PeopleMichael Best’s Venture Best® team has a wealth of entrepreneurship and risk capital investing legal experience available to clients across the nation. The Venture Best® team includes professionals who have “been there, done that” themselves, as venture-backed entrepreneurs as well as angel and venture capital investors in many industries. Due to this background, our Venture Best professionals bring value-added insights to our clients’ opportunities and challenges, rooted in our diverse experiences on both sides of the counselor/client table. We think of ourselves not so much as legal advisors, but as business partners with our clients. Our TeamPreview Attorney's BiographyNathan specializes in community and network building within venture capital and the startup ecosystem. He is adept at aiding in pitch practice, investor relations, event planning, marketing strategies, and project management. In addition, Nathan is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), where he helps integrate diverse, equitable and inclusive goals and initiatives into a startup’s business plan. Nathan previously worked as the Lead Conference Organizer at gener8tor, a nationally rank ... Nathan Acevedo* Business Development Specialist *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyKaitlyn represents startups in corporate and transactional matters including entity formation, governance, funding, contracts, and general business issues. Preview Attorney's BiographyStephen helps entrepreneurs launch and grow their companies, from planning at the earliest stages to funding to growth and scale-up. He provides practical advice along every step of the way, counseling clients on key transactional and business matters including entity formation, corporate governance, private equity and venture capital investments, contracts and agreements, brand protection, acquisitions and divestures, employment issues including immigration, and when needed, dispute resolution. Preview Attorney's BiographyKara is a paralegal with Venture Best. She assists with the firm’s StartupProgram.com in addition to providing paralegal and administrative support to the firm’s attorneys by reviewing, editing, and processing legal documents. Kara also assists with a wide range of tasks including series financing closing procedures, signature packets, closing binders, and corporate maintenance. Kara Asuncion* Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyAaron advises clients on a range of corporate and transactional matters. He specializes in equity and debt financing transactions, private equity and venture capital investments, and a wide variety of strategic transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, spin-outs, and buying and selling assets, as well as general corporate law and governance matters. He has also assisted public companies with public offerings, SEC compliance and reporting obligations.Aaron counsels technol ... Preview Attorney's BiographyMatthew advises entrepreneurs on a range of corporate and transactional matters, including entity formation and governance, equity and debt financing, business licensing, acquisitions and divestures, and more. He also assists clients with meeting regulatory compliance, obtaining intellectual property protection, and completing real estate transactions. Additionally, Matthew counsels investors on fund formation and regulatory issues, and helps connect them with startups that need financial suppor ... Preview Attorney's BiographyMike is a seasoned transactional attorney who works hand-in-hand with businesses across a number of industries to negotiate, manage and paper their commercial agreements. Having previously spent time in-house for both public and private enterprises, Mike enjoys working with his clients to understand their business needs in order to provide practical legal solutions. Before joining Michael Best, Mike served as the leading commercial partner at a venture and corporate law firm. Within this ro ... Samantha J. Bush* Law Clerk *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyCarrie guides employers at all stages of their lifecycles through the development, implementation, and management of compensation and benefits strategies. She focuses her practice exclusively on employee benefits and executive compensation law (and the enmeshed labor and tax considerations). Carrie is a trusted advisor to clients, helping them ensure they adopt the right plans for their workforce as well as their shareholders and members. Carrie Byrnes Partner Co-Chair, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Preview Attorney's BiographyKellie is a Legal Operations Coordinator at Michael Best. Prior to joining the firm, she served as the billing director and a corporate paralegal at a venture and corporate law firm. Her responsibilities included corporate filings, corporate maintenance, maintaining the firm’s corporate docket, and managing the monthly billing. She was also involved with the firm’s startup program, where she provided client support. Kellie also has experience working in environmental law as a civil l ... Kellie Davis* Legal Operations Coordinator *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyDave is a Colorado native, and a skilled entrepreneurial-minded attorney who assists start-up and early-stage companies with all of their business needs. Preview Attorney's BiographyAs Practice Group Manager for Venture Best, Alisa manages the financial, operational, and administrative functions of the practice group. She works in collaboration with group leadership to set goals and budgets, implement technology solutions, identify staffing needs, and support professional development for attorneys and other professionals. Before joining Michael Best, Alisa served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Operations for venture law firm O&A, P.C., and its aff ... Alisa Esala* Practice Group Manager *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyKam assists early-stage, emerging, and established companies, as well as investors, with a variety of corporate and transactional issues.While pursuing his J.D., Kam gained legal experience as a Summer Associate with Michael Best. Prior to attending law school, he spent several years as an intellectual property assistant for a Chicago-based intellectual property law firm. In these roles, Kam supported attorneys in a wide range of matters, conducted research, prepared and filed documents, produce ... Preview Attorney's BiographyKieran assists entrepreneurs with the full range of foundational business issues including funding, formation, governance, regulatory compliance, contracts, hiring, and more. He advises businesses across all industries, including high tech and fintech-driven companies. Preview Attorney's BiographyAshley focuses her practice in employment law. She helps start-ups lay the foundation of their corporate culture by drafting human resources policies and procedures that fit the size and personality of the company. She works closely with growing executive teams to build recruitment strategies and offer proactive HR training and education. For clients without in-house HR departments, Ashley can step in to fill the void and assist with day-to-day matters as well as issues like internal complaints and investigations. She also conducts HR due diligence for sales and acquisitions, from both the buyer and seller side. Preview Attorney's BiographyDan solves legal and business problems for Venture Best clients throughout their lifecycles, from helping entrepreneurs refine early-but-visionary ideas into fundable business plans to executing successful exit transactions. Preview Attorney's BiographyAdam represents clients in corporate and transactional matters including business formation, governance, financing (debt, equity, angel, and venture financing), mergers and acquisitions, and IP licenses and agreements. Additionally, Adam serves as outside general counsel to select companies in the U.S. and around the globe. Preview Attorney's BiographyNic is a former venture-backed entrepreneur, with a deep understanding of both the business and legal aspects of forming, growing, and exiting a business. Preview Attorney's BiographyClaudia has a background in corporate transactions, intellectual property, and entertainment law. She has experience working with early-stage entrepreneurs as well as veteran entrepreneurs on a variety of businesses from video game developers to AI companies. She continues to advise companies on entity formation, equity and debt financings, equity offerings, and more. Before joining Michael Best, Claudia was an Associate with the venture law firm O&A, P.C. During her time with O&a ... Preview Attorney's BiographyMegan is a paralegal at Michael Best. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a corporate paralegal at a venture and corporate law firm. Her responsibilities included corporate filings, corporate maintenance, maintaining the firm’s corporate docket, providing support to all of the attorneys in the office, general administrative tasks, and assisting in monthly billing. Megan Hoang* Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyBrad’s clients include innovative start-ups and high-growth companies, and the venture funds and angels who invest in them. Preview Attorney's BiographyJordan represents tech founders, startups, investors, and executives as their legal quarterback, covering all aspects of the corporate life cycle, including venture capital Series A-Z equity rounds, convertible note and SAFE financings, business formations, founders agreements, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities law compliance, and commercial technology transactions. Preview Attorney's BiographyIn his role as Product Innovation Manager at Michael Best, Aaron is responsible for defining product vision and strategy, developing product roadmaps, managing a diverse stakeholder ecosystem, and overseeing product lifecycle from ideation to launch. He leverages a strong background in legal technology and operations to develop and deliver high-quality technology solutions that create value for the firm and its clients.Prior to joining the firm, Aaron served as Vice President of Operations and B ... Aaron Kunitomo* Product Innovation Manager *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Angela Kwambamba* Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyVivian is a business-minded attorney who works alongside emerging and high growth start-ups, private and public technology companies, and video game studios, developers, and publishers on an array of corporate and commercial matters. She specializes in advising emerging growth companies on entity formation, corporate governance, venture financings, employment matters, equity management, and more. Vivian also supports clients spanning multiple industries on commercial matters, such as professiona ... Preview Attorney's BiographyJordan is an associate at Michael Best in the firm's Venture Best Group, where he focuses on venture capital and emerging growth transactions. Jordan supports emerging technology companies and start-up founders in the full range of their industry-specific corporate needs and through their early-stage investment rounds and cap table changes. He also represents early-stage investment funds, accelerators, angel investors and all those in between.Jordan is adept at closing private market investm ... Preview Attorney's BiographySamantha is a paralegal at Michael Best. She assists with a variety of transactional matters including drafting and revising documents, business entity formation, incorporations, financings, conversions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate maintenance, general administrative tasks, and much more. Before joining Michael Best, Samantha gained experience as a market researcher for a legal services consultancy. Samantha Lopez* Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyJoyce is a paralegal at Michael Best. Her responsibilities also include providing paralegal and administrative support to all of the firm’s attorneys. Prior to joining Michael Best, Joyce served as a paralegal at a venture and corporate law firm where she assisted with the firm’s startup launch program, corporate filings and maintenance, and oversaw management of the firm’s corporate dockets and contracts administration. Joyce also previously worked as an IP paralega ... Joyce Luong* Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyA co-founder of Venture Best®, Greg represents emerging, growth-stage, and venture-backed companies and investors in corporate structuring, financing, and exit strategies. Preview Attorney's BiographyJennifer brings more than a decade of experience to her work as a paralegal. She provides assistance with a full array of matters, including preparing and filing corporate documents, managing transaction closings, and assisting with incorporations, financings, conversions, mergers, and acquisitions. Jennifer also conducts research, onboards new clients, and prepares initial drafts of documents. She previously worked as a paralegal for a start-up focused law firm. Earlier, she spent sever ... Jennifer J. Maier, SBWCP* Venture Best Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyGalen represents companies, founders, management, and investors in entrepreneurial endeavors – many of which involve building enterprises that have never before been built. He works with clients across the country, involved in all manner of go-to-market strategies – B2B, B2C, marketplace, SaaS, manufacturing, and distribution – and across numerous industries. From the start of each engagement, Galen’s focus is on protecting and building an enterprise for a successful exit. Preview Attorney's BiographyEmily represents emerging companies, founders, and investors at the intersection of law, technology, and venture, assisting clients through various stages of start-up development, from initial capitalization, to venture capital financing, to exit. She has experience working with clients in various industries, including the finance and banking, agtech, and fintech sectors.
Before joining Michael Best, Emily was an associate at a general practice law firm based in the Midwest. She served as outsi ... Preview Attorney's BiographyLiana represents emerging and venture backed companies, as well as investors, on a variety of corporate and transactional matters. Prior to joining Michael Best, Liana was an associate attorney at a venture and corporate law firm, where she assisted clients with funding, corporate governance, entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and licensing and commercial agreements. While pursuing her law degree at Loyola Law School, Liana completed the corporate concentrat ... Preview Attorney's BiographyAs the Director of Market Development, Mallorie coordinates and executes marketing and business development initiatives that support the firm’s North Carolina offices. She collaborates with firm leadership and recruiting to promote the firm and leads strategic planning initiatives that deepen and expand client relationships.Mallorie has held successful leadership roles as both a Vice-President and Enterprise Success Manager in the software industry. Before joining Michael Best, Mallorie wa ... Mallorie Moore* Director of Market Development *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyDavid represents entrepreneurs and their startups in a range of transactional matters including debt and equity financings, mergers, acquisitions, and other business transactions, and general corporate matters. He also represents investors in PE and VC fund formations. Preview Attorney's BiographyVenture Best clients look to Vince for creative solutions and practical strategies to help their businesses succeed. Preview Attorney's BiographyShar brings a background in the finance industry to his role as a business-minded associate at Michael Best. He provides strategic counsel to private companies, venture capital firms, and private equity entities in the technology and other high-growth sectors. Leveraging his understanding of the innovator economy, Shar advises clients throughout their lifecycle, from initial formation and funding to exit. His practice includes financing and venture capital transactions, matters related to Web3, ... Preview Attorney's BiographyMarc is an experienced business development professional and startup community connector who supports all forms of entrepreneurship across Texas and beyond. Throughout his career, Marc has assisted hundreds of companies with business strategy, capital acquisition, marketing, customer development, strategic partnerships, and product development. Marc connects talented executives with services and capital sources through professional networking and events. He supports the firm through strategic in ... Preview Attorney's BiographyAaron helps Venture Best clients leverage their innovations to spur further development and achieve strategic growth. Preview Attorney's BiographyAs a Paralegal with Michael Best, Amy assists the firm’s attorneys and clients with a range of business and transactional legal matters. She focuses primarily on corporate and governance issues for both start-ups and established companies, including nonprofit organizations, as well as wealth planning and estate administration matters. Amy Nolan-Horvey* Venture Best Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyDan has worked at the intersection of technology and content since the 1990s when he began handling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ video game and digital comic book publishing deals. In the video game space, Dan has represented Ubisoft and Sony PlayStation Group among others and helped define the legal paper for many of successful developer publisher deals. He also managed much of Ubisoft’s M&A program, including buying companies like Redstorm (Tom Clancy) and properties like Myst and Prince of Persia. Dan Offner Managing Partner, Los Angeles Office Head of Venture Best, California Preview Attorney's BiographyCarley is a paralegal at Michael Best. She works collaboratively with the firm’s attorneys on a variety of corporate and start-up matters.Prior to joining Michael Best, she worked as a paralegal and office manager for a Nebraska-based boutique legal studio. Before her paralegal career, Carley worked as an office assistant and as a research assistant for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Social & Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium (SBSRC). Carley Peterson* Paralegal *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law. Preview Attorney's BiographyJeff provides strategic counsel to start-up and emerging businesses seeking to protect and commercialize their inventions and other IP assets. Preview Attorney's BiographyFor more than 30 years, Richard has served as counsel and trusted advisor to hundreds of innovators, executives, investors, and their businesses, helping them launch, grow, and transition their companies. During his career he has worked as an attorney in private practice and in-house, and has served as a corporate officer for multiple entities, including a role at Union Pacific’s technology incubator. Preview Attorney's BiographyClients have described Lyndon as “a businessman who is also a lawyer.” For 37 years, he has served small and large businesses, personally handling many business issues and then selecting and quarterbacking a team that handles all other issues that businesses face. Preview Attorney's BiographyAn entrepreneur at heart and in trade, Shawn works with start-ups, privately held businesses, business owners, investors, and investment funds, focusing on business planning, forming, funding, and mergers and acquisitions. Betsy Voter Partner Industry Group Chair, Broker-Dealer & Investment Advisors Preview Attorney's BiographyAdam focuses his practice on startups and emerging companies, angel and venture capital financing, and M&A and other significant transactions. Preview Attorney's BiographyArimi works with both start-up companies and investors in the U.S. and Japan, helping them navigate legal issues and pursue business opportunities in new markets. She leverages her strong network of contacts to help Venture Best clients grow their companies around the world. Preview Attorney's BiographyAndrew is a business-minded lawyer and Certified Information Privacy Professional – United States (CIPP/US) practicing at the intersection of venture, data, and technology transactions, intellectual property, and deal-making. He provides legal and business counsel to emerging, venture-backed, and high-growth startups across the full spectrum of matters throughout their lifecycles. In addition to handling the key business transactions of each client, Andrew enjoys navigating through the cutting edge of technology and innovation to provide counsel in areas such as privacy and data security and artificial intelligence. Preview Attorney's BiographyKeith provides founders and their startup companies with practical legal and business advice on a variety of transactional matters including formation, funding, and exit, including drafting and reviewing contracts, technology assignments, employment agreements, founder purchase agreements, real estate transactions, and other issues.
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