ll this holiday season, SoCal Tech has been sharing the reflections on 2016 from the Southern California's technology ecosystem. Here, they have the thoughts of Scott Alderton of Stubbs Alderton and Markiles, LLP.  SAM is a longtime sponsor of Socaltech.com, and represents a wide range of clients, including a significant number of Southern California's most visible startups.

To read the full article visit here.

Scott Alderton is a founding partner of the Firm, Managing Partner, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.  Scott is co-chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice Group and chair’s the Firm’s Interactive Entertainment and Video Games Group. Scott advises both public and private clients across a number of industries, including technology, manufacturing and distribution of goods in commerce, finance, the Internet, interactive video games, and new media industries.

To learn more about Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP contact Scott Alderton at

 

December 2016 -- Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is pleased to announce that two lawyers have been named to the 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers®, the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession.

Best Lawyers
 has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 70 countries.

"Best Lawyers is the most effective tool in identifying critical legal expertise," said CEO Steven Naifeh. "Inclusion on this list shows that an attorney is respected by his or her peers for professional success."

Lawyers on the Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP would like to congratulate the following attorneys named to the 2017 Best Lawyers in America list:

Scott Alderton is a founding partner of the Firm, Managing Partner, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.  Scott is co-chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice Group and chair’s the Firm’s Interactive Entertainment and Video Games Group. Scott advises both public and private clients across a number of industries, including technology, manufacturing and distribution of goods in commerce, finance, the Internet, interactive video games, and new media industries.

Michael Sherman Stubbs AldertonMichael Sherman is an accomplished trial lawyer in high-stakes, “bet-the-company” litigation, and has represented both large and early-stage companies as well as entrepreneurs in all facets of business and complex commercial litigation. He has evenly split his litigation practice on both the plaintiff and defense side of cases, has first-chaired numerous trials in complex matters in industries as varied as energy, securities, healthcare, environmental, consumer products, technology, project development/finance, advertising, real estate and apparel, and is highly skilled in class actions and unfair competition law.

The official Best Lawyers 2017 publication can be read in its entirety here.

For more information on our Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice, contact Scott Alderton at .

For more information on our Business Litigation Practice, contact Michael A. Sherman at .

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ client NEOGOV, the leading talent management software platform focused on government, education and public sector clients announced that Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing has invested in them. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2000, NEOGOV provides market-leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) talent management solutions to automate and streamline the recruitment, onboarding and performance evaluation processes for government and other public sector institutions. NEOGOV’s software is designed specifically for the unique human capital management requirements of these complex and regulated end-markets and serves more than 1,500 organizations including over 40% of the largest U.S. cities and more than 20 state customers.

“The team at NEOGOV has built the leading provider of human capital management software to the public sector,” said Alex Berzofsky, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. “We are excited to invest in the company and partner with the NEOGOV management team as they continue to broaden the product platform and identify additional opportunities to serve their large and growing customer base.”

“Warburg Pincus has deep experience in cloud-based software and the firm will be a valuable partner as we continue to focus on growing our whole talent management suite tailored for the local government sector,” said Damir Davidovic, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NEOGOV. “With this investment, we plan to enhance our product offerings, serve more customers and accelerate the growth of the business.”

“As more companies continue to use SaaS-based systems to deliver HR solutions, we see a significant growth opportunity for NEOGOV given it is configurable specifically for the needs of the public sector, where fewer organizations have adopted these technologies,” said Brian Chang, Principal, Warburg Pincus.

Stubbs Alderton attorneys representing NEOGOV in this deal were Sean Greaney and Scott Alderton.

About NEOGOV
NEOGOV HR software automates the entire hiring, onboarding and performance evaluation process, including position requisition approval, automatic minimum qualification screening, test statistics and analysis, and EEO reporting. NEOGOV works with more than 1,500 federal, state and local government, universities and K-12 organizations nationwide, ranging in size from 100 to over 100,000 employees, including agencies such as the State of South Carolina, the State of Tennessee, City of Dallas, TX; City of Houston, TX; Baltimore County, MD; City and County of Denver, CO; City and County of Honolulu, HI; City of Nashville, TN; and more than 25% of California’s Counties, including Santa Clara County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, Los Angeles County, and Orange County. Because NEOGOV’s solutions are both easy-to-use and fast to implement, it is able to offer a public sector model that is low risk, but offers a high ROI at the same time.

About Warburg Pincus
Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $40 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 120 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 15 private equity funds, which have invested more than $58 billion in over 760 companies in more than 40 countries. Warburg Pincus has been an active investor in SaaS companies, with current investments including The Gordian Group, DocuTAP, Liaison International, PayScale, and Avalara, among others.

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, intellectual property, brand protection and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of, among others, venture backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent the full spectrum of Southern California business with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel and medical device sectors. Our mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of our Firm. www.stubbsalderton.com

For more information about our Venture Capital & Emerging Growth Practice, contact Sean Greaney at or (818) 444-4554

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP client Netki, Inc. closed a $3.6 million Series A financing, led by OATV III, LP, and including over a dozen prominent Angel and other early stage investors.  Netki is a blockchain infrastructure company (facilitating cryptocurrencies and other blockchain-based technology applications), and has two initial products, Wallet Names and Travel Rule Certificates, that are based on open blockchain standards, and will facilitate ease of use, mass-market  adoption and regulatory compliance of blockchain-based technologies.

SAM Attorneys representing Netki on the deal included Caroline Cherkassky and Scott Alderton.

For more information about our Emerging Growth & Venture Capital Practice, contact Scott Alderton at or Louis Wharton at .

Los Angeles, CA - May 13, 2016 Stubbs Alderton & Markiles announces that it represented its client D-Software, d/b/a Zephyr, one of the software industry’s fastest-growing providers of real-time, on-demand enterprise test management solutions, in an investment deal of  $31M from Frontier Capital.

Based in Newark, Calif., in the epicenter of the software industry, Zephyr provides more than 8,500 customers in over 100 countries with innovative applications, seamless integrations and unparalleled, real-time visibility into the quality and status of their software development projects. With additional operations in London and Bangalore, the company has more than doubled its customer base in the past 12 months by helping companies like LG Electronics, Adobe, HSBC, Honda, Oracle, Citibank, Amex, GE, Starz and Hyundai drive down costs and bring higher quality software to market faster.

The $31 million investment from Frontier Capital will be used to fund key growth initiatives for the company like enhancing the product portfolio and scaling sales and marketing capabilities, according to Zephyr founder and CEO Samir Shah.

“Partnering with Frontier Capital will help us realize our potential by investing in the critical business functions that will fuel our growth,” said Shah. “Their business acumen and experience helping similar next-stage growth companies achieve their goals will be just as, if not more, valuable to us than the money they have invested. We are excited to have Frontier on board as an engaged partner and look forward to working with them to build a market leader.”

SAM Partner Scott Alderton has represented D-Software, d/b/a Zephyr, since its inception and Stubbs Alderton as a whole is very proud of their success.  SAM Partners that led this deal include Scott Galer, and Scott Alderton

To read the full Zephyr press release, click here.

About Frontier Capital

Frontier Capital is a Charlotte-based growth equity firm focused exclusively on software and technology-enabled business services companies. Founded in 1999, Frontier partners with management teams that can benefit from capital to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions or generate shareholder liquidity. The firm makes minority and majority equity investments in high growth companies and has built an excellent track record of delivering returns to both investors and management partners. For more information, please visit frontiercapital.com.

About Zephyr

Zephyr is a leading provider of on-demand enterprise test management solutions, offering innovative applications, seamless integrations and unparalleled, real-time visibility into the quality and status of software projects. Zephyr products are the fastest-growing agile test management products in the world, with more than 8,500 global customers in over 100 countries. Their feature-rich products address today’s dynamic and global needs across a variety of industries including finance, healthcare, media, automotive, IT services and enterprise software. Zephyr is headquartered in Newark, Calif., with offices in Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.getzephyr.com.

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, intellectual property, brand protection and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of, among others, venture backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent the full spectrum of Southern California business with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel and medical device sectors. Our mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of our Firm. For more information, please visit www.stubbsalderton.com.

Media Contact:
Heidi Hubbeling
(310) 746-9803

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is proud to announce that four of their attorneys have been listed in the 2016 Southern California Super Lawyers edition.  Congratulations to Scott Alderton, Joe Stubbs, Kevin DeBré, and Michael Sherman.

What is Super Lawyers? Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.  To view the digital publication, click here.

A little bit more about the attorneys:

Scott Alderton - a founding partner of the Firm, Managing Partner, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.  Scott is co-chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice Group and chair’s the Firm’s Interactive Entertainment and Video Games Group.  Scott advises both public and private clients across a number of industries, including technology, manufacturing and distribution of goods in commerce, finance, the Internet, interactive video games, and new media industries.

Joe Stubbs -  Joe Stubbs is a founding partner of the Firm, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.  He is co-chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice Group, and of the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group.  Joe practices in the areas of corporate and securities law, emphasizing the corporate representation of both publicly-held and privately-held emerging growth and middle-market companies, venture capital and private equity firms, angel investment groups and investment banks.  He acts as outside general counsel to numerous emerging growth and technology companies, advising on a wide range of legal and strategic issues at all stages of their evolutionary path.  He particularly concentrates on advising companies in preparing for and successfully completing their angel, venture capital, private equity and debt financing transactions, their merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions and their initial and follow-on public offerings.  He also serves as outside general counsel to various publicly-held companies, providing advice on all aspects of their business activities, including securities law compliance and corporate governance matters.  His experience also includes corporate partnerships, restructurings and technology licensing.

Kevin DeBré - Kevin D. DeBré is the chair of the Firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions Practice Group.  Kevin advises entrepreneurs and companies that use intellectual property to build their businesses.  Kevin has particular expertise in structuring and negotiating technology commercialization and patent licenses, strategic alliances, research and development collaborations, trademark licensing and brand merchandising agreements and manufacturing, distribution and marketing arrangements.  He also counsels clients on compliance with data security and privacy laws and regulations.  Kevin is a business lawyer, a registered patent lawyer and a former engineer.  He focuses on representing software companies, semiconductor design firms, mobile commerce businesses, e-commerce enterprises, electronics and hardware manufacturers, media companies, content developers and publishers, biotechnology companies and medical device manufacturers both in the United States and abroad.

Michael Sherman - Michael Sherman is a Partner of the Firm and Chair of the Business Litigation practice group.  Michael is an accomplished trial lawyer in high-stakes, “bet-the-company” litigation, and has represented both large and early-stage companies as well as entrepreneurs in all facets of business and complex commercial litigation. He has evenly split his litigation practice on both the plaintiff and defense side of cases, has first-chaired numerous trials in complex matters in industries as varied as energy, securities, healthcare, environmental, consumer products, technology, project development/finance, advertising, real estate and apparel, and is highly skilled in class actions and unfair competition law. Michael’s trial skills and courtroom success resulted in his being named several years ago to the “Top 100 Lawyers” in California list, published by the Daily Journal newspaper chain. He has consistently been named to “Best Lawyers in America”.  Michael has been recognized as a leading trial lawyer by his peers and featured in the press for some of his significant victories on behalf of clients. He is a recent past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. He is a frequent speaker and writer on business litigation and trial advocacy.

For more information about Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, contact Heidi Hubbeling at or (310) 746-9803.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP announced today that it assisted client HelloTech with its $12.5 Series A Financing to expand their in-home tech support.  The funding was led by Madrona Venture Group with participation from Upfront Ventures, CrossCut Ventures, and Accel Partners.  HelloTech closed their $4.5M seed funding in February, bringing their total raise to $17M.

HelloTech is a new on-demand tech support service provided by our fully-vetted team of techs. Each HelloTech Hero is hand-selected, background-checked and completes a variety of tests and assessments. In addition to a complete range of tech support services, we also provide new technology consultation and training. We not only fix problems, we educate and help architect a home’s tech eco-system.

In today’s world of connected devices and the Internet of Things, our mission is to make the newest in technology available and understandable to all. We’re making technology in the home simple.

SAM attorneys Scott Alderton and Caroline Cherkassky represented HelloTech in this transaction.

To view the TechCrunch article, click here.

For more information about our Venture Capital & Emerging Growth practice, contact Scott Alderton at or (818) 444-4501.

Stubbs Alderton client ZocDoc announced that it has closed a round worth $130 million, at a current valuation of $1.8 billion. The investment round was led by SAM client, Atomico, and the Scottish investment firm Baillie Gifford (which is also a Spotify investor), with participation from previous backer Founders Fund.

SA&M Partner Murray Markiles represented Atomico for this transaction.

About ZocDoc

ZocDoc is the tech company at the beginning of a better healthcare experience. Each month, millions of patients use ZocDoc to find in-network neighborhood doctors, instantly book appointments online, see what other real patients have to say, get reminders for upcoming appointments and preventive checkups, fill out their paperwork.

Atomico

Founded in 2006 by Niklas Zennström, a co-founder of Skype, they have made over 50 investments over four continents, including Skype, Supercell, Rovio, Klarna, and The Climate Corporation, with an exclusive focus on the technology sector. Their sector expertise and deep network mean that they know, and have worked with, people across the world who can add value to their portfolio companies.

For more information about our Venture Capital and Emerging Growth practice, contact Scott Alderton at (818) 444-4501 or

 

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles' Managing Partner Scott Alderton was presented with the Heart Centered Tech LA Award at the Annual LA Venture Association (LAVA) Meeting on Thursday, July 15th. The award was handed off to Scott from Rich Abronson, last month's HCTLA Award recipient.  SAM's involvement in the LA Tech community led by Scott, along with his personal efforts to foster the growth of Silicon Beach and dedication to startups was the basis for this award recognition.

#HCTLA started as a way to acknowledge standout individuals who take part in using technology to help make this world a better place. Award recipients have healed hearts, built communities and contributed through technology. After 30 days, the recipients choose who the next HCT award winners should be, making this the first peer-to-peer awards ceremony of it kind that was appropriately launched in the #LATech #SiliconBeach community.

For more information on the award process, visit www.heartcenteredtech.com 

No-Fee Platform Connects Accredited Investors to
Innovative Startups Pursuant to the JOBS Act

SANTA MONICA, Calif.: Oct. 16, 2014 – FlashFunders today announced the launch of its no-fee, online equity funding platform at www.flashfunders.com.  FlashFunders (member FINRA/SIPC) was started by Europlay Capital Advisors, law firm Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, and co-founders Vincent Bradley and Brian Park, and was formed to help startups raise capital efficiently while also opening up access to startup investing for accredited investors.

FlashFunders’ platform helps entrepreneurs navigate complex SEC regulations and offsets costly legal fees, while giving accredited investors unprecedented access to startup investment opportunities. FlashFunders provides a turnkey solution for raising capital and a marketplace where entrepreneurs can connect directly with accredited investors across the globe.

FlashFunders ensures all investors are accredited and that all offerings are SEC-compliant and executed using FDIC-insured escrows — which are created and paid for by FlashFunders.

“We worked with FINRA over the past year to expand the scope of our broker-dealer license, allowing FlashFunders to operate an online equity funding platform in a regulated environment,” said Vincent Bradley, the co-founder of FlashFunders. “We felt it was critical to ensure our platform was compliant for both startups and investors. Online equity funding is in its infancy and seeing tremendous growth; by engaging with FINRA, we’re leading the way for how it should be done — creating an industry standard.”

“97% of the 8.5 million accredited investors in the United States currently don’t partake in startup investing,” said Mark Dyne, the chairman and founder of Europlay, a seed and early-stage investor in technology companies, as well as former Skype seed investor and board member and founder and CEO of Sega Ozisoft, Virgin Interactive Entertainment, and many others. “This is largely because they don’t have access to early stage companies. Leveraging technology and decades of combined experience in finance, venture investing, securities law and startup operations, FlashFunders provides entrepreneurs and investors a secure, SEC-compliant user experience, with e-Signature technology and document management capabilities backed by a team of FINRA-registered representatives to help ensure successful offerings on the platform.”

“FlashFunders is designed to fundamentally alter the capital-raising process,” said Brian Park, co-founder of FlashFunders. “We provide startups with a compliant, efficient and no-fee online equity funding platform to develop their business plans, publicly market their offerings and collect funding from accredited investors —saving startups thousands of dollars in legal fees. At the same time, investors on FlashFunders can purchase shares directly in startups with no transaction fees or carried interest charges.”

FlashFunders creates a safe and intuitive process that allows investors to view startup offerings and execute investments legally and properly in minutes using Flash Seed Preferred documents and e-Signature technology.

FlashFunders has created “Flash Seed Preferred,” a set of safe, balanced and transparent investment documents that have been customized to facilitate fundraising on the platform, further streamlining a process that would otherwise take months of road shows, multiple middlemen and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to execute.

“Unlike other equity funding portals, FlashFunders does not curate or try to pick winners, and investments are not made through LLCs or Special Purpose Vehicles,” said Scott Alderton, Managing Partner at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP. “FlashFunders provides a seamless end-to-end solution for startups raising capital with virtually no external cost, fees or investor carry. FlashFunders receives an ongoing right to invest a limited amount under the same terms as all other investors if a startup is successful in getting funded on the platform.” Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is southern California’s leading business law firm, with deep experience in providing legal services to companies including LinkedIn, Beats by Dre and Skype, among many others.

The announcement today is the first phase of FlashFunders’ rollout. Additional enhancements to the user experience will be added over time along with new tools and technologies to increase functionality and scale. Offerings from startups will be incrementally uploaded by the site’s concierge service, which assigns a live team to guide entrepreneurs through the process.

“We are educating a new generation of investors and building a more efficient roadshow for startups,” said Vincent Bradley.

About FlashFunders

A registered broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, FlashFunders provides a no-fee online equity funding platform for entrepreneurs to publicly market their offerings, collect funding from accredited investors and gain access to SEC-compliant legal documents and escrow accounts to create their offerings.

For more information, visit: http://www.flashfunders.com

Media Contact:
Amy Morris                                                 Susan Guerra
FlashFunders                                              Thatcher+Co.
               
917.887.2725                                              973.650.6555

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Scott Alderton was featured in today's Entrepreneur.com article "Find an Attorney Who Will Be in Your Corner With These 3 Tips."  Author Adam Callinan of Beachwood VC outlines some of the early questions you should be asking and warning signs you should be recognizing when searching for new legal counsel.

Scott Alderton states that you need “a lawyer with a deep contextual understanding of both the substantive nature of your evolutionary path (i.e. they understand and do the exact type of transactions you are going to be engaging in) and a broad understanding of your industry.” 

To read the full article, click here.

For more information on our Emerging Growth practice, and for information about our Start-up Fixed Fee Legal Package, contact Scott Alderton at (818) 444-4501 or

 

AttorneysLeading Business Litigation Group Headed by Michael Sherman Joins Firm

Los Angeles, CA (March 11, 2014) – Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP, Southern California’s leading business law firm, has announced that nationally recognized litigator Michael Sherman has joined the firm as a partner in its Sherman Oaks office. Mr. Sherman will lead the firm’s newly-created Business Litigation practice group.

Michael Sherman is an accomplished trial lawyer in high-stakes, “bet-the-company” litigation, and has represented both large and early-stage companies as well as entrepreneurs in all facets of business and complex commercial litigation.    He has evenly split his litigation practice on both the plaintiff and defense side of cases, has first-chaired numerous trials in complex matters in industries as varied as securities, healthcare, environmental, consumer products, technology, project development/finance, advertising, real estate and apparel, and is highly skilled in class actions and unfair competition law.  Michael’s trial skills and courtroom success resulted in his having been named to the “Top 100 Lawyers” in California list, published by the Daily Journal newspaper chain.

“Stubbs Alderton & Markiles has been planning to expand our capabilities by creating a vibrant business litigation practice, and we could not be more excited about having someone of Michael’s stature joining us to do so.  We have worked closely with Michael for many years, often referring our most important litigation matters to him at Bingham McCutchen.  Michael is one of the best litigation attorneys in Los Angeles, and together we are going to build a general litigation practice that is as dynamic, efficient and effective as the transactional practice we have built over the last 12 years.”

The addition of the Business Litigation practice group continues the firm’s strategic expansion in the Southern California market, following the opening of their Santa Monica office and addition of a Brand Development and Content Protection practice in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

“Southern California is one the world’s largest economies.  Its business life-blood is entrepreneurs and start-ups that have grown to become many of the world’s leading businesses.  The partners of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles know that as well as any lawyers.  Managing disputes efficiently and strategically is on occasion the key to success, and that’s what I bring to the Firm.  I’m very excited to participate in the Firm’s continued success.”

Michael has been recognized as a leading trial lawyer by his peers and featured in the press for some of his significant victories on behalf of clients. He is a recent past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. He is a frequent speaker and writer on business litigation and trial advocacy, and has consistently been named to “Best Lawyers in America” in the field of commercial litigation.

Also joining the firm is David Gubman, a seasoned business litigation attorney.  David will join the firm as of counsel in its Sherman Oaks office.  David has big-firm experience and he and Michael have successfully tried cases together.

Please visit www.stubbsalderton.com for complete attorney bios.

About the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles Business Litigation Practice

The Firm’s litigators have significant depth and breadth of resources and a detailed knowledge of clients’ industries and business concerns.  In providing the best possible representation, our litigators appreciate that on occasion disputes may need to be tried to a judge, jury or arbitrator, and that in other instances the client is best served with an early resolution that is designed to preserve business relationships and minimize expense and litigation distraction.

Our litigators have a proven track record for analyzing complex legal and business challenges.  Our attorneys are experienced, innovative and aggressive in their pursuit of strategic outcomes.

Our litigation clients include household name Fortune 500 companies along with middle market, and emerging growth companies.  We seek to make long term relationships with our clients throughout their evolutionary path.  We deliver efficiency and value to every client we serve through a well-defined budget and clear communication about their case.

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of venture backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology and Internet companies, entertainment, video games and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent the full spectrum of Southern California business with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, video games, apparel, consumer electronics and medical device sectors. The firm’s mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of the firm.  For more information, please visit www.stubbsalderton.com

Contact:

Heidi Hubbeling
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
(310) 746-9803

Los Angeles, CA (February 25, 2013)  -  Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP, Southern California’s leading business law firm, has announced the expansion of its Santa Monica office at 1453 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA. This office is located on the corner of Third Street Promenade and Broadway Boulevard. The growth of the Firm and its Preccelerator Program has provided the opportunity for this expansion.  The new office opening makes an inspiring statement about the support and involvement that Stubbs Alderton will continue to contribute to the Silicon Beach marketplace.  An open house celebration will be scheduled for some time in March.

Scott Alderton, a founder and managing partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP, comments: “Since opening our office in Santa Monica, we have assisted in the growth of a handful of super early-stage businesses, two of which (Fleck and 3Ten8) have moved on to prominent Accelerator Programs.  Fleck moved to the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE) in Portland, Oregon (http://www.piepdx.com) and 3Ten8 moved to The Alchemist in the Bay area (http://www.alchemistaccelerator.com). We have also produced and hosted dozens of “Preccelerator Events” ranging from simple mixers to substantive educational seminars.  That level of involvement is vital to Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, given our historical commitment to the start-up ecosystem. Our expansion and growth in Santa Monica is a demonstration of our commitment to be leaders and innovators in this community.”

Company Information
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property practice groups focusing on the representation of venture backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent the full spectrum of Southern California business with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel and medical device sectors. Their mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of their Firm.

About the Preccelerator Program
The Preccelerator is a novel platform offered to select start-up companies out of the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Santa Monica office that provides interim office space and access to sophisticated legal services, with the objective of helping start-ups grow their idea from business concept to funded startup. For more information, visit www.stubbsalderton.com/preccelerator

 Media Contact
For further information regarding this press release, please contact Heidi Hubbeling, Director of Marketing – (310) 746-9803 or

Congratulations to SAM Partner Scott Alderton who has been named to Southern California Super Lawyers 2013.  Super Lawyers magazine names attorneys in each state who received the highest point totals, as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics.  Super Lawyers magazine is published in all 50 states and reaches more than 13 million readers.

AttorneysScott Alderton is a founder and partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP.  Alderton is also the co-chair of the firm's Venture Capital & Emerging Growth Practice Group.  A corporate & technology lawyer, Alderton focuses on advising middle-market, technology, emerging growth and development stage companies.

Q. How can following legal advice save money for an average company?    

The principle way that it saves money is that it is much easier to avoid a problem than it is to solve a problem.  To have proactive advice from a lawyer who is anticipating issues and questions you may have in the context of a business transaction goes a long way to save money.  Being proactive and trying to properly structure around a transaction is much easier than having a problem and trying to fix it later.

Q.  How can a business get the most out of a billable hour?   

In any transaction, a client is very well served to have an extensive discussion with the lawyer upfront to get the expectation or a detailed cost estimate.  Absent of any significant change, they'll have a good idea of how many hours will be involved and what the project will cost.  That also causes the lawyer to be more concerned about the amount of time they're billing.

Q. What steps should a company take to find the right lawyer?

The most important thing is to make sure that they find a lawyer that has extensive domain experience in the area that they're seeking representation.  A lot of times, the businessperson is concerned over competitive aspects or the sharing of confidential information and will not want to hire a lawyer who represents a competitor of the company.  Lawyers are bound by law through the attorney-client relationship, and it's the most protective relationship that a client can have in terms of protecting information.  Finding someone that may represent their competitors may be the best thing, because they get a knowledgeable lawyer who not only handles the simple aspects of the legal transaction but can also give sound business advice and market information.

Do you have a question for one of our attorneys?  Send your questions to to be featured in future 3 Questions columns.

 

Partner Scott Alderton  named to Southern California Super Lawyers 2012.  Super Lawyers magazine names attorneys in each state who received the highest point totals, as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics. Rising Stars names the state's top up-and-coming attorneys.  Super Lawyers magazine is published in all 50 states and reaches more than 13 million readers.

The LA Times recently released a story entitled “Silicon Beach: Real or high-tech hype?” discussing the thrilling rise of the tech company market in the Southern California region.  According to venture capitalist Nate Redmond of Rustic Canyon Partners, quoted in the article, “We’ve never seen a level of activity higher than it is today.”  Several SAM clients, including Riot Games, are mentioned as companies that are benefitting from the growing tech market in Southern California.  Also mentioned in the article is SAM client and venture capitalist Mark Suster of GRP Partners, who is actively involved in the Los Angeles venture capital market and believes that the Los Angeles area is “one of the most undiscovered tech hubs in the country.”

Stubbs Alderton and Markiles, LLP is a leading law firm in representing venture-backed companies based in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, the so-called “Silicon Beach”, and provides services to a broad spectrum of tech start-up companies in both the Southern California and San Francisco Bay areas such as Rdio, Inc., SuperGiant Games, ADLY Inc., Mogreet, Inc., Leisurelink, Inc., Illfonic LLC, and The Illusion Factory to name a few.  A core focus of SAM’s practice is serving the needs of emerging growth and technology companies.

SAM also has extensive relationships with “Silicon Beach” area venture capital firms, angel investors and start-up incubators such as GRP Partners, Rustic Canyon Partners, Greycroft Partners, Clearstone Venture Partners, Mission Ventures, FocalPoint Partners, Europlay Capital Advisors, DFJ Frontier, TechCoast Angels, Pasadena Angels, and Ventura Ventures Technology Center.  The Firm is a sponsor of LaunchPad LA and regularly sponsors tech events such as LA Tech Week, the E3 Expo, the Game Developers’ Conference (GDC), the CalTech/MIT Enterprise Forum, Digital Hollywood, LAVA Meet the VCs, and many others. SAM is also actively involved with the “First Wave” accelerator and fund projects of Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.

To view the December 11th Los Angeles Times’ article, click here.

For more information regarding the Venture Capital and Emerging Growth practice of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, please contact Scott Alderton at or (818) 444-4501.

For more information regarding the Internet, New Media & Entertainment practice, please contact Greg Akselrud at or (818) 444-4504.

 

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles lawyers Scott Alderton and Sean Greaney helped client Equipois, Inc. conclude a Funding Support and Option Agreement with California Capital Equity, which closed on September 17, 2010.  The Agreement fully funds the operations of Equipois in an undisclosed amount over a five year period, and grants an option to California Capital Equity to acquire Equipois.

Equipois designs and manufactures technologies that allow tools, parts, and other payloads to be maneuvered as if weightless with freedom of motion. The Company’s flagship product  is the ZeroG2 Arm, which enables workers to maneuver tools and parts, eliminating the strain and fatigue associated with repetitive tasks.  The Company’s products are compatible with various tools, such as sanders, grinders, buffers, nut runners, drills, and torque tools.  Equipois serves automotive, commercial aerospace, defense, heavy machinery, and other manufacturing industries. Equipois was founded in 2006 and is based in Los Angeles, California.  You can learn more about Equipois at www.equipoisinc.com.

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