Louis Lehot

Over the past year, we have witnessed a boom in special purpose acquisition companies, with the SPAC method of going public seeing a meteoric rise in popularity as an alternative to the traditional initial public offering. Read more

One of the hottest investment trends in the past year is the rise of special-purpose acquisition companies, commonly called SPACs. Read more

You formed and financed an emerging growth company or startup, you hold unregistered shares of a private company not listed on a national securities exchange—but you need cash now. Read more

Amidst historic highs for startup investment in 2021, and new records broken every month, one wonders whether we can expect the venture capital boom to continue. Read more

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Law360 (March 25, 2021, 8:58 PM EDT) — Reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is inquiring deeper into the explosion in blank-check offerings could be a prelude to further investigation to assure that investor protection concerns are being met, attorneys said Thursday. The SEC’s focus reportedly centers on the practices of investment banks

A new social media platform based on voice messaging launched Monday. Called Swell, free apps for the platform can be found in Apple’s App Store and in Google Play. Read more

Garage to Global – Pitch Your Startup: Highly regarded early-stage investor Ben Narasin, a Venture Partner at NEA, a global venture capital firm, joins co-hosts Richard Levick of LEVICK and Louis Lehot, a partner with Foley & Lardner, on the latest episode of Garage to Global. Ben, who successfully spotted trends leading him to make

To date, the power of computing has enabled a remote economy, remote healthcare, remote collaboration, remote education, secure and contactless transactions, and intelligence that surpasses the human mind. New quantum computing power will usher in a brand new era — providing massive rewards to the companies and countries leading in the space, leaving laggards in

Looking out for everyone sometimes means going the extra mile. By Louis Lehot, business lawyer and partner at Foley & Lardner LLP in Silicon Valley, and formerly the founder of L2 Counsel, P.C. These days, most entrepreneurs bring their companies to market for sale for one of three main reasons: It was a goal from

By Louis Lehot, business lawyer and partner at Foley & Lardner LLP in Silicon Valley, and formerly the founder of L2 Counsel, P.C. Worried about losing control of your company by offering shares to investors as it grows? Super voting stock for founders can help. These days, founders struggle with the issue of share dilution

In the technology industry, whether in Cupertino or elsewhere in the Global Silicon Valley, the competition for the top talent required to grow to scale can be fierce. For decades, there have not been nearly enough STEM graduates to fill open spots. The road from #garage2global is tortuous, and a key ingredient to becoming #bigtech

For companies fighting for the best talent, or those that are well-advised, offering the early exercise of unvested stock options, also known as “early exercise stock options,” can be a key tool in the toolbox.  Allowing early exercise of stock options offers a key tax advantage by enabling holders to begin the holding period for

By Louis Lehot, business lawyer and partner at Foley & Lardner LLP in Silicon Valley, and formerly the founder of L2 Counsel, P.C. Many startups looking for venture capital could make their business more attractive by creating it within or moving it to a designated “Opportunity Zone.” Today, opportunity zones around the United States have

By Louis Lehot, business lawyer and partner at Foley & Lardner LLP in Silicon Valley, and formerly the founder of L2 Counsel, P.C. Imagine a world where you own stock in a company, the price skyrockets, you sell it, and pay zero tax on the profit. Welcome to the wonderful world of Qualified Small Business

As outside general counsel to dozens of startups in the technology, life sciences, medical device, clean energy and innovation economy, we are often asked about the utility and purpose of advisory boards. Read more

Whether B2B or B2C, at the earliest point in the life of a startup, says Louis Lehot, its stakeholders must design in architecture, set a mission, adopt policies and articulate procedures to protect and secure data containing personal information, especially health. Read more

5G technology provides wireless communication 10x faster than previous generations, rivaling fiber-optic cable speed, and is the first mobile technology capable of extending broadband wireless services to connected devices. Read more

As we prepare to enter the second half of 2020 and attempt to reopen the economy after its global prophylactic shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Read more

As our economy further deepens into the fourth industrial revolution, we stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. Read more

On June 3, 2020, the United States House and Senate passed The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, or PPPFA, and on June 5, 2020, culminating a strong bipartisan effort, the President of the United States signed it into law. Read more

Broc Romanek sat down with Louis Lehot, the Founder of L2 Counsel and the video blog series — #askasiliconvalleylawyer — to discuss negotiating mergers and acquisition transactions during this pandemic. Read more

Choosing the right lawyer that fits your business is one of the most important steps you can take in today’s litigious world. Whether you are launching a new venture, pivoting to reposition your current business or have a “bet the company” challenge or opportunity, finding the lawyer that fits your unique situation is critical. Read

Silicon Valley lawyer Louis Lehot shares 10 tips on how to build healthy relationships at work. It’s no surprise that many of the strongest relationships I have built over the past 20 years have revolved around my work. Read more

Choosing the right lawyer that fits your business is one of the most important steps you can take in today’s litigious world. Whether you are launching a new venture, pivoting to reposition your current business or have a “bet the company” challenge or opportunity, finding the lawyer that fits your unique situation is critical. Read

I’m often asked by clients, in the initial fundraising process how to build a pitch deck. As a recent outside general counsel to well over a hundred emerging growth private companies in the technology, life sciences, medical device, and clean energy industries, in all stages of growth (from formation to liquidity), I am sharing my

Companies usually run informally at the pre-seed and seed-stage, without formal meetings of the board of directors. However, once your business closes its first round of formal venture capital financing from a professional investment firm, and one or more venture capital partners have joined your board of directors, the meeting process becomes more formalized. Read