I’ve been graced with John Montgomery as a  friend and associate. He is one of the most dedicated crusaders for the Benefit Corporation in California, an outspoken thought leader regarding the evolution of consciousness in business, and a skilled executive coach. What stands out about John is that he is both a “heavyweight” in the field and an unassuming human being with whom you feel immediately at ease.

John has been a corporate lawyer in Silicon Valley since 1984. He worked with countless companies and founded the law firm Montgomery & Hansen, LLP. Gradually, he realized that:

“..the traditional corporation’s lack of a comprehensive conscience is detrimental to

stockholders, society, and the environment. The prevailing doctrine of shareholder primacy normalizes the practice of externalizing as many costs as possible on the commons in order to maximize stockholder welfare. This practice ultimately impedes corporate performance because the backlash aroused by the ensuing harm to society and the environment destroys goodwill.”

John went onto co-chair of the legal working group behind California’s benefit corporation legislation, which became law in 2012, and was a California lawyer of the year for this work. He currently is the President-Elect of the Benefit Company Bar Association and serves on the advisory boards of B Lab Europe, the Purpose of the Corporation project and several benefit corporations.

Discussions with John instilled the understanding that a conscious business is ultimately “toothless” without the legal mandates and protections of the Benefit Corporation. The case of Whole Foods serves as a great example and cautionary tale. Ironically, John Mackey, CEO and poster child of Conscious Capitalism, was forced to sell the conscious company he founded to highest bidder Amazon because an activist investment firm, Jana Partners, convinced the majority of shareholders that their interests were  best served in this manner. If Whole Foods were a Benefit Corporation, their mission values and commitment to all stakeholders would have been encoded into the legal DNA of their governance. That is why, in part, B Labs requires Certified B Corporations to become Benefit Corporations (in states and countries where this is an option) within two years of certification.

John through his company Lex Ultima  (a Benefit Corporation of course) helps companies with the legal and transformational work to become California Benefit Corporations. Utilizing John simply for his legal expertise and services would be like using a 3/4 ton 4×4 truck solely for hauling groceries from the supermarket. His experience as an entrepreneur, Silicon Valley insider and coach combined with his ongoing commitment to embody the new paradigm make him an invaluable member of any Benefit Corporation expedition. You can contact John via his email:  jmontgomery@lexultima.com.