Oct. 16, 2014
Silicon Legal Strategy PC
See more on Silicon Legal Strategy PCSan Francisco, Santa Monica | Corporate, M&A, Financing
Among the things that Gharakhanian sees as essential - email etiquette.
"One thing that we teach our people," he said, "is that they shouldn't bury urgent action items at the end of a three-page email. The reason is that most CEO's simply won't read the whole thing."
Partner Gaurav Mathur, who splits his time between the firm's San Francisco and Santa Monica offices, has been focused on helping the firm grow outward from its Bay Area roots.
"The goal for us is not to turn into a 1,000-lawyer firm," he said. "I nstead the plan is to replicate what we've built in San Francisco in a lot of different cities. We already had a few clients in L.A. and some investor clients who have worked there.
Upon arriving in Southern California, Mathur found a wide open market.
"There are not a whole lot of true startup lawyers in L.A.," he said.
This year, Ticketfly Inc. has been keeping Mathur busy.
"I've worked with them since they launched about five years ago," he said, "and this is the third acquisition that I've helped them with in that time."
Mathur, who has been leading the firm's push into Los Angeles, said that the increasing number of startup incubators has changed the dynamics for local corporate lawyers.
"There has been a lot of noise made in LA over the last two or three years," he said. "There has always been the talent, but as the venture capital continues to pour in, more legal services like ours will be necessary."
While the firm has been eager to capitalize on it s Silicon Valley roots by growing in the Silicon Beach area, Gharakhanian sees their work remaining fairly low-key.
"We joke that we are not helping our clients finance stadiums in Brazil," he said.
The firm helps startup companies stay afloat, whether that is by helping them get 12 months of funding and a path towards product launch or through distribution deals that open them up to new markets.
"There is a lot of urgency and anxiety," Gharakhanian said, "and we have to be with them every step of the way."
Melody McCloskey, CEO of StyleSeat Inc., said she appreciates the close relationship. The firm recently helped StyleSeat secure its Series A funding round.
"I've been working with Andre and [firm partner] Aravinda [Seshadri] for over three years now," she said. "I've worked with other lawyers from larger firms but we've found that a boutique is better for our needs."
McCloskey said that the personal touch is what makes the difference.
"They are always very responsive and willing to take a call to talk about things that come up," she said. "Sometimes I'll come to him in a situation and he'll go through what he is seeing that is normal and what he is seeing that is irregular. The immediate attention really helps."
Gharakhanian said the firm is egalitarian .
"We all come from large firm backgrounds but we are all interested in working with smaller companies and helping them grow," he said. "What we want to avoid is falling into the problem of having the charismatic rainmaker who distributes work to technically skilled workers. It is better if all of our attorneys know how to work with clients and can operate independently."
Looking to the future, Gharakhanian does not expect to merge with any other firm, but is instead intrigued by the possibility of growing from within.
"We don't figure to become the next Wilson Sonsini," Gharakhanian said, "but 50 attorneys could be an interesting challenge."
- Alex Shively
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