TEAM
BILLY ABBOTT
Counsel | Silicon Valley
My goal is to help you navigate the tax consequences of any transaction to obtain the best possible results for you and your company. My diverse experience helping emerging companies navigate complex tax issues includes advising in mergers and acquisitions; the formation, acquisition, and unwinding of partnerships and limited liability companies; securities issuances and exchanges; and large and small credit facilities. READ MORE
DAVID ALMELING
Partner | San Francisco
Every company has inventions and trade secrets worth protecting. The key is understanding what they are and how to protect them. I can help. I litigate patent and trade secret cases. I focus on these two areas of law because acquiring, protecting, and enforcing a company’s IP rights—and defending against others’ assertions of their IP rights—demands an understanding of both patent and trade secret law. I’m also nationally recognized in these areas of law. For example, the third edition of my book on trade secret law will be published in 2018. READ MORE
ERIC AMDURSKY
Partner | Silicon Valley
Startups must understand and adapt to the latest developments in labor and employment law. As your business and workforce grow so do your responsibilities—and potential liabilities. My broad-based labor and employment practice will help you with issues ranging from drafting non-competition agreements to advising on compliance with wage and hour laws to defending against discrimination suits, and much more. READ MORE
NIMA AMINI
Partner | Hong Kong
I have practiced in Asia for more than a decade, specializing in cross-border M&A, VC, PE, and JV transactions. My clients include prominent Asia-based PE and VC fund managers as well as companies in all stages of their development-cycle, from startups seeking incorporation and seed financing to Fortune 100 multinationals on major acquisitions and divestments. Named “Young Lawyer of the Year” at The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards, I also counsel Asia-based investment teams on forming funds and have represented investors in their sponsorships of, anchor investments in, and/or co-investments with various international and Pan Asia private equity and hedge funds. READ MORE
WILL C. AUTZ
Counsel | New York
I live and breathe intellectual property law and apply that dedication to my clients’ causes. I specialize in complex patent litigation related to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. I frequently represent high-profile pharmaceutical companies in patent litigations under the Hatch-Waxman Act. I also have considerable experience in international arbitration and enforcement proceedings, as well as across a broad array of IP transactions, including licensing, settlement agreements, opinion work, and due diligence related to acquisitions and capital market ventures. READ MORE
BRIAN BERLINER
Partner | Los Angeles
Protecting your most valuable asset—your ideas—should be a priority for any startup. I work closely with clients on strategies for protecting valuable IP rights. My bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and years spent working with engineers and scientists before I began my legal career give me a real world understanding of the tech world: how scientific/engineering research takes place, the demanding time pressures placed on engineers to develop projects on schedule, the way they analyze problems and find solutions, and the way in which engineers talk to each other about their work. All of which helps me advise you on the best IP strategy. READ MORE
KURT BERNEY
Partner | San Francisco
I represent emerging companies and the venture capital/private equity funds and investment banks that invest in and provide investment banking services to those companies. My practice includes cross-border mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, and private debt and equity financings. I have extensive experience advising clients in Asia (having lived in Shanghai for eight years) with my practice divided between US- and Asia-based clients. I’m in early and stay late—not only providing exceptional technical legal advice but also serving as a sounding board, creative problem solver, and thought partner for my clients. READ MORE
RONALD CHENG
Partner | Los Angeles
For startups these days, no growth strategy is complete without consideration of the impact of laws regulating data security, privacy, and anti-corruption in the US and abroad. Drawing on experience gained from a two-decade career as a federal prosecutor, I counsel emerging companies in each of these critical areas of law, helping them establish effective internal controls that will allow a company to be in a strong position to resolve any problems should they arise and handling investigations if they do. Splitting my time between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, I am one of very few Mandarin-speaking attorneys with experience in both US and Chinese criminal law enforcement.
READ MOREHERMAN CHEUNG
Counsel | San Francisco
I help emerging companies, lenders, and investors with venture debt financing. I assist clients with building collaborative and practical lending arrangements that provide companies with the capital and flexibility needed for growth and lenders with confidence in their investment. My diverse client base ranges from emerging startups to public companies and major financial institutions across a number of industries including software, clean energy and biotech.
READ MOREJOHN CHONG
Associate | San Francisco
I specialize in corporate transactions, with a particular focus on complex M&A deals and financing in the tech, life sciences, and energy sectors. READ MORE
C. BROPHY CHRISTENSEN
Partner | San Francisco
When working with my clients, I take the big picture into account. Whether they are looking to do an initial public offering, raise debt, or considering a strategic transaction, I am thinking about how to help them get the best financing, partner with the right investors, targets or acquirers, and achieve their objectives without hiccups. Over the course of my 20-year career, I’ve advised companies in a range of sectors, with a particular focus on technology, life sciences, real estate, and financial services. As co-chair of O’Melveny’s Transactions Department, I can put you in touch with the right team to handle your most important projects. READ MORE
BRIAN COVOTTA
Partner | Silicon Valley
I advise growing technology and biotechnology companies on the kind of corporate and securities transactions that are so critical to emerging companies, including initial formation, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and public and private securities offerings. I also provide counsel on legal issues ranging from day-to-day corporate and regulatory matters to corporate governance and other mission-critical initiatives. My clients span a range of industries, from mobile to security, and software to medical devices. READ MORE
ANDREW DOLAK
Partner | Newport Beach
After 15 years in the computer industry, I became a lawyer so I could help tech companies structure and negotiate the best deals to achieve their objectives. Leveraging my technical and business background, I advise clients on the acquisition and sale of tech companies and their IP assets, commercial transaction agreements, licensing, and IT and business service agreements. I have taught a class on IP law and have written a treatise on “Pricing the Outsourcing Deal.” READ MORE
MELODY DRUMMOND HANSEN
Partner | Silicon Valley
Intellectual property law should promote innovation—not stifle it. With over a decade of experience in technologies from cameras and streaming video to voice recognition and autonomous vehicles, I thrive at the frontiers of technology and law. I guide established market leaders and emerging companies alike through patent, copyright, trademark, data security, trade secret, and unfair competition disputes, and help them overcome regulatory hurdles. Have a disruptive technology or new business model that requires developing a creative IP strategy or forging new precedent? Let’s get started. READ MORE
DAVID R. EBERHART
Partner | San Francisco
A startup caught in the whirlwind of launching a new product or marketing plan may lose sight of the importance of protecting its IP portfolio. I represent some of the most innovative media and tech companies in complex trademark, trade secret and copyright disputes. With more than 25-years' experience, I have handled all phases of litigation through trial and appeal. READ MORE
RANDALL W. EDWARDS
Partner | San Francisco
Strong data security and privacy safeguards makes you more competitive and establishes you as customer-focused. I advise tech companies on data security and privacy matters. Certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals as a CIPP/US, I serve as U.S. privacy advisor and breach counsel for public and privately held companies with a particular focus on online practices and laws. READ MORE
SCOTT D. ELLIOTT
Partner | San Francisco
As co-head of the firm’s life sciences practice, I know the industry inside and out, focusing my practice on corporate and transactional matters such as venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate and securities law issues. I advise biotech, medical device, digital health and other tech clients in everything from incorporation to venture funding, and growth counseling to sale or IPO, as well as the venture and private equity firms and investment banks that serve these industries. READ MORE
ROBERT FISHER
Partner | Silicon Valley
As a tax attorney for nearly 20 years, I counsel clients on various tax planning structures to reduce their tax burdens and assist in devising investment strategies. My experience includes advising, structuring, and implementing corporate and partnership acquisitions and dispositions, including taxable and tax-free mergers and stock and asset transactions. I also assist with the formation and financing of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, corporate restructurings and reorganizations, and leasing transactions. READ MORE
WARREN FOX
Senior Counsel | San Francisco
Having a solid plan in place for executive compensation and employee benefits will help address a startup’s needs and keep employees loyal and motivated. I have more than a dozen years’ experience advising a diversified range of clients on compensation and benefits issues, including the design and implementation of equity-based and other incentive arrangements, employment and severance arrangements, the securities laws and disclosure requirements applicable to these arrangements, and the taxation of these arrangements. READ MORE
KE GENG
Partner | Beijing
After earning my JD and PhD in Biochemistry in the US, I returned to Beijing, where I advise Chinese companies on outbound investments, private equity and venture capital financing, IPOs, and M&A. My science background complements my practice. Knowing how to “talk the talk” with scientists and engineers gives me a better understanding of a startup's potential. My clients span numerous industries including health care, life sciences, technology, media, and telecommunications. READ MORE
BHAVREET SINGH GILL
Associate | Silicon Valley
I assist emerging technology companies with finance, M&A, and general corporate matters. I was helping startups even before finishing law school through my work at the Community Enterprise Clinic at Columbia Law School, providing legal advice for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. I am fluent in Punjabi and Hindi.
READ MORETIM HAGEN
Counsel | Silicon Valley
As an experienced corporate transactional lawyer, I regularly assist companies and investors across industries with venture capital financings, private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, and general corporate matters. READ MORE
JAY HERRON
Of Counsel | Newport Beach
Drawing on more than 30 years’ experience, I assist clients in preparing to go public, raising capital through private and public offerings, and acquiring and selling businesses. As head of the firm’s global M&A and PE practice, I am well positioned to ensure that clients receive the resources and attention they need to achieve their goals. READ MORE
JOHN KAPPOS
Partner | Newport Beach
Intellectual property rights are among the most important assets in early stage companies and in technology transactions. As a patent attorney, I advise clients on valuation of patents in corporate transactions, legal exposure based on third–party patent rights, and effective strategies to obtain, protect, and enforce patent rights in the fields of biomedical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. I approach transaction issues from the standpoint of a background in litigating patent disputes. In fact, a substantial part of my practice is devoted to patent litigation, which provides an ideal perspective for risk assessment and freedom–to–operate studies. READ MORE
ADAM P. KOHSWEENEY
Partner | San Francisco
I counsel employers on a variety of federal, state, and local regulations impacting compensation and other employment policies and practices. I also represent employers in class action litigation (including under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and similar state and local laws), before federal and state agencies, and in arbitrations of employment-related disputes. READ MORE
NOAH KORNBLITH
Counsel | San Francisco
I work with startup and later-stage companies on US and cross-border M&A, venture capital financing, corporate governance, and strategic transactions. I give practical, solution-oriented advice to my clients in various sectors including technology, health care, and life sciences. READ MORE
PORTIA KU
Partner | Hong Kong
Working at the intersection of the technology and life sciences, health care, and financial services sectors, I advise public and private companies in capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and private equity financings. With a myriad of deals to my credit, I bring the technical experience, strategic thinking, and dedication needed to guide clients through highly complex transactions to achieve their goals. READ MORE
GEOFF KUZIEMKO
Partner | San Francisco
I advise life science companies that drive innovation and breakthrough advances in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics. For nearly 20 years, I provided strategic counseling to life sciences companies at all stages of development, leveraging my PhD in biophysical chemistry to understand the complex science that drives my clients’ business and legal objectives. My in-house experience at a major biotech company allows me to anticipate issues and partner with my clients to ensure long-term success. READ MORE
WARREN T. LAZAROW
Partner | Silicon Valley
I advise emerging growth tech companies and angel, VC, and PE investors on everything from corporate matters to high-stakes board, commercial, and strategic issues. I have been chosen four times to be on Forbes Midas Touch List of Top Tech Dealmakers. After 30 years of practice, there is practically no issue I haven’t come across before. And in my position as co-chair of O’Melveny’s Transactions Department, I can access the firm’s significant resources for your benefit. Looking for early round investors? A steady and calm influence in the Boardroom? Or an exit through a sale or IPO? Done, done, and done. READ MORE
DAVID MAKARECHIAN
Partner | Silicon Valley
I have 20+ years of experience supporting the growth of tech companies, with clients that include start-ups, VC and PE investors, investment banks, and private and public companies. I try to bring a “results oriented” approach to my transactions. More than just a lawyer, I am also a businessman, having previously worked as Vice President of Alliances and General Counsel of 24/7 Customer, Inc., a tech-enabled services company with approximately 9,000 employees in the US, Asia and Latin America. As such, I bring a unique understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing technology businesses operating across global markets. READ MORE
MARTIN MAYO
Counsel | Silicon Valley
I am a seasoned venture attorney representing both emerging companies and venture capital investors as they pursue the next big thing. I advise on seed to growth-stage financings, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, and general corporate matters. I also work with venture capital funds, assisting with their investments, fund formation and compliance matters, and affiliate fund partnerships. Having served in-house as general counsel at an early-stage venture capital firm, I know firsthand the daily challenges facing entrepreneurs and provide clients with steady guidance through the inevitable peaks and valleys of startups. READ MORE
HEATHER J. MEEKER
Partner | Silicon Valley
I counsel tech clients on IP matters, with an approach that emphasizes practical solutions for complex, technical questions. My areas of specialty include licensing and collaboration arrangements, software copyright and patent issues, and IP-related aspects of M&A and other corporate transactions. I also have an extensive practice in open source software licensing, and have written a widely-used book on the topic. I am a former computer programmer and analyst, and also have experience in the music business. READ MORE
EINAT MEISEL
Partner | Silicon Valley
At heart I am an entrepreneur, and thrive on partnering with your company to achieve its vision. I practiced for 15 years in Israel’s booming tech start up community where I often brought together seed-stage emerging growth companies with venture capital and strategic partners. Today I advise companies on cross-border transactions, equity financings, and M&A. I have been in-house counsel for Influence, Inc., a medical device company founded by Israeli entrepreneurs. I also co-founded the California-Israel Chamber of Commerce, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit dedicated to strengthening business relations between California and Israel. READ MORE
MARK E. MILLER
Partner | San Francisco
My career as an IP lawyer has tracked the explosive growth of technology innovation. When I started practicing law more than 30 years ago, the era of personal computers was just beginning. Over the decades, I have seen technology breakthroughs and busts, along with market booms and busts and the impact of those swings on IP strategy. Having that knowledge, background, and experience makes me a better advisor to current innovators. My practice focuses on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and domain names, with an emphasis on patent and technology-related litigation. READ MORE
SEAN A. MONROE
Partner | Century City
My practice is focused on representing clients in the entertainment, media, and sports industries in a range of transactions, including venture capital and early-stage investments, licensing, joint ventures, and complex mergers and acquisitions. Startups looking to break into Hollywood or exploiting the convergence between content and technology benefit from my extensive experience representing major industry players: motion picture and television studios, entertainment finance companies, high-net-worth investors, producers, and executives. READ MORE
DAVID MURPHY
Partner | Newport Beach
Working with companies at every stage of the corporate life cycle, from startups to tech giants, I focus my practice on patent and technology law, including patent litigation, licensing, and portfolio management. I also provide intellectual property counseling, with a strong emphasis on strategic advice, specifically minimizing third-party patent infringement risks. Although I have worked with a gamut of industries, I have particular experience when it comes to electronics and life sciences. READ MORE
TOM OSLOVAR
Counsel | Newport Beach
I am a tech transactions attorney who focuses on negotiating the best deal for your company in strategic agreements such as licensing, IP assignments, co-marketing, and development. I also advise clients on IP issues that arise in venture capital and private equity financing, and on open source-related issues in the compliance and M&A contexts. I counsel startups and investors in a variety of sectors including software, internet, interactive advertising, cloud computing, infotainment, video games, fitness analytics, semiconductors, and mobile navigation. READ MORE
MAIAH H. PARKS
Associate | San Francisco
My practice focuses on structuring financing and M&A transactions as well as advising on general corporate and business matters, including corporate governance, entity formation, trademark protection and privacy matters in the fields of emerging tech, life sciences, and non-profits.
READ MORELISA B. PENSABENE
Partner | New York
As co-head of the firm’s life sciences practice, I advise pharma and biotech companies on strategic issues, focusing primarily on intellectual property protection. For more than 25 years, I have helped innovator companies achieve their goals. In the process, I have acquired an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the biopharmaceutical industry from research and product development to FDA approval to licensing and litigation. Clients appreciate my ability to “master very complex science and explain it to a lay audience,” according to IAM’s Patent 1000 guide. READ MORE
SCOTT W. PINK
Special Counsel | Silicon Valley
Having a great idea is one thing. But the key to a successful startup is execution. I help companies navigate issues relating to protecting their core IP, privacy, and government regulations (including brand protection) from inception through the sales, marketing, and distribution of their products/technology. With a practice that spans more than 30 years, I have served as the lead outside advertising and marketing counsel to several well-known companies. My counseling is grounded in the real world having served as Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary for Prima Communications, an international media and publishing company. READ MORE
PAUL PORTER
Counsel | San Francisco
I can help startups take their business to the next level. Having advised on a number of high-profile IPOs and bond offerings, I have extensive experience in securities, capital markets, and corporate governance. I bring a global market perspective, having worked in London, Hong Kong, and the US. And I have a head for not just law and finance but science and technology, with a master’s degree in electrical engineering and experience in software development and network engineering. My client roster crosses various industry sectors, including semiconductor, telecommunications, computing, software and display technology. READ MORE
MATT POWERS
Partner | San Francisco
No startup wants to be embroiled in litigation that will drain resources and slow development. As a seasoned litigator, I regularly discuss and strategize with clients regarding their goals for resolving a budding dispute. Sometimes the best way to “win” a case is to avoid it at the front end through firm and professional diplomacy. And when the fight cannot (or should not) be avoided, I help clients resolve their disputes firmly and efficiently. READ MORE
MARINA G. RICHTER
Counsel | New York
As a founder of a startup myself, I understand the ups and downs of running a new enterprise. I work with startups and their investors on formation and help them find funding and complete their financings and acquisitions. I advise founders on what works and doesn’t work based on my personal experience as well those of companies I have represented as legal counsel for more than a decade. My practice spans PE and VC transactions (from seed to angel to bridge financing) in addition to M&A deals (e.g., asset sales, stock purchases, mergers, takeovers, LBOs, and auctions) ranging in size from a few million dollars to more than US$6 billion. READ MORE
SYDNEY RYAN
Associate | San Francisco
I advise clients on day-to-day governance matters and SEC compliance and assist in structuring financing and M&A transactions. My pro bono practice involves advising clients on entity formation, privacy policy, and trademark matters and preparing loan documents for small businesses and non-profits. I have a background in economics and speak Farsi fluently. READ MORE
DAVID SCHULTZ
Partner | New York
I advise PE investors and other public and private companies in a broad range of industries—technology, biotechnology, telecommunications, fashion/apparel, healthcare, and entertainment—with a practice that focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings, recapitalizations, minority investments, proxy contests, and other complex corporate transactions. READ MORE
ERIC SIBBITT
Partner | San Francisco
I help structure and execute complex capital-raising transactions for companies, investors, and underwriters in addition to advising on cross-border public and private company mergers, acquisitions, tender offers, and going private transactions. My clients range from venture companies to multibillion-dollar businesses. Of particular interest to emerging companies is my pragmatic approach to navigating the tension between legacy regulations and innovative business models. READ MORE
PAUL SIEBEN
Partner | Silicon Valley
Having worked with startups for nearly two decades from incorporation, through seed, venture, growth and exit, I know that startups are best served by business savvy, results-driven advisors with intimate experience with founders, execs and investors. While immersed in the Silicon Valley culture, I’ve led hundreds of venture, seed, angel and PE financings and M&A deals. I’ve also been at the forefront of private company early liquidity transactions for founders, management, employees and early investors, through work on dozens of these deals including some of largest of such deals involving some of the most well-known tech companies. READ MORE
SCOTT SUGINO
Partner | Los Angeles
I specialize in cross-border investments and joint ventures, partnering with my clients to help them craft goals and the plans to achieve them. My clients include global technology companies, technology focused investment funds, and startups. Cultural and communication barriers can present challenges on cross-border deals. Having spent years in both Japan and the US, I draw on my in-depth knowledge of each country’s legal and business practices and customs to help clients achieve their goals. READ MORE
JENNIFER TAYLOR
Partner | San Francisco
I work with emerging and growth stage companies to obtain venture debt that will provide them with working capital and additional runway without diluting the shares of founders and existing investors. My clients span diverse industries including technology, pharmaceuticals, and alternative energy. I also advise on a wide variety of financing structures in addition to distress and restructuring matters. I often write and speak on these issues, including a recent speech on “Emerging Technologies in Big Law.” READ MORE
JEFF WALBRIDGE
Partner | Newport Beach
Crafting a compensation and benefit plan that attracts and retains top talent without giving away the store is especially challenging when a company first takes shape. I can help develop a plan to fit your needs. I regularly advise clients with respect to the design and implementation of equity-based and non-equity-based annual and long-term incentive arrangements, non-qualified deferred compensation and retirement plans, employment, severance, and change-in-control arrangements, the securities laws and related disclosure requirements applicable to these arrangements, and the taxation of these arrangements. READ MORE
WALKER J. WALLACE
Partner | Shanghai
During my 20 years practice in Shanghai, I have represented clients in a wide range of financings, acquisitions, and sales of assets across Asia. My clients operate across numerous industries, including consumer products, Internet, media, health care, real estate, software, retail, and education. Fluent in Mandarin, I served as Chairman of the Legal Committee for the Shanghai American Chamber of Commerce and have co-authored articles such as “Acquisitions of Companies with Chinese Assets,” “Foreign Private Equity Investment in China: Which Way to the Exit?,” and “Onshore Financial Investing in China.” READ MORE
TONY WANG
Partner | Newport Beach
I focus my practice on corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and Asia-related technology, media and entertainment transactions. I began my legal career began in Silicon Valley in the 1990s, gaining extensive experience helping early-stage start-ups navigate securities laws, corporate governance matters, and intellectual property issues. Before moving to Orange County in 2015, I worked in China, cultivating a valuable understanding of cross-border deal dynamics. These days I work with my colleagues in Silicon Valley and Greater China to help clients, big and small, do business in a global market. READ MORE
CHRIS WHEELER
Associate | Silicon Valley
I help startups through the various stages of financing and advise on ongoing corporate and corporate governance matters, public reporting obligations, and securities law compliance. My work ranges from counseling on early-stage investments to multibillion-dollar acquisitions across industries that include technology, life sciences, and real estate. READ MORE
VISION WINTER
Partner | Silicon Valley
With a name like mine, I am not your average lawyer. My prior experience as a power and controls project engineer at Procter & Gamble gives me a deep understanding of the practical applications of science to business. Today I help tech companies protect their IP assets. My technical knowledge of consumer electronics, computers, and mobile devices helps me to safeguard the IP at the core of your business. I recently moved from LA to Silicon Valley to be closer to its one-of-a-kind startup culture and entrepreneurial spirit. READ MORE
WENTING YU
Counsel | Silicon Valley
Applying innovative legal approaches to complex transactions, I advise startup, midsize, and large companies across a variety of industries on securities offerings, venture financings, and mergers and acquisitions. I co-authored an article on the keys to success for joint ventures in emerging markets. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, a significant part of my practice is China focused. READ MORE