Find Lawyers in America for Venture Capital Law
Practice Area Overview
Venture Capital (VC) law involves many financing and M&A transactions, including public/private and private/private mergers, as well as acquisitions, extensive strategic partnering transactions (i.e., licensing matters, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), reseller and Value Added Reseller (VAR) arrangements, technology development partnerships and other joint ventures). This type of law also includes many non-VC financing transactions involving the private and public sale of debt and equity securities.
Lawyers serving as primary counsel to emerging company clients are often viewed as outside general counsel. Lawyers provide extensive operational counsel on a wide range of matters that are pivotal for the emerging company and its investors, including employment matters, compensation issues, intellectual property protection, enforcement and monetization, and policy work. Understanding the client's technology and the market in which it competes is crucial for the success of these operations.
Young companies interested in venture capital usually have rare, highly sought after qualities, such as innovative technology, the potential for rapid growth, or impressive business models and management teams. Because of the high risk and the need for high returns, venture funding is an expensive capital source for companies and explains its prevalence in fast-growing technological areas including cleantech and the life sciences. Depending on a venture capital legal practice's size and availability of resources, startup clients may rely on them for virtually everything legal and quasi-legal. Entrepreneurs will involve their legal counsel in all of their new ventures and investor clients frequently refer their portfolio companies to the legal counsel.
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
State
Betty leverages extensive corporate finance and M&A transactional experience to guide companies through the entire corporate lifecycle, from formation through growth and planned exit. Her clients include established and emerging growth companies as well as venture capital and other private equity funds. She works with clients in a variety of industries, including software, technology, telecommunications, analytics, medical devices, healthcare, fintech and manufacturing. Betty regularly ac...
Nate Balint represents private equity funds, strategic acquirers, and entrepreneurs on the purchase and sale sides of merger, acquisition, and leveraged buyout transactions, including associated equity and debt arrangements. His experience spans sectors such as business services, retail, restaurants, technology, consumer products, education, and energy. Nate also works with venture capital and growth equity funds, advising on the completion of early and growth stage investments. Related to hi...
Maxwell N. Barnes is a Member in the firm’s business section and has been practicing law since 1997. He concentrates his practice on advising clients in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and general business matters. General Business/Transactional Experience Mr. Barnes assists businesses of all sizes and their owners in addressing their day-to-day legal needs. This involves counseling clients on organizing and structuring new entities, employment issues, equity i...
Brian D. Bergstrom is a corporate attorney with Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, president of the firm, and chair of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice group. Brian is listed in the Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law and Venture Capital Law and is listed as a Great Plains Super Lawyer in 2009 and 2011 for Securities & Corporate Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions. Brian serves as a member of t...
Will Bishop represents clients in a broad range of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, capital market transactions, restructurings and joint ventures. He also advises public and private companies on securities compliance and anti-trust matters. Will has led transactions across a variety of industries, including energy, solar, telecommunications, online retail, maritime and financial services. Over Will's career, he has developed a particular emphasis on representing eme...
Michael Bison is a partner in Goodwin’s nationally and internationally recognized Technology and Life Sciences practice group and a member of its Life Sciences and Capital Markets practices. He represents privately held and publicly traded companies with a strong emphasis on companies across the spectrum of the life sciences industry, including biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics and healthcare information technology. Mr. Bison also regularly represents leading venture capital f...
Brian Blaney concentrates his practice on corporate and securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity investments. Brian has extensive experience in capital markets transactions including public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. Brian regularly advises public companies on mergers and acquisitions as well as on compliance with SEC reporting requirements, stock exchange listing rules, and general corporate matters. In addition to advising companies in a broad r...
Howard Bobrow is chair of Taft's Venture Capital and Emerging Companies practice. His practice is primarily devoted to mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital. Howard is a trusted advisor to private equity funds, venture capital funds, and emerging growth companies. He counsels private equity and venture capital funds and other institutional investors, as well as angel investors, on all aspects of acquisitions, dispositions, capital formation, and private placements. How...
Alex Brown is a member of Dickinson Wright in Columbus, Ohio. He practices business transactional law, with an emphasis on advising privately-held and venture-capital backed companies in capital raising, mergers & acquisitions, and transactions involving technology, software, outsourcing, electronic commerce and intellectual property. He serves as outside counsel to a number of companies, from startup software businesses to national healthcare technology companies. Other areas of his prac...
Hall Bryant is a partner in the firm's Huntsville office. He concentrates his practice in the areas of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, securities law, corporate finance and general corporate advice. Hall works with a variety of clients in a broad range of industries, including high technology, government contracting, biotechnology, manufacturing, retail, distribution and financial services. As a member of the firm's Emerging Business Team, Hall has worked with numerous early stage com...
Brent Bullock's practice focuses on the representation of emerging growth companies, established public and private companies, and venture capital and private equity investors in various corporate matters and transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, and strategic partnerships, as well as corporate governance and securities law matters. With more than two decades of experience, Brent has been involved in hundreds of strategic transactions over the years, in...
Martin Burkett serves as co-chair of Akerman’s M&A and Private Equity Practice. Martin represents public and private companies and private equity funds in a variety of corporate transactions, with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions. Martin’s practice includes structuring and negotiating complex business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, going private transactions, venture and growth capital investments, debt and equity fi...
David Clarke, a Partner in Perkins Coie’s national Business Practice, focuses on the representation of emerging growth companies, middle market businesses, public companies, venture funds and private equity funds. David's practice emphasizes mergers and acquisitions, private equity and growth equity transactions, venture capital financings, public offerings and corporate governance. David works with privately held clients at all stages of development, serving as outside general counsel ...
Michael J. "Mick" Cochran serves as Dentons' US Corporate practice group leader. Mick is highly experienced in the areas of private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and distress transactions. His core practice involves representing buyers, sellers and financiers in their investing activities and financing needs. He also acts as a strategic advisor to clients with respect to a variety of financial, business and legal issues. Mick's transactional experience includes represent...
Chuck advises companies at all stages of growth, from start-ups to ready-to-exit, helping them successfully raise capital, complete acquisitions and divestitures, and comply with regulatory requirements. Chuck also regularly advises consumer products investment funds in investment rounds. Cultivate Growing Companies: Chuck helps investment funds and growth-oriented clients determine the best way to reach their personal and corporate objectives – from initial formation and financing, thr...
Jim Cruger, a partner in Perkins Coie’s national Private Equity practice, concentrates his practice in the areas of mergers, acquisitions, formation of private investment vehicles and joint ventures. Jim has represented numerous private equity funds and public companies in transactions during his 28 year career. Public company representation has included Deutsche Post DHL, Leggett & Platt (NYSE), Voyager Learning Company (NASDAQ) and Strategic Hotel Capital (NYSE). Fund representati...
William J. Daly is an Attorney and Vice President with Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.L.C. Bill’s practice focuses on commercial and business law, finance, securities, sales and acquisitions of businesses, business contracts, and real estate. Bill serves as co-chair of the Firm’s Startups & Innovators Practice Group.
Practicing law for over 20 years, founding partner Ray Driver focuses on corporate law (including mergers and acquisitions), business, contracts, venture capital and securities law. He represents clients in business acquisitions, dispositions and mergers, as well as providing ongoing counseling regarding business formation, corporate governance, contract law and ancillary legal issues. He also counsels clients in obtaining capital through private placements, venture capital investments and ot...
John Egan, a partner and co-chair of the firm’s Technology practice, focuses on corporate securities, venture capital, growth equity and technology enterprises. Mr. Egan's practice involves early and late-stage venture financings, growth equity and leveraged recapitalizations, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic licensing and the general representation of public and private emerging growth companies. Mr. Egan works with clients in industries ranging from enterprise...
Nate Ford is a partner in the firm's Private Equity group. His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors, senior management and public and private companies in connection with domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, recapitalizations and other complex corporate transactions, including a high volume of leveraged acquisitions and recapitalizations in healthcare, technology, consumer products, energy, agriculture and a broad range of other industries. In additio...
Mark Fullmer practices in the areas of business and finance and corporate and securities. He represents start-up companies as well as companies in the mature stages of their growth cycle. His practice in the area of corporate and securities includes all aspects of public and private company representation, including public offerings, private placements, corporate governance, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, and mergers and acquisitions. He has also represented both venture capital funds and in...
Jeremy focuses his practice on securities-related transactions and corporate governance, specifically in connection with private capital financings and public offerings, and the organization, funding, and ongoing representation of emerging growth technology companies and venture firms.Jeremy handles the public offerings of securities, representing both issuers and underwriters, and is experienced in the underwritten offerings of equity securities, as well as 144A private placements of high-yi...
Warren Goldenberg, Senior Counsel at Hahn Loeser’s Cleveland office, is the President and Chief Operating Officer of KeborMed Inc. (www.kebormed.com), a Platform-as-a-Service for cloud connected medical devices. KeborMed is an early revenue company which has a strategic marketing alliance with Ximedica. After more than 30 years as a Partner at Hahn Loeser, Warren became Senior Counsel on September 1, 2021 in connection with closing of KeborMed’s Series Seed financing so that he co...
Harry Hanson advises high-growth companies and their investors on a full range of business deals, including venture capital and private equity financing, mergers and acquisitions and IP licensing agreements. For more than 30 years, Harry has helped entrepreneurs and technology companies grow and succeed. He has represented some of the most successful private equity and venture capital firms in the United States. Harry gets involved at all points in the growth business cycle -- advising on ini...
Curt Hearn is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. Curt served as co-leader of the Corporate Practice Group for more than 20 years, stepping down at the end of 2022. Drawing on his extensive experience and knowledge of what works — and what doesn’t — he works with firm clients to solve their most challenging, complex business and legal challenges. Curt advises private equity and venture capital firms, as well as publicly traded and privately held companies, working wit...
Michael J. Heller is the chief executive officer of Cozen O'Connor. He serves on the firm's board of directors, management committee and heads the emerging business and venture capital practice. Michael approaches each situation with an entrepreneurial zeal, and his investing experience arms him with a unique ability to provide legal and business insight into a variety of complex corporate matters. He understands, first hand, the critical roles of modern executives. Michael is a recognized le...
Mason Hogue is a partner in the Corporate Group of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP where he serves as Assistant Corporate Group Leader and is the co-head of the Technology and Procurement Industry Group. Mr. Hogue is a business attorney and often serves as outside general counsel to growth companies. He practices in the areas of corporate law, intellectual property law, technology law, and economic development. His area of focus is representing growth companies with respect to corp...
Dan Jacobson advises private equity funds and mid-size public and private entities, family offices and high net worth individuals with respect to their material or non-routine business transactions including mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity financings and investments. His practice is both U.S.-based and international with extensive experience representing clients with their subsidiaries’ and affiliates’ transactions in Latin America, Asia and India. His work has been r...
April Kight works with companies of all sizes on a variety of transactional, corporate and commercial matters. Her practice involves assisting limited liability companies, corporations, and private equity funds with formation and governance matters and negotiating, documenting and closing complex business transactions, including strategic alliances, acquisitions, mergers, and debt and equity financings. Ms. Kight also provides advice to sponsors and investors in private equity transactions. S...
Mark Kindelin is a veteran legal adviser in treasury management and payment products for the banking and financial services industry. He provides skilled legal counsel on the products and services financial institutions offer and on the complex laws that govern the industry. In addition, Mark provides broad corporate and transaction representation to businesses at all stages of growth, and he applies his many years of experience to support clients in realizing their commercial and transaction...
Jeff focuses on representing high-growth, venture-backed technology companies, start-up commercialization, private equity and venture capital finance, and mergers and acquisitions. In particular, he advises growth stage companies on legal and business matters, including entity formation, corporate governance, commercial contracts, raising capital, strategic collaborations, licensing technologies and acquisitions. He is a member of the firm's Corporate and Transactional Practice Group.
Colleen Pleasant Kline serves as outside general corporate counsel and advisor to clients ranging from business owners to entrepreneurs, including their officers, directors, and shareholders, for entities of all sizes covering a broad range of legal and business issues.Ms. Pleasant Kline’s corporate experience includes mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and private placements and encompasses the more complex issues surrounding angel investment, venture capital financings, and levera...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.