Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series

Legal Issues Facing Early Stage Companies

Monday, March 28, 2011
6:30-8:30pm
Wells Fargo Room - Haas School of Business

[presentation available]

Program Information and Speaker Biographies

Video (video on YouTube site):

Program Information and Speaker Biographies

Please join Morrison & Foerster LLP for a lively discussion of issues of which every early stage company and entrepreneur should be aware and common legal mistakes made by early stage companies. We will explore the type of company that you should form (including new corporate forms with social/environmental missions), capitalization and securities issues, critical intellectual property concerns and employee/executive compensation questions. We will discuss special considerations related to how a business can, and should, prepare for an exit and expand its business and operations off-shore. Finally, the speakers will focus on the legal (and business) issues that debunk the "start-up in a box" myth and underline the differences between a company in solar versus social media or medical device industries.

The program starts with food and networking at 6:30pm. The presentation will open at 7:00 pm. There is no registration for this event. For more information about the Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series, call 510-642-4255 or email lester@haas.berkeley.edu.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Tim Harris

Timothy Harris
Partner, Technology Group- Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group
Morrison & Foerster LLP

Mr. Harris heads the Technology Group of the firmwide Emerging Companies and Venture Capital group. He specializes in representing startup companies and venture capital firms in corporate and securities matters.

In his startup practice, Mr. Harris advises emerging growth technology enterprises from formation through acquisition or initial public offering in matters including venture capital financing, debt financing, equity incentive compensation, and technology development (including licensing, joint development, distribution, and other technology transfer matters). He also represents venture capital firms, strategic corporate investors, and angel investors in their investments in startup companies.

Mr. Harris specializes in modeling complex capital structures, financing scenarios and liquidity events, helping entrepreneurs and investors analyze possibilities and understand consequences of various transaction structures. Mr. Harris represents startups and investors in a variety of technology sectors, including cleantech (energy efficiency enterprise software, high efficiency solar modules, scalable consumer grade wind turbines), Internet, software, semiconductor, medical device and financial services industries.

Prior to practicing law, Mr. Harris designed, programmed, and implemented software systems for clients in the financial services industry. Mr. Harris was an Associate Editor of the Law Review and was elected to Order of the Coif at Northwestern University School of Law.

Susan Mac Cormac

Susan Mac Cormac
Partner, Corporate Group
Morrison & Foerster LLP

Susan Mac Cormac is a partner in the Corporate Group of Morrison & Foerster's San Francisco office. She serves as co-chair of the Firm's 550 lawyer Business Department, and co-chair of the Cleantech Group. Ms. Mac Cormac has extensive experience representing start-up to late-stage private companies primarily in the Cleantech or Sustainable space. She provides corporate and finance advice in connection with mergers, acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, reorganizations, joint ventures, and equity and debt financings. She regularly advises boards of private and public companies, special committees, and CEOs on corporate governance as it relates to sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility ("CSR") issues and has joined the faculty (teaching on issues of sustainability and corporate governance) at both the Stanford Director's College and the Northwestern Corporate Counsel Institute. Ms. Mac Cormac also represents nonprofit corporations involved with Sustainability and CSR, providing advice to their boards on fiduciary issues, conflicts of interest, and other corporate matters.

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