Venture Funding/Private offering There is some overlap between Angels and Venture Capitalists. The primary distinction besides the amount of money being raised is that the later tend to be very sophisticated and will on occasion want to take a role in the company either on the board or in some cases as a CEO or a CFO. Given the increased…
If people are litigating over whether a transfer by a person who is now deceased is valid, the decedent’s estate planning files at the attorney’s office is probably discoverable in the litigation. On December 6, 2013, the New Hampshire Supreme Court in the case of Stephen Stompor found as such. The relevant facts of the case were as follows. Stan…
The Evolution of a Company Formation The first stage in the evolution of a company is founding or forming the company. The second and third stages may be combined and in some cases the second is skipped, but for many the second stage is angel investment or friends and family investing and the final or third stage is venture funding.…
If an employee in New Hampshire quits his job, is fired, or is laid off and that employee takes confidential and proprietary information from that employer to use in the future, the employer may very well decide to take legal action against the employee. Even if the employee has not signed a non-competition or non-solicitation agreement which prohibits him from…
There are four stages with levels through which the typical company goes as it grows and attracts investment; formation, angel investment, venture capital and finally private or public offerings. At each stage there are a multitude of legal considerations to deal with in the area of securities law. Before we deal the issues at each stage, first, an overview. Securities…
A recent settlement occurred in which Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe agreed to pay $324,000,000 to employees based on claims that the companies conspired to suppress salaries by not hiring each others’ workers. See the Bloomberg Business Week article here. This settlement provides those who are defending their former employer’s attempt to enforce a non-compete through an injunction an additional…
In Massachusetts, an Abuse Prevention Order, commonly referred to as a restraining order, are issued under Mass. General Laws Ch. 209A. Once issued, a defendant may seek to terminate a permanent order, but must first meet a significant burden of proof. In a recent decision from the State’s highest court, the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) opined that in order for…
Mother and father had two children and resided in the United States until Father took a job in Singapore. The parents agreed to move to Singapore for only a three year period and then return to the United States. The parents had two children, both of whom are dual Danish and American citizens. The mother returned to the United States…
In December 2013, I provided an article as to the legal elements of undue influence. Having successfully defended against such a claim, this article provides some guidance as to what I have found judges may look at in determining whether or not the person that gave the gift was subject to undue influence so as to have the gift voided.…
In a recent decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”), the Court ruled that certain landlords are strictly liable for any injury that results from the violation of the state building code. Strict liability is important to injury victims as the injury victim does not need to prove that his or her injuries were a result of the negligence…