Alison Johnson, Corporate Partner

Alison Johnson

Corporate Partner

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Straight answers, deals that close.

I'm Alison — a corporate partner at Wilson Sonsini representing emerging companies at every stage of growth: formation, venture financings, M&A, private equity, and corporate governance. Nineteen years in, one rule holds: you should understand the deal before you sign it.

I also represent venture funds and angel investors, so I see both sides of the table. My clients range from first-check startups to national companies in e-commerce, SaaS, biotech, and agtech — and they get me on the phone, not a memo three days later.

How I help clients

  • Formation & founder setup
  • Venture financings
  • Mergers & acquisitions
  • Corporate governance
  • Investor-side representation
  • Second-opinion reviews

Products I place

Formation & equitySAFEs & convertible notesSeries Seed through Series DMergers & acquisitionsPrivate equity & growthCorporate governanceSecondary transactionsCommercial contracts

Industries I serve

SaaS & softwareE-commerceBiotech & life sciencesFoodTech & agtechConsumer products

Specialties

Venture CapitalM&ACorporate Governance
Alison Johnson shaking hands with a founder in a conference room
Every deal starts with a conversation, not a document request.

I'm glad you're here. The easiest way to reach me is to tap the floating logo button at any time, or jump to the Connect tab. Whether you want to book a call, send a quick note, or save my card for later, it's all one tap away.

Mon-Fri, 8:00a - 6:00p MT

PURPOSE

Who I help & how I do it

I built my practice around founders and funds who need judgment fast. I work with people who are raising, selling, buying, or governing a company — and who don't have time to read a twelve-page memo before making a call.

Who I help

Founders & emerging companies

Pre-seed through growth stage, in SaaS, e-commerce, biotech, agtech, and consumer products.

Company boards & executives

Boards navigating governance, option grants, fiduciary questions, and preparing for a transaction.

Venture funds & angel investors

Investors who need diligence, investment documents, and terms negotiated without theatrics.

First-time raisers

Founders looking at their first SAFE or term sheet who want plain answers instead of a lecture.

What makes me different

Both sides of the table

Representing funds and founders means I know which terms the other side will actually trade.

Mountain West based

Boise and Salt Lake City based, with the reach of a national firm behind every deal.

Plain English

I explain a liquidation preference the way I'd explain it to a friend, before you sign it.

No busywork billing

Short questions get short answers. I'd rather you call early than clean up later.

How I do it

I read the whole deal

Term sheet, side letters, and the documents nobody circulates — the risk usually lives in the last three.

I translate the fine print

You get a clear breakdown of what's market, what's aggressive, and what's worth walking away from.

I answer my phone

Deals move in hours. You reach me directly, not a staffing queue.

I keep you financeable

Clean minutes, clean cap table, clean IP chain — so diligence is boring when it finally arrives.

If you see yourself in one of these groups, the next step is a 30-minute call. No engagement letter required to ask a question.

Credentials

Licensed & experienced

Emerging-company practice from both sides: I started as a corporate associate in Wilson Sonsini's Palo Alto office, spent a decade building a food, beverage, and consumer products practice, and rejoined the firm as a partner in 2021.

19

Years in the business

ISB #7684

Admitted in Idaho & California

By the numbers

  • 500+Financings and M&A deals closed
  • 10 yrsRanked in Chambers USA, Corporate/Commercial
  • 24 hrsTypical turnaround on a term sheet review

The path here

  1. 2006

    Began practice as a corporate associate in Wilson Sonsini's Palo Alto office.

  2. 2010

    Joined Holland & Hart; made partner in 2016.

  3. 2017

    Named firmwide chair of the food, beverage, and consumer products industry group; first Chambers ranking.

  4. 2021

    Rejoined Wilson Sonsini as a corporate partner, helping launch the Salt Lake City office while practicing from Boise.

Education

  • J.D., magna cum laude — Order of the Coif

    Santa Clara University School of Law · 2006

  • Articles Editor, Santa Clara Law Review

    Santa Clara University School of Law · 2005

  • B.A., Philosophy, summa cum laude

    Santa Clara University · 2003

Designations & affiliations

Chambers USASuper LawyersOrder of the Coif

Chambers USA, Corporate/Commercial — Idaho, 2017-2026

Rising Star, Mergers & Acquisitions — Mountain States Super Lawyers, 2018

Idaho Women Lawyers Innovator Award, 2017

Continuing legal education well past the Idaho minimum, plus the firm's internal emerging-companies programs — deal terms move faster than the treatises do.

Beyond the office

The person behind the deals

The short version of the person behind the deal documents — placeholder copy for now, so send me your real details and I'll swap them in.

My background

I grew up in the Bay Area and went to Santa Clara for both philosophy and law — which is a long way of saying I like arguments that are actually structured. I started at Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto, moved to Boise for the mountains and stayed for the founders, and came back to the firm as a partner in 2021.

  • B.A. Philosophy, summa cum laude, Santa Clara University
  • J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Santa Clara Law
  • Began practice in Wilson Sonsini's Palo Alto office
  • Firmwide chair of a food, beverage & consumer products practice, 2017-2021
  • Rejoined Wilson Sonsini as a corporate partner in 2021

About my family

My husband and I have two kids and a dog with strong opinions about the trailhead schedule. Most weeknights involve homework, a very loud kitchen, and at least one call I said I wouldn't take.

Favorite things to do

  • Trail running in the Boise foothills
  • Skiing at Bogus Basin with the kids
  • Anything on the Boise River in July
  • Reading founder memoirs, mostly for the cautionary tales
  • Cold brew and a long, unstructured Saturday morning

Volunteer work & community

  • Idaho Technology Council

    Board of Trustees member since 2015 and co-chair of the Capital Connect Conference.

  • Women Innovators (W.IN)

    Leadership board member supporting women building and funding companies in the region.

  • Boise Startup Week

    Annual panelist and moderator on ecosystem, fundraising, and early-stage legal topics.

  • Founder office hours

    Quarterly no-charge sessions for first-time founders working through formation and fundraising.

Causes I'm passionate about

Getting more capital into Mountain West companiesWomen founders and women investors, at every check sizeDemystifying venture terms for first-time foundersKeeping local companies local as they scale

If any of that overlaps with your world, we'll have plenty to talk about before we ever get to an engagement letter.

Client reviews

What clients say

4.9 · 84 reviews

Most of my work comes from founders and investors passing my name along. Here is what a few of them had to say after we closed.

Featured client story

Alison sat with our founding team and walked through every line of the term sheet. For the first time, we actually understood what we were agreeing to.

Marisa T. · Boise, ID

4.9

Average client rating across 84 reviews

10 yrs

Ranked in Chambers USA, Corporate/Commercial

<24 hrs

Typical turnaround on an urgent deal question

She got our Series A signed in eleven days without a single fire drill.

Marisa T. · Boise, ID

Told me which terms to fight and which to let go. That saved the relationship with our lead.

Devon R. · Salt Lake City, UT

First lawyer who told me what I didn't need to spend money on.

Priya S. · Palo Alto, CA

Found an unassigned IP problem from a 2019 contractor before the buyer's diligence did. That alone paid for the deal.

Alan W. · Bend, OR

No jargon, no posturing. She walked our whole board through the governance changes until everyone actually understood them.

Kelsey M. · Boise, ID

Know a founder who needs a straight answer?

If a founder, operator, or investor you know is staring at a term sheet, an LOI, or a messy cap table, send them my card. The first conversation costs nothing.

Talk with Alison

My company

Wilson Sonsini

Company purpose

The premier legal partner to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has represented companies and investors at the center of innovation for more than sixty years — from garage-stage startups to public companies. The firm pairs deep transactional experience with the litigation, IP, regulatory, and tax teams a growth company eventually needs.

Products & services

Emerging companies & venture capital

Formation, equity, SAFEs, priced rounds, and everything between the first check and the exit.

Mergers & acquisitions

Sell-side, buy-side, and strategic combinations across technology and life sciences.

Corporate governance

Board practice, fiduciary counseling, and public-company readiness.

Capital markets & IPOs

One of the most active IPO practices in the country, plus follow-ons and convertible debt.

Intellectual property

Patent, trademark, and technology transactions that protect the asset you're actually selling.

Litigation & regulatory

Antitrust, securities, privacy, and national security counsel when growth attracts attention.

What makes us different

Built for innovators

Sixty years advising technology and life sciences companies — the firm helped write the playbook for venture financing.

Full lifecycle

Formation through IPO or acquisition, without handing you off to a different firm at each stage.

Investor fluency

We represent funds and founders, so we know what the other side will actually push on.

Local presence, national reach

Offices across the U.S. and abroad, with partners on the ground in the Mountain West.

Costs of inaction

  • Cap table and equity mistakes that surface in diligence and cut your price.
  • Missing IP assignments from early founders or contractors.
  • Board consents and 409A hygiene that stall a financing at the worst moment.
  • Signing a term sheet or LOI before anyone reads the terms that actually bind you.

Benefits of working with us

Speed

Deal teams that move at the pace of a financing, not a billing cycle.

Judgment

Market terms informed by thousands of deals a year.

Clarity

Plain-English explanations before you sign anything.

Continuity

The same partner from seed round through exit.

Client portal

Access the client resource portal

Term sheet generators, financing document libraries, and market data from Wilson Sonsini's Neuron and Deal Elements tools.

Open Portal

Warranty

How I work

If a term doesn't matter, I'll tell you not to fight it. If a deal shouldn't close, I'll say that too. And you'll never get a bill for a question that took five minutes to answer.

Special offer

Founder office hours

Thirty minutes, no charge, no engagement required: bring a term sheet, a cap table, or a co-founder question and get a straight read on it.

Book office hours

My network

People & companies I trust

Vetted local pros, grouped by what you need. Tap a card to see their contact info and how to redeem their offer. I don't take referral fees from anyone on this list.

Capital & Investors

Funds, angels, and the people who fill out a round.

Marcus Webb headshot

Ridgeline Ventures

Marcus Webb

Seed & Series A, B2B software

Writes $500K-$2M first checks and moves fast when the thesis fits.

Mention my name for a direct partner intro instead of the general inbox.

Ridgeline Ventures

Marcus Webb

Connect

Instructions

Mention my name for a direct partner intro instead of the general inbox.

Dana Kowalski headshot

Cascade Angel Collective

Dana Kowalski

Angel syndicate lead

Runs a 90-member syndicate; good for filling the last $250K of a round.

Dana will pre-review a deck for my clients before it goes to the syndicate.

Cascade Angel Collective

Dana Kowalski

Connect

Instructions

Dana will pre-review a deck for my clients before it goes to the syndicate.

Tomas Ruiz headshot

Foothill Growth Partners

Tomas Ruiz

Growth equity, $10M+

My go-to for later-stage rounds and founder secondaries.

Ask Tomas for his diligence checklist before you open a data room.

Foothill Growth Partners

Tomas Ruiz

Connect

Instructions

Ask Tomas for his diligence checklist before you open a data room.

Ellie Barnes headshot

Sagebrush Capital

Ellie Barnes

Life sciences & agtech

One of the few regional funds with real biotech and agtech expertise.

Ellie takes intro calls from any founder I send, no deck required.

Sagebrush Capital

Ellie Barnes

Connect

Instructions

Ellie takes intro calls from any founder I send, no deck required.

Finance & People

CFOs, accountants, recruiters, and equity administration.

Rick Halvorsen headshot

Halvorsen CFO Group

Rick Halvorsen

Fractional CFO & financial modeling

Builds the model investors ask for, not the one you already have.

Rick will sanity-check a fundraising model free for my clients.

Halvorsen CFO Group

Rick Halvorsen

Connect

Instructions

Rick will sanity-check a fundraising model free for my clients.

Nia Foster headshot

Foster & Reed CPA

Nia Foster

Startup tax, R&D credits, audits

Handles QSBS planning and R&D credits properly the first time.

Free QSBS eligibility review for companies I refer.

Foster & Reed CPA

Nia Foster

Connect

Instructions

Free QSBS eligibility review for companies I refer.

Priya Raman headshot

Summit 409A

Priya Raman

409A & fairness valuations

Fast turnarounds that hold up in diligence.

Discounted first 409A for newly formed clients.

Summit 409A

Priya Raman

Connect

Instructions

Discounted first 409A for newly formed clients.

Alicia Grant headshot

Grant Search Partners

Alicia Grant

Executive & technical recruiting

Places engineering and go-to-market leaders at Series A and B companies.

Reduced first-placement fee for companies I introduce.

Grant Search Partners

Alicia Grant

Connect

Instructions

Reduced first-placement fee for companies I introduce.

Peter Nam headshot

Northline PEO

Peter Nam

HR, payroll & multi-state compliance

Sorts out contractor classification before it becomes a liability line in diligence.

Complimentary worker-classification audit for my clients.

Northline PEO

Peter Nam

Connect

Instructions

Complimentary worker-classification audit for my clients.

Rosa Delgado headshot

Carta / equity admin support

Rosa Delgado

Cap table & equity administration

Cleans up spreadsheets-turned-cap-tables before a financing.

Ask Rosa for a free cap table hygiene review.

Carta / equity admin support

Rosa Delgado

Connect

Instructions

Ask Rosa for a free cap table hygiene review.

Sam Whitfield headshot

Whitfield Employment Law

Sam Whitfield

Employment counsel

For terminations, non-competes, and the founder separations nobody plans for.

Sam will tell you straight whether you need counsel — no charge for that call.

Whitfield Employment Law

Sam Whitfield

Connect

Instructions

Sam will tell you straight whether you need counsel — no charge for that call.

IP, Privacy & Specialty Counsel

The specialists I bring in when a matter needs them.

Bev Lindstrom headshot

Lindstrom IP

Bev Lindstrom

Patent prosecution, life sciences

Files claims that survive diligence and, eventually, litigation.

Free patentability screen for companies I send over.

Lindstrom IP

Bev Lindstrom

Connect

Instructions

Free patentability screen for companies I send over.

Owen Pratt headshot

Pratt Trademark

Owen Pratt

Trademark & brand protection

Essential for consumer products companies before a launch.

Complimentary clearance search for new consumer brands.

Pratt Trademark

Owen Pratt

Connect

Instructions

Complimentary clearance search for new consumer brands.

Hannah Reyes headshot

Reyes Privacy Counsel

Hannah Reyes

Privacy, data & AI compliance

Handles the privacy questionnaires enterprise buyers now send in month one.

Free review of your first enterprise security questionnaire.

Reyes Privacy Counsel

Hannah Reyes

Connect

Instructions

Free review of your first enterprise security questionnaire.

Banking, Insurance & Space

Venture debt, D&O coverage, and your first real lease.

Karen Boyle headshot

Boyle Venture Banking

Karen Boyle

Startup banking & venture debt

Twenty years banking growth companies. Knows which covenants to refuse.

Karen will structure a venture debt term sheet for review before you commit.

Boyle Venture Banking

Karen Boyle

Connect

Instructions

Karen will structure a venture debt term sheet for review before you commit.

Andre Simmons headshot

Heartland Risk Advisors

Andre Simmons

D&O, E&O & cyber coverage

Straight answers on D&O limits before you add outside directors.

Free D&O adequacy check ahead of a financing.

Heartland Risk Advisors

Andre Simmons

Connect

Instructions

Free D&O adequacy check ahead of a financing.

Jenna Kraft headshot

Kraft Commercial Real Estate

Jenna Kraft

Office & lab leasing

Handles the first real lease so you don't sign a ten-year term at Series A.

Lease review and market comps at no cost for my clients.

Kraft Commercial Real Estate

Jenna Kraft

Connect

Instructions

Lease review and market comps at no cost for my clients.

Build, Grow & Exit

Product, go-to-market, board talent, and transaction support.

Curtis Lane headshot

Lane Systems

Curtis Lane

Fractional CTO & security readiness

Gets companies through SOC 2 before enterprise diligence stalls a contract.

Free SOC 2 readiness gap assessment.

Lane Systems

Curtis Lane

Connect

Instructions

Free SOC 2 readiness gap assessment.

Maria Voss headshot

Voss Product Studio

Maria Voss

Product design & UX

Fair on scope and will tell you when you don't need a rebuild.

Discounted first design sprint for pre-Series A companies.

Voss Product Studio

Maria Voss

Connect

Instructions

Discounted first design sprint for pre-Series A companies.

Ben Ochoa headshot

Ochoa Growth

Ben Ochoa

Demand generation & RevOps

Good fit once you have product-market fit and no repeatable pipeline.

Free pipeline audit before you hire your first sales rep.

Ochoa Growth

Ben Ochoa

Connect

Instructions

Free pipeline audit before you hire your first sales rep.

Trish Delaney headshot

Delaney Communications

Trish Delaney

PR & fundraising announcements

Runs the announcement cycle around a close without stepping on confidentiality.

Complimentary funding-announcement plan for rounds I close.

Delaney Communications

Trish Delaney

Connect

Instructions

Complimentary funding-announcement plan for rounds I close.

Ryan Alcott headshot

Former CEO, Northline Software

Ryan Alcott

Independent director, B2B SaaS

Took a company from Series A to acquisition. Excellent independent seat.

Ryan takes one intro call a month from founders I send.

Former CEO, Northline Software

Ryan Alcott

Connect

Instructions

Ryan takes one intro call a month from founders I send.

Sana Iqbal headshot

Iqbal Advisory

Sana Iqbal

Board chair & governance coaching

Helps first-time CEOs run a board meeting that's worth ninety minutes.

Free board-meeting structure template for my clients.

Iqbal Advisory

Sana Iqbal

Connect

Instructions

Free board-meeting structure template for my clients.

Drew Hammond headshot

Hammond Consumer Group

Drew Hammond

Consumer products & retail operating advisor

Twenty years in food and beverage. Knows every buyer worth knowing.

Mention me for a complimentary retail-strategy call.

Hammond Consumer Group

Drew Hammond

Connect

Instructions

Mention me for a complimentary retail-strategy call.

Gil Marek headshot

Marek & Co.

Gil Marek

Tech M&A investment banking

Runs tight processes for $20M-$200M outcomes and doesn't oversell the range.

Free valuation range conversation before you engage anyone.

Marek & Co.

Gil Marek

Connect

Instructions

Free valuation range conversation before you engage anyone.

Lena Ward headshot

Ward Quality of Earnings

Lena Ward

Sell-side QoE & financial diligence

Find the accounting surprises before the buyer's team does.

Discounted sell-side readiness review for my clients.

Ward Quality of Earnings

Lena Ward

Connect

Instructions

Discounted sell-side readiness review for my clients.

Chris Boone headshot

Boone Data Room

Chris Boone

Diligence & data room preparation

Turns four years of Google Drive into something a buyer can actually review.

First diligence index built at no cost for deals I'm running.

Boone Data Room

Chris Boone

Connect

Instructions

First diligence index built at no cost for deals I'm running.

My network

Associations & memberships

Bar memberships and industry groups that keep me current, accountable, and connected to the founders and funders in this region.

Idaho Technology Council

Member, Board of Trustees, 2015-present

Statewide organization connecting technology companies, investors, and talent.

Capital Connect Conference

Co-chair, 2015-present

Idaho's annual conference pairing growth companies with regional and national investors.

Women Innovators

Leadership board member, 2018-present

Community supporting women founders, operators, and investors across the Mountain West.

State Bar of Idaho

Member in good standing

Licensing, ethics, and continuing legal education for Idaho practice.

State Bar of California

Member in good standing

Admitted in California since 2007; roots in the Palo Alto emerging-companies practice.

American Bar Association

Member, Business Law Section

National standards and model documents for corporate and M&A practice.

Membership isn't a credential on its own — but it's how I see term trends before they show up in your round.

Connect

Contact Alison

I'm glad you're here. The easiest way to reach me is to tap the floating logo button at any time, or jump to the Connect tab. Whether you want to book a call, send a quick note, or save my card for later, it's all one tap away.

Introduce yourself

Send Alison your details, why you're reaching out, and the best way for her to reach you back. She reviews these herself and replies within one business day.

Schedule a call

No pressure, no script. Bring your term sheet or cap table and we'll walk through what you're actually paying for.

Save & share

Save Alison's details so you have a real person to call before you need one — and send this card to any founder or investor who needs counsel.

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Contact Wilson Sonsini

For firm matters that don't require Alison directly, reach out to Wilson Sonsini. The firm handles:

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What to include

Include your name, company, question or request, and how we can reach you. Most non-urgent requests are handled within one business day.

Mon-Fri, 8:00a - 5:00p PT

Office locations

Wilson Sonsini has offices across the U.S. and abroad. Visit the website for a full list of locations and directions.

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