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Formative Stages
We work with early stage companies from their initial start in the “garage” and founding teams as small as “two guys and a dog” to mid-size family held businesses and professional organizations in all areas of their formation including: advice on choice of entity, capital structuring, stock option planning, documentation and maintenance; drafting and adopting bylaws; board formation matters, corporate compliance and policies; employment, board advisory, consulting and confidentiality agreements; and establishing processes and policies for protecting clients’ intellectual property, along with counseling on various aspects of transfer of intellectual property from founders, universities and other third parties to the startup venture.
We work closely with founding teams in structuring founder stock in a manner that protects the entity’s interest while minimizing areas of conflict between the company and its founding teams or outside investors. As part of our representation, we also review client business plans and meet with founding teams to assist them in identifying their key strengths and weaknesses before approaching financing sources, help clients identify appropriate financing sources and assist with introductions to those sources, in light of their business models, organizational needs and strategic direction, attend board meetings and offer strategic advice and assistance in forming and maintaining an effective board of directors during a company's initial phases.
Seed and Angel financings
We work closely with our early stage company clients in their capital raising efforts and structuring seed and angel financing rounds. Because of our deep experience, we are able to counsel our clients in structuring seed and angel financings in a manner that works for both the company and its potential investors and can be achieved in a timely and financially conservative manner. We also have strong relationships with the angel investment community that we leverage for our clients’ capital raising efforts by making introductions, supporting the process and counseling the founding teams on preparation and execution of seed and angel financing rounds. Our attorneys have been panelists and moderators at various angel investment panels in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. Click here to view the panel discussion on “Angel Financings, January 14, 2009”.
Venture Financings
Legal professionals at the firm have collectively represented more than 300 companies on their venture financing and other outside rounds of financings over the course of their careers. We understand how difficult and time consuming the process of raising outside venture capital is for a startup enterprise and we bring the experience of having represented venture investors on venture financings for the benefit of our company clients in structuring and negotiating term sheets for financings so that the parties can focus on what is truly important and not get lost or distracted by the legal mumbo-jumbo. While representing our startup clients in the early stages, we pay special attention to items and processes that will be important in a venture financing process so that the startup can close the diligence process and legal documentation in a timely and cost effective manner.
Debt Financing and Banking
Our debt finance practice serves the legal needs of client companies and the investment banks, equipment lessors, commercial banks, and other lending institutions that provide important sources of capital to companies as they grow. Our experience includes syndicated and single-bank credit lines, acquisition financings, capital leases, equipment leases and a number of other debt and quasi-debt vehicles. We also have very strong relationships with Comerica Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Global Trust Bank, and other large and mid-size commercial banks and leasing sources.
Mergers and Acquisitions
We represent venture-backed and other closely held private companies on sale transactions. Our legal professionals play a significant role in planning and executing mergers and acquisitions and we can accomplish timely and efficient sale closings for our small to mid-size company clients by working closely with our clients, keeping ourselves abreast of their ongoing and future plans and communicating and planning regularly with our clients on their exit roadmaps. We have worked on a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions transactions from asset purchase agreements to merger agreements and we regularly counsel founding teams and management on related issues like structuring earn-out provisions and escrow arrangements.
Real Estate
We have experience of representing our clients in real estate transactions including reviewing and negotiating office lease agreements for their commercial, business and manufacturing facilities.
Benefits, Compensation and Employment
We regularly counsel our clients in structuring their stock option plan documentation and employment agreements, hiring and employment related policies along with ongoing maintenance of their stock option programs. We are also experienced in structuring stock option plans for employees of Indian subsidiaries of U.S. corporations.
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