Nathaniel F. Sussman

Nathaniel F. Sussman

Nate Sussman is a corporate attorney in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson.

Mr. Sussman’s broad practice encompasses intellectual property counseling, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, corporate governance, and securities regulation. He also has experience advising on consumer and commercial contracts, executive compensation, and the formation of funds and joint ventures.

Mr. Sussman has represented clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations and global investment funds 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, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and Edison International.

Before joining MTO, Mr. Sussman worked in the Business Affairs department of Warner Bros. Television Studios and in the Cyber Crime Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Mr. Sussman earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California, where he graduated first in his class and served on the Southern California Law Review. During law school, Mr. Sussman completed an externship with Judge George H. Wu of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and participated in USC Gould’s Small Business Clinic. He graduated with an M.Sc. in philosophy from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. in political science from the University of Western Ontario.

Experience

Representative matters include advising:

Intellectual Property and Related Counseling

  • Clients in the entertainment, technology, finance, energy, agriculture, hospitality, fashion, and medical industries with respect to a wide variety of copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property matters.
  • Intel Corporation in connection with technology transfers and patent licensing.
  • 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 connection with its strategy for deploying proprietary artificial intelligence programs.
  • A non-profit biomedical research institute in licensing transactions and sponsored research collaborations with for-profit entities to support the development and commercialization of new technologies.
  • An entertainment company in outlining a non-fungible token (“NFT”) strategy for licensing and enforcing its intellectual property rights.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments

  • Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in connection with its multi-staged acquisition of Pilot Flying J, one of the largest private companies in the United States.
  • A subsidiary of Fomento Economico 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 connection with the acquisition of a significant ownership stake in a Major League Baseball team.

Public and Private Financings

  • Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in over $12 billion of issuances of its registered public debt securities in U.S. and international currencies.
  • Edison International in a number of registered public offerings of its common and preferred stock.
  • The Yucaipa Companies, an investment fund controlled by Ronald Burkle, in the establishment of a secured bank credit facility for approximately $100 million.
  • Oaktree Capital Management in a private issuance of debt securities for approximately $200 million.

Corporate Governance and Securities Regulation

  • KB Home in connection with a range of public-company securities law matters.
  • Numerous well-known founders and entrepreneurs in connection with complex public-company governance and capital structures.

Investment Funds

  • 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 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 structuring, transactions, and ongoing operations.

Publications

Author, “Generative Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities, Challenges, and Considerations for Attorneys“ in Thomson Reuters’ eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel, 2024 edition.

“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).

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

  • USC Gould School of Law (J.D., 2020) Order of the Coif; executive articles editor, Southern California Law Review

  • The London School of Economics and Political Science (M.Sc., 2017)

  • University of Western Ontario (B.A., 2016)

Bar Admissions

  • California

Experience

Representative matters include advising:

Intellectual Property and Related Counseling

  • Clients in the entertainment, technology, finance, energy, agriculture, hospitality, fashion, and medical industries with respect to a wide variety of copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property matters.
  • Intel Corporation in connection with technology transfers and patent licensing.
  • 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 connection with its strategy for deploying proprietary artificial intelligence programs.
  • A non-profit biomedical research institute in licensing transactions and sponsored research collaborations with for-profit entities to support the development and commercialization of new technologies.
  • An entertainment company in outlining a non-fungible token (“NFT”) strategy for licensing and enforcing its intellectual property rights.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments

  • Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in connection with its multi-staged acquisition of Pilot Flying J, one of the largest private companies in the United States.
  • A subsidiary of Fomento Economico 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 connection with the acquisition of a significant ownership stake in a Major League Baseball team.

Public and Private Financings

  • Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in over $12 billion of issuances of its registered public debt securities in U.S. and international currencies.
  • Edison International in a number of registered public offerings of its common and preferred stock.
  • The Yucaipa Companies, an investment fund controlled by Ronald Burkle, in the establishment of a secured bank credit facility for approximately $100 million.
  • Oaktree Capital Management in a private issuance of debt securities for approximately $200 million.

Corporate Governance and Securities Regulation

  • KB Home in connection with a range of public-company securities law matters.
  • Numerous well-known founders and entrepreneurs in connection with complex public-company governance and capital structures.

Investment Funds

  • 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 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 structuring, transactions, and ongoing operations.

Publications

Author, “Generative Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities, Challenges, and Considerations for Attorneys“ in Thomson Reuters’ eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel, 2024 edition.

“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).

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

  • USC Gould School of Law (J.D., 2020) Order of the Coif; executive articles editor, Southern California Law Review

  • The London School of Economics and Political Science (M.Sc., 2017)

  • University of Western Ontario (B.A., 2016)

Bar Admissions

  • California