operational objectives as well as all key stakeholders.
“As we welcome Debra to San Jose, we are thrilled to bolster our dynamic Corporate and Business Transactions team here in California and across our rapidly expanding national footprint,” said Karen McCay, office managing partner for Spencer Fane in San Jose and Santa Monica. “In an industry where it’s an achievement just to keep pace with constantly evolving factors and regulations, Debra’s innovative work is not only leading the technology sector but also shaping the landscape of domestic and cross-border transactions within it.”
Debra’s practice also spans family law, where she assists with conflict cases, including the division of corporate assets and securities. This experience led to her founding Joynup Inc. in 2019, a Software as a Service platform that blends technology with relationship management to help couples make better informed life decisions.
After studying music at the Julliard School of Music’s Pre-College Division, Debra earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. She has worked on critical programs benefiting women and aspiring entrepreneurs, including within the Athena Alliance and the Entrepreneurship Lab at the University of California, Merced, where she is a visiting specialist, in addition to holding diverse legal and community involvements and positions of influence. She notably served as chair of the Women Lawyers’ Section of the San Mateo County Bar Association in 2020, co-chair of the Legal Clinics Committee in 2021, and has held other leadership roles in the association.
Debra has been honored with several awards for her pivotal roles in legal and technological communities in Silicon Valley and beyond, including New World Report’s Securities & Capital Markets Attorney of the Year in Northern California and Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women Leaders of San Francisco.