About Evan C.
Evan C. Johnson studied economics and business as an undergraduate at the University of California, Davis, earning a B.S. in 1998. He stayed with the West Coast for law school and received his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2005. His academic path paired business training with legal education. Those elements recur in the way he approaches client problems.
After law school he entered practice in California. He is admitted to practice in the state and has worked at Fenwick & West LLP. His time at the firm exposed him to the mix of legal, commercial and regulatory issues that often arise for private companies and their advisors. He has worked on matters that required both transactional judgment and an understanding of business drivers.
Colleagues describe his work as practical and detail-oriented. He tends to break complex matters into manageable pieces. He writes clearly and prepares materials aimed at the decision-makers his clients rely on. Courtroom advocacy is part of modern practice for many lawyers, and he has experience preparing arguments and managing procedural elements where they arise.
His early training in business and economics informs how he evaluates deals and disputes. He looks for contractual levers, regulatory constraints and financial implications when advising clients. That approach can be useful to companies that want lawyers who can speak both legal nuance and business language. He also regularly coordinates with in-house counsel, outside accountants and other advisers to align legal steps with operational needs.
As of 2026 he remains at Fenwick & West LLP and practices in California. He concentrates on business-related legal matters that call for both legal analysis and business judgment.
