Overview
Nate Sussman is a transactional attorney who advises clients on corporate, commercial and regulatory matters.
Nate’s wide-ranging practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, corporate governance, securities regulation and intellectual property. He also has experience advising on the formation and management of investment funds, family offices and joint ventures.
Nate has represented clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations and global asset managers to emerging companies and well-known individuals. His representations have included Berkshire Hathaway, Intel Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Music Group, Oaktree Capital Management and Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
In addition to his broader practice, Nate advises clients on the diverse array of legal issues that arise in connection with artificial intelligence. He serves as co-chair of Munger, Tolles & Olson’s Generative AI Task Force and is a frequent public commenter on AI and the law.
Before joining MTO, Nate worked in the Business Affairs Department of Warner Bros. Television Studios and in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office’s Cyber Crime Division.
Nate graduated first in his class from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he also served as executive articles editor on the Southern California Law Review. During law school, Nate completed an externship with the Honorable George H. Wu of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and participated in USC Gould’s Small Business Clinic.
Capabilities
Experience
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments
Intel Corporation in the $9 billion sale of its NAND memory-chip business to SK Hynix.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in its multi-staged acquisition of Pilot Flying J, then one of the largest private companies in the United States.
Sean Parker in his transformative investment in Stability AI, a pioneering creator of generative AI models.
A subsidiary of Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A. de CV (FEMSA) in a number of strategic acquisitions.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company in its $973 million sale of transmission tower wireless licenses to SBA Communications.
A partnership in its acquisition of a significant ownership stake in a Major League Baseball team.
Public and Private Financings
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in over $13 billion of issuances of its registered public debt securities in U.S. and foreign currencies.
Edison International in a number of registered public offerings of its common and preferred stock.
iHeartMedia companies in a debt-exchange restructuring to reduce iHeartCommunications, Inc.’s $5.2 billion of debt by approximately $500 million.
Oaktree Capital Management in a private issuance of debt securities for approximately $200 million.
The Yucaipa Companies, an investment fund controlled by Ronald Burkle, in establishing and managing secured bank credit facilities for over $200 million.
Corporate Governance and Securities Regulation
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in connection with a range of public-company governance and securities law matters.
KB Home in connection with a range of public-company securities law matters.
Jack Dorsey in connection with Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, Inc.
The James Campbell Company, a real estate company created by the heirs to the Estate of James Campbell, in connection with governance matters.
Numerous well-known founders and entrepreneurs in connection with complex public-company governance, capital structures, and disclosure matters.
Intellectual Property and Commercial Counseling
Intel Corporation in connection with patent licensing, technology transfers, and research and development partnerships.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in its loan of Thomas Gainsborough’s 18th century masterpiece, “The Blue Boy,” to The National Gallery, London.
A quantitative hedge fund in protecting its trade secrets and outlining a legal strategy for deploying proprietary artificial intelligence programs.
A non-profit biomedical research institute in licensing transactions and sponsored research collaborations with for-profit entities.
An entertainment company in outlining a non-fungible token (NFT) strategy for licensing and enforcing its copyrights and trademarks.
Leading content-streaming services in connection with commercial partnerships and consumer agreements.
A global social media platform in collaborating with artists to design and market products in e-commerce.
A well-known resort brand in registering and protecting its trademarks.
Investment Funds and Family Offices
Oaktree Capital Management in connection with the structure and management of its investment fund complex.
BDT&MSD Partners in connection with the structure and management of its advisory and investment businesses.
A financial sponsor in its launch of a private, closed-end real estate fund with approximately $160 million in committed capital.
Several of the world’s largest family offices in connection with their formation, structure, management, operations and transactions.
More
Publications
- “Patentability and Ordinary Skill in the Age of AI,” Daily Journal, with Zachary M. Briers, 2025
- “Generative Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities, Challenges, and Considerations for Attorneys” in Thomson Reuters’ eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel (2024 and 2025 editions)
- “FTC Issues Final ‘Click-to-Cancel’ Rule, Imposing New Requirements for Negative Option Programs,” MTO Client Alert, with Rose Leda Ehler and Michael X. Wei, 2024
- “Trade Secret Law and AI: Navigating Emerging Risks and Legal Implications,” Daily Journal, with Miriam Kim and Vincent Y. Ling, 2024
- “Two Open Questions as Generative AI Spreads Through the Legal Industry,” Bloomberg Law, 2024
Speaking Engagements and Interviews
- Interviewed, “Inside Delaware ‘Billionaire’s Bill’ [Q&A],” Corporate Compliance Insights, with Andrew D. Garelick, 2025
- Presenter, “Generative AI: Benefits and Challenges,” Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), MCLE Video, 2024
Academic Work
- “A Behavioral Theory of Robot Rights,” Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal 32 (2023): 113-1350.
- “Chinese Legalism (法家) and the Concept of Law,” Jurisprudence 13, no. 3 (2022): 393-420.
- “Quick Thinking: How Einstein Did (and Did Not) Refute the Ether Frame of Reference,” Synthese 199 (2021): 5995-6008.
- “On Immigration, Information, and the New Jurisprudence of Federalism,” Southern California Law Review 93, no. 1 (2019).
News & Insights
Client Alerts & Publications