Services & Industries
Education
J.D., magna cum laude, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2006
B.A., cum laude, Lewis & Clark College, 2000
Bar & Court Admissions
Oregon State Bar
Jeff is immediate past Co-Chair of Tonkon Torp’s Business Transitions Practice Group. He focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities regulation, and corporate governance. He is experienced in advising clients on the acquisition and disposition of businesses and assets, securities compliance, and raising capital through private placements of equity and debt. Jeff also advises clients on corporate governance and general business issues, including entity formation, and drafting and negotiating contracts.
While Jeff began his law career at Tonkon Torp in 2006, he briefly stepped away from the firm to work for about a year and half as Associate General Counsel for Banfield Pet Hospital. At Banfield, he engaged with business stakeholders on commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, risk advising, and analysis. This experience has given Jeff a great understanding of what clients and in-house counsel are looking for in an attorney and from law firms.
Outside the office, Jeff enjoys hiking, exploring Oregon’s wine country, watching movies, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Representative Matters
International Sale of Interest in Dental Equipment Company
Represented dental parts and equipment company in the sale of one-third of its interest to a public company in Japan. In a truly global transaction, the Tokyo, Japan-based investor had legal counsel in New York, with their principal attorney working out of Hawaii. An insurer in London underwrote the representations and warranties insurance. Tonkon Torp’s M&A group assembled a team of Tonkon Torp attorneys to assist in additional intellectual property, tax, and labor and employment issues important to the success of the transaction.
Sale of Form Factory, Inc.
Tonkon Torp represented its client, Form Factory, Inc., a retail cannabis processor, in all aspects of its sale to Acreage Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded company in Canada, in an all-stock merger transaction valued at $160 million. The transaction was extremely complicated and included Oregon Liquor Control Commission licensing and other regulatory issues, complicated Delaware statutory structures, Canadian securities law considerations, complex subsidiary ownership and joint ventures, and numerous third parties.
Reverse Takeover of Grown Rogue International, Inc.
Tonkon Torp represented its client, Grown Rogue Unlimited, LLC, a vertically integrated cannabis brand, in its reverse takeover of Novicius Corp. (now known as Grown Rogue International, Inc.), a publicly traded company in Canada. Tonkon Torp advised Grown Rogue on Oregon and United States matters pertaining to the transaction, including tax, securities laws, corporate governance, and Oregon Liquor Control Commission licensing and approval processes. Tonkon Torp also advised Grown Rogue with respect to non-brokered private placements in anticipation of the reverse takeover transaction.
Featured Work
Tonkon Torp Leads Gagen MacDonald Acquisition
Tonkon Torp represented client Gagen MacDonald, a human-focused transformation consulting firm, in its acquisition by APCO Worldwide, a global advisory and advocacy consultancy. The two industry leaders provide complementing C-suite consulting services that focus on human-centered transformation within organizations.
Tonkon Torp Guides Marquis Hot Tubs Through Successful Acquisition
Tonkon Torp celebrates the successful acquisition of its client Marquis Corp. (d/b/a Marquis Hot Tubs) by Monomoy Capital Partners, a private equity firm. Monomoy intends to retain the Marquis brand to expand the firm’s residential pool and spa wellness platform.
Tonkon Torp Pilots Smooth Landing in Columbia Helicopters Sale
Tonkon Torp led one of Oregon’s most notable M&A deals of 2019 for its client, Columbia Helicopters. Founded in 1957, Columbia Helicopters, Inc. (CHI) is one of Oregon’s most recognizable brands.
Tonkon Torp and Law Firm Alliance Partner Facilitate Key Technology Merger
Tonkon Torp represented Key Technology in its acquisition of Belgium-based Visys N.V. The deal, valued at approximately $21 million, created a single source of high-performance sorting technologies for food processing and other industrial markets. Find details and more featured cases here.
Community Involvement & Activities
Cascade AIDS Project
Member, Board of Directors
Portland Parks Foundation
Former Member, Board of Directors
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network
Former Corporate Secretary
Professional Memberships
Multnomah Bar Association
The Best Lawyers in America
2023-2024, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Recent News
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2024 List
Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 36 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024. All of the attorneys have been previously named to the peer-review list, and most have been listed for more than 10 years.
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 53 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2023 List
Fifty-three Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 37 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2023. Nearly all the attorneys have been previously named to the peer-review list, and most have been listed for more than 10 years.
Jeffrey Woodcox Joins Cascade AIDS Project Board
Tonkon Torp partner Jeffrey Woodcox has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Cascade AIDS Project.
Tonkon Torp Attorneys Share What’s in Store for Oregon Cannabis M&A
Attorneys from Tonkon Torp’s Cannabis Industry and Mergers & Acquisitions practice groups co-hosted a webinar on M&A trends for Oregon’s cannabis industry with representatives from MGO, a CPA and accounting consulting firm with a substantial cannabis practice. Moderated by Tonkon Torp partner Jessica Morgan, the panel featured Tonkon Torp partners Jeff Woodcox and Danica Hibpshman.
Tonkon Torp Announces New Practice Group Leaders
Tonkon Torp has appointed two partners to department and practice group chair positions. Anna Sortun is Co-Chair of the Litigation Department and Jeff Woodcox is Chair of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group.
Recent Publications
COVID-19 Hangover: Should You Go Ahead with Plans for a Transaction in 2021?
By all accounts, 2020 was a challenging year and M&A activity was certainly no exception. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and its related lockdowns, many M&A deals were thrown into turmoil. As the year progressed, and pandemic-related business adjustments became routine, M&A activity started to “normalize.”
Publications & Presentations
“COVID-19 Hangover: Should You Go Ahead with Plans for a Transaction in 2021?” 2021 BizStrategies Annual, Portland Business Journal, February 2021
“Business Strategies: A Look Ahead at Financing and M&A Opportunities in 2021,” Portland Business Journal, February 2021
Panelist, “What’s in Store for Oregon Cannabis M&A,” January 2021
Panelist, “Prepare for a Smooth Sale in Fast Waters,” Oregon Chapter of the ACC Newsletter, October 2019
“Representations and Warranties Insurance: Go On, Take the Money and Run,” Oregon Business Lawyer, December 2018
“M&A Best Practices — What it Takes to Strike a Deal,” Thought Leader Forum, Portland Business Journal, November 2018
Moderator, “Been There, Done That – A Fundraising Seminar for Business Owners and Startups,” May 2014
Moderator, “Meet the Funders – A Fundraising Seminar for Business Owners and Startups,” April 2014
“Raising Capital for Early-Stage Companies,” Daily Journal of Commerce, April 2012