Steve James Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, California, Us

I work as an associate at the leading startup and venture capital boutique law firm, Silicon Legal Strategy (SLS) (https://www.siliconlegal.com/). SLS is the only non "Big Law" firm ranked in Pitchbook's top 10 for venture capital for the 5th straight year. SLS combines "Big Law" experience with a modern, entrepreneurial approach to best serve our clients. I am remotely based in Minneapolis but frequently travel to our main office in San Francisco. I work as "outside general counsel” for venture backed startups and investors, including equity, employment, commercial, licensing, intellectual property, and governance mattersI negotiate venture capital financings for startups, entrepreneurs, and venture capital investors, including NVCA financings, SAFEs, convertible notes, secondaries, warrants, side letters, and related documentation. I also negotiate exit events, including mergers and acquisitions.

Minneapolis, Mn, Us

I worked in-house in private investments for a Fortune 500 insurance company (https://www.thrivent.com/), where I coordinated across various investment, corporate, and legal teams and stakeholders. I advised a team of private equity investors investing more than $1 billion each year in a $7.1 billion private equity portfolio for a Fortune 500 insurance company (https://thriventprivateinvestments.com/). I negotiated limited partnership agreements, side letters, note purchase agreements, consents, subscription agreements, and NDAs for portfolio company co-investments, fund to fund investments, private placement bonds, and securitized fund obligations.

Palo Alto, Ca, Us

I worked as a Startups and M&A associate in the New York City office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (https://www.wsgr.com/en/), consistently ranked as one of the top law firms for startups and technology companies. I negotiated venture capital financings for startups, entrepreneurs, and venture capital investors, including NVCA financings, SAFEs, convertible notes, secondaries, warrants, side letters, and related items. These startups included multiple unicorns valued at over $1 billion, and these financings included multipleindustry leading investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Index, Sequoia, Softbank, and Tiger Global.I also served as "outside general counsel" and advised founders and over 20 venture backed companies as they solved problems particular to early-stage companies and scaled, including equity, employment, and day to day corporate items. I also helped companies with mergers and acquisitions, having been involved in transactions ranging from private sales to LBO transactions.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Us

Summer associate in law school at a large law firm in Iowa, where I received experience working with startups and in mergers and acquisitions.

Remote, Us

In-house intern in law school at the ACT testing company where I received experience on mergers and acquisitions, compliance, and litigation management.

Washington, Dc, Us

Summer intern in law school at the United States Attorneys' office where I received experience in brief and memo writing and investigations.

Nevada, Iowa, Us

Part-time job in college at the county district attorney's office where I assisted with case management, communications, restitution, document drafting, and evidence and investigations.

Ames, Iowa, Us

Studied Middle Eastern banking practices in college abroad in the United Arab Emirates, including multiple on-site tours and interviews.

Saint Paul, Mn, Us

Interned in college on-site for an NGO (previously EOS which has been renamed to Cova) in Nicaragua. Researched and created a pilot machine to produce concrete bricks as a sustainable market substitute for clay bricks due to increased lumbar costs. Evaluated and interviewed customer needs, value-drivers, financial considerations, integration problems, and market pressures.

Des Moines, Iowa, Us

Interned in college at the Iowa Attorney General's Office, assisting with consumer protection actions, including victim communication and evidence review in active investigations.

Ames, Iowa, Us

Worked in college part-time on a graduate student's thesis project funded by Phillips 66, studying biofuel production.

Juris Doctor, Law

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Economics