Keith L. Johnson heads the Institutional Investor Legal Services team at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Mr. Johnson represents pension funds and institutional investors on fiduciary, investment, securities litigation and corporate governance program matters. He is also program director of the Wisconsin International Corporate Governance Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he served as an adjunct professor of law.
Mr. Johnson has published a number of articles on pension fund and institutional investor issues. He regularly presents on fiduciary and investment topics at pension fund, legal and investor conferences in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.
Representative Matters and Experience
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Former legal counsel to the State of Wisconsin Investment board (SWIB), the ninth largest public pension fund in the United States for more than 21 years, including almost seven as chief legal officer
- Headed SWIB's corporate governance, investment legal services and securities litigation programs and was a member of SWIB's Risk Committee
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Regularly represents institutional investors in negotiation of investment manager and private market investment agreements
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Provides counsel on corporate governance, securities litigation and fiduciary duty to many of the world's largest pension funds and institutional investors
Notable Publications
- Co-Author, "Say-on-Pay Lawsuits—Is This Time Different?" Reinhart e-alert, published in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation (February 2012)
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"Alternative Investments Survey." The NAPPA Report (May 2008)
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"The Global M&A Boom Continues: Are Boards Getting Shareholders Their Money's Worth." Corporate Governance Advisor. (September/October 2007)
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"Opting Out of Class Actions." Securities Class Actions Services Alert. (January 2007)
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"Questions Compensation Committees Must Answer." The Corporate Board. (March/April 2006)
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"Improving Governance by Joint Shareholder Action." Pensions and Investments. (March 6, 2006)
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"Renewing Foreign Tax Status Can Result in Large Savings for Public Pension Funds." The NAPPA Report (August 2006)
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"Investors Gain by New Model for Class Actions Crafted from Anicom Case." Pensions & Investments. (May 17, 2004)
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"Rebuilding Corporate Boards and Refocusing Shareholders for the Post-Enron Era." St. John's Law Review. Vol. 76, Page 787 (Fall 2002)
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"Ten Insights on Shareholder Proposals." Shareholder Proposal Handbook. Appendix A-14. Aspen Publishers (2002)
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"Selecting Lead Counsel in the Midst of Judicial Chaos." Institutional Investor Advocate. Vol. 3. (Third Quarter 2001)
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"Deterrence of Corporate Fraud Through Securities Litigation: The Role of Institutional Investors." Law and Contemporary Problems. Vol. 60, Page 155 (Summer 1997)
Affiliations/Memberships
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State Bar of Wisconsin
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State Bar of Texas
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Council of Institutional Investors (former member of Governance Committee and Executive Board; former co-chair and current member of the International Committee)
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Advisory Board of the Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School (member)
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Fellow in the American College of Investment Counsel
- National Association of Public Pension Attorneys (NAPPA), where he served as president and Executive Board member; co-chair of the Alternative Investments Working Group, co-chair of the Securities Litigation Task Force and co-chair of the Investment and Corporate Governance Section
- Stanford Institutional Investor's Forum (member of Committee on Fund Governance that developed Best Practice Principles in 2007 and Model Governance Provisions to Support Pension Fund Best Practices Principles in 2012)
- Exide Corporation
bankruptcy reorganization (chairman of Shareholder Committee)
- Cambridge Biotechnology Corporation bankruptcy reorganization (chairman of Shareholder Committee)
Education
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J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School
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B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison