Taylor English Bolsters California Presence With Addition of Corporate Partner J. Michael Vaughn

Taylor English Duma LLP is pleased to announce the addition of J. Michael Vaughn as a partner in the firm’s California corporate practice. With more than 30 years of transactional corporate experience, Vaughn focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions. He works with clients to balance legal and business challenges throughout complex strategic transactions. 

Prior to joining Taylor English, Vaughn led the M&A and transaction practice of a Southern California law firm. He counsels buyers and sellers in domestic and international corporate transactions involving both public and private companies. Vaughn has extensive experience in securities regulation and capital-raising and guides businesses through public offerings, private placements, secured lending arrangements and credit facilities. He provides counsel to clients in numerous industries, including healthcare and life sciences, software and information technology, real estate, food and beverage, manufacturing and distribution. 

A highly regarded corporate attorney, Vaughn has deep roots in Southern California’s business community. He has worked with clients to craft custom executive compensation and equity incentive plans and has prepared and negotiated a broad variety of contracts for important business relationships. Vaughn provides his clients with key support in all business and administrative functions, successfully collaborating with financial, accounting and tax advisors, and serves as a trusted advisor to boards of directors, board committees and executives. 

In addition to his outside counsel experience, Vaughn has experience serving in in-house counsel leadership roles. He previously served as vice president, general counsel and secretary of Applied Medical Corporation, a privately held medical device manufacturer. Additionally, he served as vice president, general counsel and secretary of Quest Software, Inc., then a publicly traded software provider. In these roles, he provided leadership and support for all aspects of major transactions, including due diligence, document drafting and negotiation, closings, regulatory disclosures and financial reporting, as well as all internal business functions.    

Active in the community, Vaughn is a Former Mayor, City Council Member and Planning Commissioner for the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, California. He is the Founder of Team 2/5 RSM, an organization that provides support and assistance to the Marines and families of the 2nd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton. He also serves on the Boards of Directors of the RSM Chamber of Commerce and his homeowners’ association. 

Vaughn earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and his law degree from University of Southern California Gould School of Law.