Stubbs Alderton & Markiles' client Sofie Biosciences, Inc, a developer of molecular imaging diagnostics and technologies to empower widespread access to Positron Emission Tomography (PET), announced last week that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which it will purchase Zevacor Pharma (previously IBA Molecular North America) and its high performance manufacturing and distribution network of PET imaging diagnostics and radio-therapeutics.

To read the full press release click here.

About Sofie Biosciences
SOFIE is a molecular imaging company combining new PET imaging diagnostics with innovative imaging and synthesis systems to provide researchers and physicians with tools to better investigate the biology of disease. By empowering a wide array of people with valuable, translational imaging tools, SOFIE is making PET scans more accessible. www.sofiebio.com

To find out more about Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions practice contact Kevin DeBré at

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SAM accelerator program for early stage companies, The Preccelerator Program, announces its new class of five digital media & tech startups

The Preccelerator Program, a Santa Monica, CA-based accelerator program for early-stage startup companies in the digital media and technology space, announced today that it has added its sixth class of companies featuring five innovative startups.

In 2012 Stubbs Alderton & Markiles launched the first-of-its-kind Preccelerator Program to provide select start-ups with co-working space, mentorship, sophisticated legal services, and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to a funded company. Over the past five years, 22 companies have graduated the Program, of which 16 have received funding totaling over $8M.

Preccelerator Program Class 6 companies include:

Animate Objects - Animate Objects (AO), an augmented reality and virtual reality development company,  is excited to announce the launch of ARGO, the gamified Augmented Reality (AR) location platform. ARGO adds AR enhanced infotainment, commerce, and analytics that drive engagement and commerce at “Destination Venues” like theme parks, resort, shopping malls, as well as in-the-wild. Guests are engaged and incentivized while site operators use ARGO’s real-time dashboard to manage, monitor and analyze their properties and visitors.

RentSpree - Most apartment searches involve numerous resources, multiple applications, and too many added fees. Rather than spending massive amounts of time and money applying for individual Los Angeles apartment rentals with separate companies, they’ve created a streamlined system. Simply fill out one application, pay an inexpensive application fee, and receive a soft credit check, sparing you unnecessary damage to your budget and credit score. Best of all, their one-stop application allows you to spend more time exploring your favorite listings, and gives our renters a distinct advantage in a competitive market.

Tapp That App -  At Tapp That App they’re passionate about finding great apps, but they know it can be difficult. They’ve set out to solve the problem of mobile app discovery by combining social networks with app marketplaces. By doing so, they allow users to satisfy their curiosity and developers to take part in one of the most powerful purchase motivators around: seeing the apps their friends and influencers are using.

Ca$het -  CA$Het is a multi-services platform (MSP) that allows users to identify, curate, and monetize products in movies and TV shows.  We believe that the entertainment industry creates tremendous value by associating characters and products on screen.  The emotional impact created when actors and products interact has been impossible to monetize due to a lack of a suitable mechanism and marketplace.  We aim to change that through our platform. CA$Het provides a mechanism to quickly and accurately identify on screen products while simultaneously creating the marketplace where they can be purchased. (Coming Soon!)

Swoppit - With recycled fashion now “white hot”, Swoppit offers Generation Z women 15-24 the perfect social marketplace. Here, they swap fashion with friends. Swoppit provides Gen-Zers a terrific way to both expand their community and gain access to a far wider selection of style. It’s an easy, fun experience that doesn’t pollute the market. For Gen-Zers, looks count, opinions matter and Swoppit offers them the chance to refresh their closet whenever they like.  Swoppit has been founded by a 16-year-old Gen-Zer that understands the market and is driven to make it a success. (Coming Soon!)

For more information about the Preccelerator® Program, visit www.preccelerator.com

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California based 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 a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel 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, visit https://stubbsalderton.com.

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, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $250,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 50 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 50+ educational workshops and networking events each year. The Program expanded in 2017 to accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth, expand benefits to accepted companies, and will look to make strategic investments backed by strategic angel investors. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

Contact:
Heidi Hubbeling
Chief Operating Officer, Preccelerator® Program

310-746-9803

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Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP has been ranked in the #111th place in the 2017 edition of the Los Angeles Business Journal for "Largest Law Firms."  The LA Business Journal provides comprehensive data and statistics on top-ranked Los Angeles companies across all industries.

 

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California based 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 a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel 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, visit https://stubbsalderton.com.

Contact:

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

Join the Preccelerator® Program
for this exclusive event!

"Steering Company Culture During Growth"

According to Inc. Magazine, 75% of the CEOs of privately held, high-growth companies that they surveyed, the hardest thing about managing a growing workforce is “maintaining company culture.”

THURSDAY MARCH 16TH 2017
5:30pm-8:00pm

**Food, Drinks & Networking Included!**

Featuring

Sue Funkhouser

Sue Funkhouser, Managing Principal, Pinwheel Performance

Sue Funkhouser is a management consultant and coach at Pinwheel Performance. For 15 years, she has helped companies from Fortune 500, Startups and Non-Profits to improve organizational performance. Sue’s passion is helping founders grow their companies by developing leaders, teams and company culture. She mentors entrepreneurs and facilitates team and culture workshops at the SAM Preccelerator and Cross Campus. Sue also speaks to groups such as Young President’s Organization and has authored an e-booklet, Steering Company Culture during Growth.

She earned a Masters of Organization Development from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Sue's former career was in advertising where she held positions such as V.P., Account Director at Ogilvy & Mather.

Based in Los Angles, she is an avid ocean swimmer. Connect with her on Twitter and Linked-In.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
1453 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Parking
4th Street/Broadway ramp or in the Santa Monica Place Mall

We hope to see you there!

*You must register with your name & email to attend this event.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles client Colle Capital Partners, a global, opportunistic, early stage technology venture fund based in New York, with a presence in San Francisco, has closed its fund, after a strategic investment by Zain Group, a leading innovator of mobile communications in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa. Colle Capital Partners has a diversified technology focus with an emphasis on data in the Energy, Media, Telecommunications, Health IT, Security, and Software Development sector.

To read the full press release visit here.

Stubbs Alderton attorneys representing and acting as Fund Counsel to Colle Capital Partners are  Scott Alderton and Jonathan Friedman.

About
Colle Capital Partners is a global, opportunistic, early-stage technology venture fund. Managers have completed deals in various verticals and across all capital structures. They pay special attention to data. Virtually all their deals have an intrinsic relationship with data as they believe that data will drive future growth for all their companies.

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

 

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ client Resonant, Inc. (NASDAQ: RESN) a designer of filters for radio frequency, or RF, front-ends that specializes in delivering designs for difficult bands and complex requirements, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Longboard Capital Advisors, LLC, an existing stockholder of Resonant to raise gross proceeds of $7.5 million. Congratulations on this success!

To read the full press release click here.

Stubbs Alderton attorney representing Resonant in this transaction was John McIlvery.

About 
Resonant is creating software tools and IP & licensable blocks that enable the development of innovative filter designs for the RF front-end, or RFFE, for the mobile device industry. The RFFE is the circuitry in a mobile device responsible for the radio frequency signal processing and is located between the device’s antenna and its digital baseband. Filters are a critical component of the RFFE that selects the desired radio frequency signals and rejects unwanted signals and noise. For more information, please visit www.resonant.com.

For more information about our Public Securities practice, contact John McIlvery at

 

On behalf of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles thank you to everyone who attended the "Networking for Capital" event with Executive Director of LAVA, Len Lanzi. To those that were unable to make it, the full video from the event can be viewed below.

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to subscribe to our mailing list for events, contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles's managing partner Scott Alderton was featured on Built In LA this week giving his expert opinion on essential legal advice for early-stage startups.

To find some of the answers to your most difficult startup-related questions, read the full article on Built in LA 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

For more about the Preccelerator® Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at
(310) 746-9803 or

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is pleased to announce that six lawyers have been named to the 2017 Southern California 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 patented selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Super Lawyers Magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-accredited law school libraries. Super Lawyers is also published as a special section in leading city and regional magazines across the country. Lawyers are selected to a Super Lawyers list in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP would like to congratulate the following attorneys named to the 2017 Super Lawyers 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.

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.

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 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.

Jeffrey F. Gersh is a Partner of the Firm. He has litigated, arbitrated, or mediated complex business and commercial matters, for both plaintiffs and defendants, whether individuals, public or private corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and/or its members, shareholders and partners, involving various types of disputes, including contract matters, trade secrets, intellectual property (trademarks, copyrights and trade dress) negligence and fraud, employment, real estate, license agreements, the apparel and garment industry, and general business matters.

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.

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

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

Peter Csathy to join Board of Directors of Preccelerator®, lead its investment strategy, and oversee anticipated investments

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and CREATV Media Announce Strategic Alliance to Provide Comprehensive Service Offering to Digital Media and Technology Companies

SANTA MONICA, CA – JANUARY 24, 2017 – Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP, a leading Southern California business, technology and digital media law firm, today announced that it will expand its successful early stage accelerator, the Preccelerator®, to accept a larger group of digital media and technology companies, significantly expand benefits to incoming startups, and look to make strategic investments in these companies and others.  Peter Csathy, Chairman of CREATV Media, a leading digital media strategic advisory and business development firm, will join the Board of Directors of the Preccelerator to lead its investment strategy and oversee anticipated investments.

“By partnering with Peter, we will grow the firm’s industry leading Preccelerator® into a full-service platform that not only mentors young companies, but also provides smart venture capital and paths to strategic business development and consulting via CREATV Media,” said Scott Alderton, Chairman of the Preccelerator and Managing Partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP. “While the Preccelerator has seen a lot of success, we want to continue to foster the growth of our early stage companies.  By adding more companies, formalizing our class structure, expanding benefits and providing initial seed capital, we will give them a greater shot at success.  With Peter’s vast experience and industry leadership, he will lead the investment strategy for these companies.”

To date, the Preccelerator Program has graduated five classes with the majority of the twenty-two companies being accepted into larger accelerator programs and incubators or successfully raising their seed funding round. Stubbs Alderton & Markiles launched the first-of-its kind program to provide select start-ups with co-working space, education, networking, mentorship and sophisticated legal services, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to a funded company. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

“Stubbs Alderton’s reputation, entrepreneurial approach and shared vision in growing today’s digital media and technology market, what I call “Media 2.0”, is one of the many reasons we made this happen,” said Peter Csathy, Chairman of CREATV Media.  “We deeply believe the growing convergence of content and technology is a worldwide addressable market that requires leading business and legal advisors who think “outside the box”, are deeply connected, move at entrepreneurial speed, and provide access to respected thought leaders and ultimately to smart capital.  We aim to bring all of this to our collective client base, and to build CREATV Media and the Preccelerator as launchpad platforms for the world’s next digital media and technology stars.”

The partnership will also look to expand the overall service offering to clients – making available CREATV Media’s deep network of relationships and suite of business development and strategic advisory services and Stubbs Alderton’s deeply-rooted and expanding scope of legal services, led by Greg Akselrud, Chairman of the firm’s Internet, Digital Media and Entertainment practice, and Scott Alderton, Chairman of the Firm’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth practice.

Stubbs Alderton also announced that Greg Akselrud would join the Board of Directors of the Preccelerator, that Louis Wharton, a law firm partner and current Director of the Preccelerator, would be appointed to President of the Preccelerator, and that Heidi Hubbeling, the law firm’s Director of Marketing and current Director of Operations for the Preccelerator, would be appointed to Chief Operating Officer of the Preccelerator.

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California based 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 a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, videogame, apparel 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, visit https://stubbsalderton.com.

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, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $250,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 50 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 50+ educational workshops and networking events each year. The expanded program will accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth, expand benefits to accepted companies, and will look to make strategic investments backed by strategic angel investors. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

About CREATV Media

CREATV Media is a leading digital media and technology focused advisory, consulting and business development firm with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York City, Austin and Germany.  The firm’s clients span the digital media and tech ecosystems – from the most innovative startups, to the most storied media companies and brands.  The firm uses proven, proprietary methodologies – together with exclusive insights, access and market intelligence – to accelerate Media 2.0-related opportunities and transformational growth.  The firm also frequently works with buyers and sellers to maximize M&A – positioning them to achieve the best possible outcomes, identifying potential targets and connecting them to key decision-makers, helping to structure and diligence potential transactions, and advising them every step of the way both pre and post transaction.  The firm also organizes, programs and leads customized workshops, live events, pilot programs and start-up innovation labs and demo days.  The firm’s ethos of fearless innovation is best summed up by its slogan “Media. Unboxed.”  For more information, visit CREATV Media.

____________________

Contact:

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

CREATV Media
Andrea Nunn
(323) 363-9932

 

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ client Laugh Radio, creators of Laugh.ly a stand up comedy streaming service, announced this month that it has raised $2.25 million in their Series Seed financing round. Laugh.ly had previously raised funds through a SAFE note (the less complicated replacement for a convertible note.) The note included $750,000 from the founders, and $1.5 million from investors. Investors included  New York Angels, Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran, the Wharton Alumni Angel Network, Social+Capital, Backstage Capital, Treehouse Capital, Accelerator Ventures and Atlas Holdings. Congratulations Laugh Radio on this success !

To read the full press release click here.

Stubbs Alderton attorney representing Laugh Radio in this transaction was Greg Akselrud.

About Laugh Radio
Laugh Radio is changing the way people experience stand up comedy. Their mobile app, Laugh.ly, launched in August 2016 and it will allow big and small name comedians to grow and monetize their fan base. The company has lined up more than 400 comedians whose content will stream on its app, and a total of 20,000 individual tracks. Described as something of a Pandora for comedy, the app can create personalized “radio” stations of comedy, in addition to offering on-demand listening. To check out the app and download Laugh.ly click here.

For more information about our Internet, Digital Media & Entertainment practice, contact Greg Akselrud at .

Congratulations to Preccelerator Program company Ballerz World for their feature in Black Enterprise this week, discussing how the desire to pursue their passions—basketball and art—led them to technology and entrepreneurship.  Founded by Navy veterans Kyle E. Cox and Nicholas Damuth, Ballerz World is the single largest marketplace that is dedicated to all things basketball.

They help their worldwide users find basketball courts, as well as connect and play basketball with one another using their geo-location technology and over 12,000 pre-loaded basketball courts in every country, all while providing their users an opportunity to view and share content, in addition to buying discounted basketball gear via the in-app store portal. Download the Ballerz World app here. 

To read the full article click here. 

For more information about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at (310) 746-9803 or .

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 .

December 2016 -- U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, for the sixth consecutive year, announce the "Best Law Firms" rankings.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP has been ranked in the 2017 U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list and regionally in 1 practice areas.

Firms included in the 2017 "Best Law Firms" list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

The 2017 Edition of "Best Law Firms" includes rankings in 74 national practice areas and 122 metropolitan-based practice areas. One "Law Firm of the Year" is named in each of the 74 nationally ranked practice areas.

Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP received the following rankings in the 2016 U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms":

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

For more information about Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP contact the firm at .

SAM Client Hyperator VR Innovation Labs, a Santa Monica Virtual Reality company, announces the launch of their first VR games on Steam.  Hyperator’s first VR game is Star Kingdom: The Elements. Players learn how to control and wield elemental energy and magic based on their astrological alignment the day they were born.  Players must keep their planets illuminated and protected from the dark fog.

Their second launch is timely for this holiday season.  Holiday Simulator - Wacky Sleigh Ride tests your skills to see if you have what it takes to deliver all the presents before the sun comes up.  Choose between tossing presents or lumps of coal in this comedic journey in the north pole.  It was launched on the Steam network for the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift.  The game will be released on the Oculus store, just in time for the holiday season.

You can find all Hyperator games on Steam here.

Behind every great startup is a great team.  SAM Preccelerator graduates, Charlie Trinh and Jude Belanger, the founders of Hyperator VR Innovation Lab, have been recognized by the CA state senator Ben Allen for their contribution to the enhancement of the LA tech community.  Every second Saturday of each month, they host a Premium Virtual Reality event at Expert Dojo in Santa Monica where users can test Hyperator’s VR games, and those of other developers.  Also, they have a Virtual Reality Apprenticeship Program that lowers the barrier to entry for new virtual reality programmers.  The Premium Virtual Reality events and Apprenticeship Program can be found on Eventbrite.  For more information about Hyperator VR, visit www.hyperator.com

SAM Client and Digital-video studio New Form announced this week that it has raised $18 million in second-round funding from the U.K.’s ITV and Discovery Communications, with ITV taking a minority stake in the company. In addition, with its investment ITV entered into a strategic partnership with New Form, which includes a multiyear commercial agreement that will bring New Form content to the ITV Hub starting in 2017.  Congratulations to New Form on this success!

Stubbs Alderton attorneys representing New Form in this transaction were Greg Akselrud and Kelly Laffey.

To read the full feature in Variety Magazine, click here.

For more information about our Internet, Digital Media & Entertainment Practice, contact Greg Akselrud at or (818) 444-4503.

The Obama Administration and the Department of Labor (DOL) enacted the “Overtime Final Rule” regulation 6 months ago, which was supposed to be effective as of December 1, 2016.  However, in the recently consolidated pending cases Nevada v. U.S. Department of Labor and Plano Chamber of Commerce v. Perez, on November 22, 2016, the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas enjoined enforcement of the Final Rule.  The Court upheld the challenges against the Final Rule based on arguments in support of the 10th Amendment – limiting the power of the federal government over the states.  It appears the DOL’s regulation will note be enforced as of December 1, however the ultimate outcome and the timing as to whether the Final Rule will be enforced is unknown.  The uncertainty has several employers scrambling for immediate answers and for good reason.

By the Final Rule, 4.2 million workers nationwide currently not eligible for overtime pay will automatically qualify as “non-exempt” employees entitled to overtime pay.  If effective, California employers will be required to align their policies with the Final Rule.  This includes approximately 400,000 employees in California.

What Happens.

Previously, California employees who worked at a managerial or other executive level and were paid a base annual salary higher than $23,660 were exempt from overtime.  The Final Rule establishes a bright-line divide between exempt and non-exempt employees by placing all employees making less than $47,476 annually or $913 per week into the non-exempt category – which means they are entitled to overtime.  This is over a 200% jump from the standard salary set in 2004.  Literally, any employee making under $22.85 per hour would be entitled to overtime regardless of his or her position.

Essentially, the Final Rule forces employers to either increase the gross salaries of all exempt employees making less than the new threshold, or in the alternative to ensure all employees under the threshold are paid overtime.  However, it gets trickier.  In California, if an employee works 9 hours in one day and 7 the next day, that employee is still likely entitled to an hour of overtime even if the work week balances at 40 hours – this depends on the “regularly scheduled” work week, and whether it is a 3 or 4 day work week rather than a 5 day work week.

What To Expect.

Employers were given a chance to change their overtime policies well in advance of the effective date of this new regulation.  As the grace period ended, the District Court prolonged it – but for how long?  As of today, employees who were not properly compensated would have had the right to sue for failure to pay overtime.  Certainly, several attorneys are already searching for employers not currently in compliance with the Final Rule.  If the regulation remains in effect, employers should be prepared to face widespread litigation – potentially class actions depending on the size of your company or quasi-class actions, such as Private Attorney General Act of 2004 (PAGA) complaints regardless of the company’s size.  Employers not already adjusted for the upcoming overtime policy should monitor the recent developments knowing a potential tidal wave of lawsuits may come.

What To Do.

Employers used the “exempt” classification as an excuse to work its employees late-nights and on weekends, without keeping track of their hours.  That luxury no longer exists.  If an employee makes less than the threshold, an employer needs to have records to challenge an employee’s potential overtime claim.   Employers should immediately implement a system to monitor the hours each employee works, whether it be enacting a policy prohibiting employees from working more than 8 hours in a day and 40 hours in a week, or requiring timesheets or clocking in-and-out.

Don’t subject your company to attorneys’ fees, statutory penalties, possible class actions and not to mention your own litigation costs.  It’s simply not worth it.  Keep track of your employees’ hours, and if your pay period begins before December 1, 2016, pro-rate the increase in salary or make sure you pay overtime.

Also, the recently enacted Labor Code Section 558.1 holds individuals liable for a company’s failure to pay overtime.  These individuals include managing agents, owners, directors or officers.  For more information on Section 558.1, stand-by for further analysis from Jeffrey F. Gersh.

Now What.

The far-reaching implications of the recent November 22, 2016 ruling by the District Court raises many concerns that cannot yet be answered, such as: If the rule is enforced, will it be retroactive as of December 1st? or, How are employers and employees affected if this ruling is appealed? or, What do employers do who have already promised overtime pay or an increase in salaries to its employees? or, Should I start paying overtime, to play it safe?

For help on complying with the Final Rule and following the developments of District Court’s decision, Jeffrey F. Gersh () at (818) 444-4500.  Please note that nothing herein constitutes legal advice.

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