Scott Benner Email & Phone Number

Scott's team provides wealth management for a limited number of clients who desire to simplify and integrate their financial lives. Common challenges for these clients involve obtaining liquidity for private businesses, selling minority interests, stock option exercises, deferred compensation distributions or reducing concentrated asset positions. Scott's particular strength is helping entrepreneurs and key managers obtain liquidity in a way that is income and estate tax efficient and structure their new enterprises with this in mind. With his background in venture financing, venture capital fund formation and securities regulation, Scott helps clients integrate any alternative investments (whether as founder, angel or other investor) within their overall financial plans. Scott also helps clients understand the value of comprehensive and long-term investing, and avoid the hype, noise and emotion that intrude on clients' financial lives and decisions.

Seattle, Washington, Us

Scott counsels individuals about their estate planning and about transactions and legal obligations related to their personal financial matters. These areas include angel, venture capital and hedge fund investments, stock options and restricted stock, real estate participation deals, family-held companies and similar matters. As a former corporate partner in a major law firm he has the background in securities regulation, corporate finance, venture capital raising and similar areas to help entrepreneurs and business owners understand their personal rights and obligations. In this regard, his advice and representation for the owner is distinct from counsel to the company (typically a major law firm), whose duty is to the company alone and often has conflicts of interest with the owner. Scott's legal practice and financial practice overlap, but he has many clients that utilize only one area.

Us

Scott practiced in the Seattle, San Francisco and Singapore of Heller Ehrman, a leading law firm. Intially in Seattle, Scott focused on helping technology companies and entrepreneurs grow their businesses from start through IPO or sale and handled all organizational, corporate, distribution, M&A and certain technology matters. Later in Singapore and San Francisco, Scott concentrated on organizing venture capital funds, hedge funds, private real estate funds and other alternative investments or advising major institutional investors regarding their commitments to such funds. Scott has deep experience in LLCs and pass-through enterprises and investment pools. Together, these experiences provide a Scott a basis for integrating the financial, tax and business considerations that entrepreneurs face as they attempt to grow their businesses and understand the role such businesses play in their larger financial plans.

J.D.

B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Economics (Dept. Honors)

Education record