Atty. John W. Shenk
Founding Partner John W. Shenk is a litigator focused on shareholder and derivative, cannabis, and business disputes.
Profile Summary
About John W. Shenk at a glance
John W. Shenk is a Founding Partner based in Los Angeles, California, practicing at Mancini Shenk LLP. They have 18+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 2008. Their practice focuses on business, litigation, and cannabis. Admitted to practice in California (2008). Educated at University of Southern California (J.D., 2008) and Stanford University (B.A. University, 2001). Provides legal services in Spanish. Serands clients in Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Founding Partner John W. Shenk is a litigator focused on shareholder and derivative, cannabis, and business disputes
- With extensive experience in partnership disputes and the personal nature of fights within businesses, John has come to refer to his specialty as “business divorce.” John helps his clients understand their rights and assert them effectively, whether they be partners, shareholders in a corporation, members of an LLC, or joint venturers of any manner
- In some instances, this requires diplomatic negotiation or out of court arbitration
- In others, it may demand bare-knuckled litigation
- In all cases it is a strategic process that John navigates with agility, finesse, and force when needed
- John has handled some of the most prominent shareholder and investor litigation in the legal cannabis industry
- These complex disputes have their own shape and character, and John’s successes on behalf of clients confronting managers intent upon self-dealing and, at times, outright fraud, place him at the forefront of litigation in the legal cannabis industry
- In these contexts, John has extensive experience with partnership and shareholder disputes, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud claims, unfair competition, trade secret misappropriation, and real estate litigation
- Representative Matters • Vindicated investor right to exercise option to acquire shares in start-up cannabis company resulting in a substantial cash payout along with shares in the company. • Asserted member / shareholder rights in one of the country’s largest cannabis ventures against self-dealing managers, resulting in client obtaining 20x the shares managers attempted to distribute. • On less than 24-hour turnaround, defeated surprise application for temporary restraining order brought against cannabis business by one of its investors. • Defended real estate developer against claims by former business partner seeking to share profits in a later transaction
- defeated all claims in their entirety. • Defended LLC manager against investor derivative claims of self-dealing and breach of fiduciary duty
- defeated all claims in their entirety. • Pursued LLC manager of cannabis extraction company who absconded with investor funds. • Resolved board member / shareholder deadlock in closely held corporation by negotiating terms for appointment of neutral board member, permitting manufacturing company to emerge out of operational stagnation. • Removed a toxic shareholder / manager who was crippling a company’s growth. • Enforced trade secret and confidentiality rights of partnership against expelled toxic partner
- enforcement of non-compete agreement under California law. • Negotiated the terms for quickly dissolving a law partnership for partner to move to a more lucrative opportunity without losing value or breaching duties to partners or clients. • Provided strategic advice to option-holding employee in departure from current employment to start entrepreneurial venture without losing upside potential in existing company or exposing himself to claims of trade secret theft
- Education John attended Stanford University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 2001
- John earned his Juris Doctor and his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law and Marshall School of Business, respectively, in 2008
- Bar Admissions John is a member in good standing of the State Bar of California, admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California and all of California’s lower state courts, each of the United States District Courts for the Southern, Central, Eastern and Northern Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Professional Affiliations John is a member of ProVisors, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the International Cannabis Bar Association
Practice Areas Explained
John W. Shenk's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases John W. Shenk handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
John W. Shenk is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in California →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
John W. Shenk is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in California →
Cannabis attorneys for business licensing, regulatory compliance, and marijuana-related legal matters.
John W. Shenk is one of 3,138 cannabis attorneys indexed nationally. Browse cannabis attorneys in California →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in California
Practicing law in California. Legal matters in California are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Los Angeles are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate California state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in California brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in California courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional California attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Los Angeles or all attorneys in California.
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