Michael Sommers Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, California, Us

Palo Alto, California, Us

San Francisco, Ca, Us

I joined Lyft to launch a B2B, white-labeled gig-delivery platform - a nascent project riddled with complex deal structures, evolving regulatory hurdles, and all of the ongoing challenges attached to running a tech platform in the gig economy.As Lyft Delivery's first lawyer, I started by diving into the inner workings of our product, identifying and mapping high-level legal issues, and drafting and iterating on our partner contracts. As we scaled Lyft Delivery to a stand-alone business within the Lyft portfolio, I:- Negotiated partner contracts with Google, H&M, Olo, AxleHire, EasyPost, Relay, Autozone, CVS, Sweetgreen, and others;- Served on the Lyft Delivery leadership team as the legal representative to assist in strategic decision-making;- Advised Lyft Delivery leadership on matters including consumer protection, privacy, antitrust, employment, marketing, intellectual property, and contract disputes and strategy, among other things;- Re-drafted and maintained the Lyft Delivery Driver Terms of Service as the product and legal landscape develops;- Managed API contracts and API contracting structure for company-wide Lyft APIs;- Developed a legal-product roadmap for reference by other lawyers within the Lyft legal team;- Worked closely with product managers, sales, engineering, product designers, and comm/marketing;- Collaborated with compliance and policy to navigate the persistently-evolving gig-delivery regulatory landscape to launch Lyft Delivery in markets with regulatory complexities;- Trained and managed additional legal resources for Lyft Delivery for both commercial contracting and product counseling;- Collaborated daily with a team of internal legal experts.

Atlanta, Ga, Us

- Provide strategic guidance and training to the company on a wide variety of legal subject matters- Represent the company in administrative proceedings - Serve as lead trade counsel for ZICO, the Coca-Cola juice portfolio, and fairlife-Draft, structure, negotiate and explain contractual terms and their implications to the business-Ensure commercial contract terms meet company compliance standards, including but not limited to service agreements, customer agreements, supplier agreements, broker agreements, etc. - Work with networked project teams to identify cross-border requirements, optimal product formulations, and growth opportunities - Manage the company's duty drawback program resulting in the consistent recovery of millions of dollars per year- Defend company in customs and food audits, disputes, inquiries, and investigations - Serve as lead counsel managing the company’s compliance with the Customs Trade and Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program, a comprehensive supply chain security program- Maintained Tier III status (highest level of CTPAT certification) by conducting a yearly comprehensive supply chain risk-assessment, managing a cross-functional team to proactively plug compliance gaps, implementing new language in company policies and procedures, opening new lines of communication to streamline reporting obligations, and implementing a global training program - Develop and implement compliance processes, policies, and procedures to build a robust trade sanctions compliance culture. Create and provide legal training/business best practices to KO's officers, managers, and employees- Provide counsel for early-stage product commercialization projects

Nashville, Us

My primary role with RVL® was to provide legal counsel to Chattanooga, Tennessee's robust start-up ecosystem. Practice areas that I specialized in as a Rockridge attorney include trademark and copyright protection, licensing, business transactions, corporate compliance, e-commerce, fundraising, and alternative corporate structures, including gig economy and benefit companies. Among my accomplishments at Rockridge are:- Served as lead counsel to successfully negotiate and settle an international copyright dispute involving a team of creatives and a publishing agency-Drafted and negotiated Software licensing agreements, including but not limited to EULA, SaaS subscription services, reseller agreements, etc. - Served as lead counsel to successfully negotiate and settle a high-value contract dispute between a direct-to-consumer business and a service provider- Settled an intercompany business dispute left unsettled by a previous law firm- Drafted endorsement agreements between brands and athletes/influencers- Managed a trademark portfolio of over 50 marks- Drafted GDPR compliant website terms and conditions for bloggers and other online businesses- Counseled businesses on B Corp values and implementation- Drafted and negotiated trademark licensing agreements- Drafted bylaws and other founding documents for tech start-ups- Drafted service contracts and independent contractor agreementsRockridge Venture Law has offices in Chattanooga, Durham, and Nashville. The firm specializes in outside general counsel and Intellectual Property services and represents clients and interests globally. In 2018 and 2019, B Lab recognized Rockridge as a B Corp Best for the World for its commitment to triple bottom line business practices (people, planet, profit).

Leer, De

BBC Chartering is the largest multipurpose, heavy lift and project shipping company in the world. Our diverse legal team consisted of lawyers qualified to practice in several countries, including Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Outside of managing BBC's corporate and maritime legal needs, our team maintained a consistent portfolio of in-house-litigated arbitration for high-value disputes. More specifically, I:- Negotiated and litigated claims involving charterparty/contract disputes, including laytime and demurrage; claims for damages; final hire statements; speed and performance claims; pooling agreements, and outstanding invoices. Arbitration was primarily conducted through the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA)- Drafted, negotiated, reviewed, and managed a wide variety of commercial contracts, e.g., MSAs, NDAs, service agreements, licensing agreements, etc. - Managed Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and clawback claims from the perspective of the carrier/creditor- Managed Protection & Indemnity (P&I) insurance matters- Advised the business on trade sanctions compliance- Managed corporate compliance and corporate structure for BBC offices around the world

Doctor Of Law (J.D.)

Ba, Political Science And Government