April Events Recap ⌛️ 

• 🤖 LegalTech Demo: Gavel.io. Gavel showed up with their document automation platform. Recording available here.

• 💻️ LegalTech Demo: Pincites. Pincites came to present their AI enabled contract playbook Word plugin. Recording available here.

• 🤑 Our first Community Lunch Club kicked off. No recording, but 11 folks showed up, there was free(ish) lunch, and some really entertaining stories and banter. Don’t miss the next one!

Upcoming Events in May 📆

Check out these great upcoming events and workshops below, and RSVP if you’d like to join!

May 7, Tuesday, 1:00 PM
LegalTech’s New Frontier in AI: Imagining Future Realities. A chat with Alumni Ventures, Mike Ulin from Paxton.ai, and HeyCounsel’s own Cecilia Ziniti (getgc.ai) and Christian Brown (Code and Counsel, PLLC).

May 9, Thursday, 9:00 AM
HeyCounsel Community Demo: Robin AI.

May 14, Tuesday, 12 PM
Community Tech Talk: A casual conversation or show-and-tell of tech tools we’re all coming across in our legal lives.

May 21, Tuesday, 12:00 PM
HeyCounsel Book Club 📚️: Our first book club meeting. We will vote on the book and decide on format / cadence.

May 23, Thursday, 11:00 AM (date may change)
HeyCounsel Community Demo: GC.AI

Docs & Templates 📃 

We’ve been adding some new docs and templates to the HeyCounsel Template Database submitted by community members, including a DGCL 204 ratification and an Escheatment Policy 🙃 .

If you have templates to share, please reach out to Katy Barreto on Slack for help. As independents, solos and fractional counsel, we’re constantly fighting an uphill battle when it comes to shared resources. Help us fight better!

Conversations you missed 🗣️ 

Don’t miss out on all of the sage wisdom being served by your fellow community members. Check out the #4-ask-a-lawyer channel for the latest. Some recent conversations below:

• We talked about setting up IOLTA accounts here, and got some good law firm banking recommendations.

• One member asked about potential penalties for a founder purchasing stock below FMV during the early stages of a startup.

• Members warned against agreeing to flat fee structure for a commercial contract review when the client hadn’t provided the contract itself 😅 

• And we also got some practical advice around data retention policies for employee emails/email accounts post-termination.

New Member Introductions 👋 

In April, we welcomed a handful of new members! Check out their short bios below, and please feel free to reach out to introduce yourselves!

• Hillary Bunsow specializes in IP and commercial law. Licensed in California and a Duke Law alum, she works remotely in sunny Santa Monica for Bunsow De Mory LLP. Hillary represents leading entertainment companies and tech startups, and loves surfing 🏄‍♀️ , snowboarding, and exploring new places in her free time. LinkedIn.

• Obi Ikeme manages Ikeme Law LLC in Texas, focusing on Immigration and Trademark law and helping companies build and protect their brands. Outside work, she has 2 active girls who keep her and her husband on their toes! Obi loves music, podcasts, food, and travel 🌎️. LinkedIn.

• Wilson Stoker Based in Austin (licensed in NY, TX, and VA). Wilson specializes in employment law, offering both proactive and reactive workforce solutions for industries like tech and healthcare. Wilson enjoys family time, tennis 🎾 , and rooting for the Buffalo Bills. LinkedIn.

• Jeffrey Gordon after 25 years of commercial transactions work, decided he wanted to finally get licensed to be able to deliver his services directly to clients. He focuses on transactional business law services, including technology licensing and mergers and acquisitions. Jeff is also an '80s pop culture fan, and he enjoys skiing ⛷️ and reading. LinkedIn.

• Nikki Breeland she offers extensive expertise in commercial contracts, marketing and IP. Nikki is a proactive counsel known for streamlining operations and protecting intellectual property. She’s also Peloton cult member 😅 , avid reader, loves dancing sewing, knitting, and “couch rotting” with Netflix. LinkedIn.

• Fernanda Hinojosa is dual-licensed in Mexico and the U.S. (CA). A Loyola Law School and Universidad Iberoamericana graduate, she specializes in IP and many things Web3, while also working with traditional companies in hospitality and health sectors. She also loves singing, dancing, and Krav Maga 🤛 , and dedicates time to pro bono work with the animal legal fund. LinkedIn.

• Austin Humble specializes in corporate law, M&A, and data privacy. He began his career at Gunderson Dettmer and brings BigLaw experience to a boutique setting, focusing on helping startups in SaaS and EdTech, among others. Austin is an avid pickleball and soccer fan, and enjoys time with his Portuguese water dog, Ocha 🐶. LinkedIn.

• Teddy Ellison has over five years of experience at Latham & Watkins LLP and more than two years as in-house counsel in the Web3 industry. He now provides advisory services for startups and investors in the venture capital and emerging companies space. LinkedIn.

• Alex Elenowitz-Hess specializes in employment law and litigation. Alex provides legal services at both trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts, including fractional general counsel services and commercial litigation. Clientele spans businesses, non-profits, and individuals. Alex is based in NYC with her wife and two cats 🐈‍⬛ . LinkedIn.

• John Yow John supports companies across tech, education, financial, HR, and entertainment sectors with general corporate law, venture financing, and employment expertise. A former Naval Officer, he’s been both NFL team counsel and a startup General Counsel. John is based in California and reconnecting with his rowing passion 🚣‍♂️. LinkedIn.

  Sanny Kataoka transitioned from civil litigation to an in-house role, specializing in employment, commercial contracts, and privacy law. Sanny supports the healthcare and technology industries, offering practical solutions to further business goals. Living in Bend, OR (licensed both in OR and CA), she enjoys diverse outdoor activities ⛰️ from skiing to paddle boarding. LinkedIn.

New Deals & Discounts 🤑

Other New Stuff 🚀 

GenAI Fundamentals for Lawyers (with CLE credit) is now available for free from our partners at HotShot legal. This topic is included in your our subscription and everyone can now access this content. If you want to sign up, email me at [email protected].