Brett Johnson advises companies and investors on complex transactions across energy, telecommunications, and technology sectors. He focuses on capital-intensive projects, long-term commercial arrangements, and strategic corporate structuring that help clients manage risk, allocate capital, and pursue growth.
Brett advises boards, investors, and emerging companies on mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, and venture capital and private equity transactions across energy, technology, communications, and other sectors, helping clients align strategic objectives with financial outcomes.
In recent work, Brett has represented utilities and energy-sector clients in special electric service agreements, dedicated generation arrangements, and transmission and distribution upgrades to support more than 2 gigawatts of anticipated hyperscale data center load in the western United States. He also advises on build-transfer generation transactions, long-term power purchase agreements, and joint ventures or special-purpose structures that enable significant infrastructure investment while protecting enterprise value.
Before joining VMware, Brett served as in-house counsel at the global enterprise software company, gaining practical insight into how businesses evaluate risk, allocate capital, and make strategic decisions—experience that informs his commercially grounded legal advice.
Representative Engagements
Energy and Infrastructure
- Represented investor-owned electric utilities in negotiating special electric service agreements and related infrastructure arrangements to support more than 2 gigawatts of anticipated hyperscale data center load in the western United States.
- Represented investor-owned electric utilities in build-transfer generation transactions and long-term power purchase agreements to support more than 400 megawatts of new generation capacity.
- Advised utilities and infrastructure participants on transaction structures for capital-intensive energy development, including joint ventures and special-purpose entities used to allocate development risk and finance large-scale infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure and Strategic Transactions
- Represented a communications infrastructure consortium in the formation of a strategic joint venture awarded more than $700 million in federal broadband infrastructure funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
- Represented a NYSE-listed company in connection with an asset divestiture valued at approximately $650,000,000.
- Represented a NYSE-listed technology company in multiple strategic acquisitions ranging from $19 million to $375 million.
- Represented a network developer in a private equity joint venture for rural broadband infrastructure with an initial capital commitment of $175 million.
- Represented a private equity fund in connection with a $150 million joint venture investment in rural broadband infrastructure.
- Represented the stockholders of an infrastructure company in the sale of their business for approximately $145 million.
Venture Capital and Growth Companies
- Represented emerging companies in seed, convertible note, and Series A and Series B financings ranging from $500,000 to $40 million.
- Represented a Colorado-based natural foods grocery company in three EB-5 offerings totaling approximately $80 million.
Honors
- Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2021-2025)
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