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Jeff C.
Experienced and broad based corporate/business attorney and Outside General Counsel (OGC), for start-ups, small businesses and growing companies of all sizes, advising and assisting clients with corporate and LLC formation, contracts and agreements, internet and terms of use/service agreements, trademarks and intellectual property protection, the purchase and sale of businesses (M&A), labor and employment matters, compliance and risk management, corporate governance, and commercial leasing matters. See other reviews on my website at www.ogcservices.net/reviews
Jason P.
Jason is a self-starting, go-getting lawyer who takes a pragmatic approach to helping his clients. He co-founded Fortify Law because he was not satisfied with the traditional approach to providing legal services. He firmly believes that legal costs should be predictable, transparent and value-driven. Jason’s entrepreneurial mindset enables him to better understand his clients’ needs. His first taste of entrepreneurship came from an early age when he helped manage his family’s small free range cattle farm. Every morning, before school, he would deliver hay to a herd of 50 hungry cows. In addition, he was responsible for sweeping "the shop" at his parent's 40-employee HVAC business. Before becoming a lawyer, he clerked at the Lewis & Clark Small Business Legal Clinic where he handled a diverse range of legal issues including establishing new businesses, registering trademarks, and drafting contracts. He also spent time working with the in-house team at adidas® where, among other things, he reviewed and negotiated complex agreements and created training materials for employees. He also previously worked with Meriwether Group, a Portland-based business consulting firm focused on accelerating the growth of disruptive consumer brands and facilitating founder exits. These experiences have enabled Jason to not only understand the unique legal hurdles that can threaten a business, but also help position them for growth. Jason's practice focuses on Business and Intellectual Property Law, including: -Reviewing and negotiating contracts -Resolving internal corporate disputes -Creating employment and HR policies -Registering and protecting intellectual property -Forming new businesses and subsidiaries -Facilitating Business mergers, acquisitions, and exit strategies -Conducting international business transactions In his free time, Jason is an adventure junkie and gear-head. He especially enjoys backpacking, kayaking, and snowboarding. He is also a technology enthusiast, craft beer connoisseur, and avid soccer player.
James M.
Reproductive law attorney focused on reviewing surrogacy contracts and sperm/egg/embryo donation contracts.
Curt B.
Curt Brown has experience advising clients on a variety of franchising, business litigation, transactional, and securities law matters. Mr. Brown's accolades include: - Super Lawyers Rising Star - California Lawyer of the Year by The Daily Journal - Pro Bono Attorney of the Year the USC Public Interest Law Fund Curt started his legal career in the Los Angeles office of the prestigious firm of Irell & Manella LLP, where his practice focused on a wide variety of complex civil litigation matters, including securities litigation, antitrust, trademark, bankruptcy, and class action defense. Mr. Brown also has experience advising mergers and acquisitions and international companies concerning cyber liability and class action defense. He is admitted in California, Florida, D.C., Washington, Illinois, Colorado, and Michigan.
James C.
After receiving my undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford, and my law degree from UCLA, I practiced in California for eight years before moving to Oregon in 1991. I am primarily a trial lawyer with over 50 jury trials, emphasizing personal injury, professional malpractice, construction, and employment law, but in the course of that practice have reviewed and drafted hundreds of releases, indemnification agreements, employment agreements, and construction agreements.
Jessica M.
Jessica Molligan is an attorney with twenty years of experience in family law, bankruptcy, and litigation.
June 28, 2023
Shanon G.
Have experience in contract, family law, municipality work, criminal defense, litigation, some wills and estates as well. Been practicing law for over 22 years.
December 4, 2023
McCoy S.
P. McCoy Smith is the Founding Attorney at Lex Pan Law LLC, a full-service technology and intellectual property law firm based in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A and Opsequio LLC, an open source compliance consultancy. Prior to his current position, he spent 20 years in the legal department of a Fortune 50 multinational technology company as a business unit intellectual property specialist; among his duties was setting up the free & open source legal function and policies for that company. He preceded his in-house experience with 8 years in private practice in a large New York City-based boutique intellectual property law firm, working simultaneously as a U.S. patent litigator and U.S. patent prosecutor. He was also a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office prior to attending law school. He is licensed to practice law in Oregon, California & New York and to prosecute patent applications in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; he is also a registered Trademark and Patent Agent with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. He has degrees from Colorado State University (Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, with honors), Johns Hopkins University (Masters of Liberal Arts) and the University of Virginia (Juris Doctor). While in private practice, and continuing into his in-house career, he taught portions of the U.S. patent bar exam for a long-standing and well-known patent bar exam preparation course, and from 2014-2020 was on the editorial board of the Journal of Open Law, Technology & Society (JOLTS), and starting in 2023 will be on the editorial board of the American Intellectual Property Law Quarterly Journal (AIPLAQJ). He is the author or co-author of chapters on open source and copyright and patents in “Open Source Law, Policy & Practice” (2022, Oxford University Press). He lectures frequently around the world on free and open source issues as well as other intellectual property topics.
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Richard P.
Have over 40+ years of corporate and commercial law experience.
Julian H.
I am a business attorney with years of experience advising individual entrepreneurs and small businesses on issues ranging from entity selection/formation to employment law compliance, to intellectual property protection and exploitation. I often act as General Counsel for my clients fulfilling the legal function as part of a team of managers. I look forward to learning more about your business and how I may be of assistance.
Christopher R.
Corporate and transactional attorney in sixth year of practice. Focus areas include general corporate counsel, labor and employment law, business partnership matters, securities matters related to privately-held companies, and regulatory compliance in securities and finance matters.
Forest H.
Forest is a general practice lawyer. He provides legal advice regarding small business law, contracts, estates and trusts, administrative law, corporate governance and compliance. Forest practiced complex commercial litigation in Florida for eight years, representing clients such as Host Marriott, Kellogg School of Business, and Toyota. Since moving to Nashville in 2005, he has provided legal advice to clients forming new businesses, planning for the future, and seeking funding through the use of equity and/or debt in their businesses. This advice has included the selection of business type, assistance in drafting and editing their business plans and offering material, reviewing proposed term sheets, and conducting due diligence. Forest is a member of the Florida, Tennessee, and Texas Bars; in addition. Forest has held a Series 7, General Securities Representative Exam, Series 24, General Securities Principal, and Series 63, Uniform Securities Agent State Law.
Securities Legal Questions and Answers
Securities
SAFE Note
New York
What is the difference between a SAFE Note and Convertible Note?
I am considering raising money and have been advised to look at these two instruments to raise money on.
Ramsey T.
Both SAFES (Simple Agreements for Equity) and Convertible Notes "convert" into equity. The fundamental difference between the two is that SAFES have no built-in interest rate and have no "end date." Convertible Notes are debt so they have an interest rate and after a certain period of time (perhaps two years in most cases) they can be "cashed in" by the holder who can force the start-up to pay back the investor (principal plus interest). SAFES have become very accepted in the investing community at this time and I always recommend that a start-up issue SAFES (and conversely I always recommend that an investor get a convertible note).
Securities
Investment Contract
California
Investment contract legal requirements?
I am interested in investing in a business opportunity, and the company has presented me with an investment contract. I want to ensure that the contract I am signing is legitimate and meets all legal requirements. I am looking for guidance from a lawyer to ensure that the contract is fair and legally binding.
Thaddeus W.
Happy to discuss, but it seem like maybe you want to post a formal request for bids.
Securities
SAFE Note
California
SAFE Note interest accrual?
I am a business owner who recently completed a Series A round of funding. As part of this funding round, I issued SAFE Notes to my investors. I am now trying to understand the implications of these notes, specifically regarding interest accrual. I want to make sure I am compliant with all the terms of the SAFE Note agreement and understand the effects of interest accrual on my company's finances.
Thaddeus W.
Thanks for the interesting question. There may be some conflation of issues here. A few points may help to clarify -- 1. A SAFE and a Note are different animals. Notes are debt instruments and, accordingly, usually have an interest component. SAFE's are not debt and so do not accrue interest. Convertible Notes and SAFE's are similar in that they both typically convert into preferred stock when the company **later** issues preferred stock. Also, Convertible Notes and SAFE's are often issued without regard to a company's then-current valuation. 2. You said your company issued SAFEs / Notes "as part of" a Series A funding. That's not legally impossible, of course, but it would be unusual, so it would be helpful to make sure we are using the same "glossary" of terms. Typically, the phrase "Series A funding" refers to a company's issuance of Series A Preferred Stock; such transactions involve putting a value on the company so that the Series A stock can be priced. Series A rounds often are preceded by the company issuing Convertible Notes or SAFE's without a valuation of the company (that is, the company and investors "kick the can down the road" to a later time when the company's operating history can justify a valuation). Then, when the Series A round occurs and shares of Series A are priced based on the company valuation, any pre-existing Convertible Notes and SAFE's convert into shares of Series A preferred stock at a conversion price that is equal to the price paid by the Series A purchasers, minus the discount that the Convertible Notes or SAFE's give to their holders. (NOTE: these days, often there is a round of preferred stock sold BEFORE Series A, called Series Seed. This is not required, but common. Sometimes SAFE's or Notes are issued between Series Seed and Series A, but, again, it would be the odd investor who purchased a SAFE or a Note in the same financing round in which preferred stock is sold.) 3. The implications of SAFE's and notes can be several. One of the biggest is their impact on the company's capitalization table ... that is, on the ownership interests of other shareholders, especially the founders. The terms of each Note or SAFE will determine their impact when they convert, especially if they have a "valuation cap" ... which is a provision by which an effective discount is given to the holder of the SAFE / Note. Valuation caps can result in more dilution to the founders and other pre-existing shareholders than they might expect, depending on the actual valuation of the company when these Convertible Notes and SAFE's do convert. 4. If you issued Convertible Notes or SAFE's as part of a Series A preferred stock round, the investors purchasing the Series A would have to have known about and approved of it. Their lawyers would have certainly raised eyebrows and asked questions. If these Convertible Notes / SAFE's were issued outside of the knowledge of the Series A investors, this would be expected to be problematic for the company, and possibly a breach of the Series A investment documents, or even a violation of certain securities laws. But, if all was approved by the investors, no problem. 5. Another implication worth noting is that since Convertible Notes are debt, they typically would be carried on (shown in) the company's balance sheet. Investors in Series A round always or nearly always have Information Rights to see the company's financial statements and be kept current on changes. Normally the company would have a contractual obligation to provide quarterly, if no monthly, financial reports and updates to Series A investors. These reports should include all information about SAFE's and Notes. 6. It should also be noted that Series A investment documents typically restrict the company from issuing many types of new securities without the approval of what these docs often call the "Requisite Holders." This is a defined term in the Series A investment docs (normally in the company amended and restated Charter), and is defined as the Series A holders that hold at least a stated number (e.g., a majority) of all of the Series A shares sold in the round. Note that these answers are not and should not be taken as legal advice for your particular situation. You should retain qualified legal counsel to have a formal lawyer-client relationship and your lawyer should review all relevant information. But, these concepts here are pretty fundamental. ~Thaddeus Wojcik, Wojcik Law Firm, PC
Securities
Convertible Note
Ohio
Convertible note vs. KISS agreement?
I am an early-stage startup founder looking to raise capital. I am exploring different financing options and am trying to decide between a Convertible Note and a KISS agreement. I want to understand the differences between these two financing options, and the advantages and disadvantages of each, in order to make an informed decision.
Paul S.
Probably the primary difference is that a convertible note is debt, with interest and a maturity date. I do a lot of work with startups, and I rarely see convertible notes used anymore, and never see KISS agreements used. SAFEs are much more prevalent. That being said, there are a lot of different variables in all these instruments, and you should never just download a template and use it without customizing to your needs and discussing it with an experienced startup attorney. There are also securities law considerations. Raising financing from investors is not a good DIY project.
Securities
Stock Option Agreement
California
Stock option agreement and stock splits?
I am an employee of a company that is planning to offer stock options as part of my compensation package. I am trying to understand what would happen if my company does a stock split. Would my stock options be affected by the split, and if so, how? I want to make sure I understand the implications of a stock split before I accept the stock options as part of my compensation.
Thaddeus W.
Good question! Typically, a stock split will result in an appropriate adjustment to an option award so that, after the adjustment, the option holder (you, in this case) is "made whole" -- that is, you are effectively in the same place economically (as far as this option is concerned) after the split with the option as you were before. If you look at your company's Stock Plan (the plan under which your options were authorized and granted to you), you will probably find a section called "Changes in Capitalization." (Or, you can search to document for the word "split" and may be able to find the governing provision that way.) The provision might be included in your Stock Option Agreement, but typically it is covered in the Plan. Anyway, the provision (wherever it is located in your documents) would normally say something along the lines of the following: "In the event of a stock split (and other events), the following will occur: (i) the numbers and class of shares covered by your option award, (ii) the exercise price per share of each outstanding option, and (iii) any applicable repurchase price per share issued under any option award, will be automatically proportionately adjusted in the event of a stock split (or other event)." (Usually the language is even more "legalesey" but that's pretty much the jist of it.) Of course, its impossible to say for sure in your situation (or in any other specific situation) without seeing the relevant documents and knowing all other relevant details, but that would be the typical approach.
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