Steve Jackman is a member of the firm’s Technology Transactions Practice Group. Steve has more than 30 years’ experience counseling clients, both in private practice and as in-house counsel, with a focus on the manufacturing and data center industries.
Steve’s experience combines an extensive legal knowledge with significant business expertise, which combination allows Steve to help companies achieve their business goals while appropriately considering and balancing risk. Steve’s ability to quickly understand his clients’ business objectives enables him to focus on critical issues in a transaction or dispute and create pragmatic solutions to satisfy his clients’ needs. As an in-house attorney of over 20 years, Steve understands the pressure that companies (and particularly in-house attorneys) face to close deals and resolve matters while simultaneously avoiding undue risk.
Following a judicial clerkship with The Honorable William H. Stafford, then-Chief Judge of the Northern District of Florida, Steve practiced at Kilpatrick Stockton and Holland and Knight before moving in-house. After two years at Benchmark Electronics (NYSE: BHE), Steve spent 11 years as Vice President & Corporate Counsel at Sanmina Corporation (NASDAQ: SANM) and eight years as Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX), two leading contract manufacturers. After spending 20 years representing manufacturers, Steve transitioned to the data center industry serving as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR). While Steve’s practice focuses on commercial transactions, he also handles M&A, compliance, dispute resolution, and workouts.
Steve’s accomplishments include streamlining and improving the negotiation and documentation process , creating and refining playbooks, creating corporate compliance programs, facilitating acquisitions of third-party factories, managing IP portfolios, resolving customer disputes, and creating solutions outside of bankruptcy for his client’s financially troubled customers.
Steve received his bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in French from the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now UC College of the Law, San Francisco), where he was a member of the Constitutional Law Quarterly.
Education
- J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now UC College of the Law, San Francisco),1991
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley, Economics (cum laude) with a minor in French, 1988
Community Involvement
- Board of Directors, Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose (CMTSJ), 2014-2020. Chairman, 2019-2020, Vice Chairman 2018-2029, Secretary 2017-2018
- Mentor, UC College of the Law, San Francisco, 2019-present
- Presenter, Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018