Think attorneys are just the Harvey Spector's of the world who say things like, "Objection your honor"? Well think again! In this episode, Albert Tawil explains to us what a transaction lawyer does, and how dealing with intellectual property laws can be just as exciting as battling it out in the courtroom.
Albert is an attorney specializing in intellectual property and commercial agreements at a Silicon Valley firm called Fenwick & West. Fenwick's clients include tons of startups and other tech companies, as well as larger Fortune 500 tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, and Peloton. As a transaction lawyer, Albert works on transactions (think contracts and related advice, NOT litigation/lawsuits or courts), helping clients by drafting and negotiating agreements, and providing other advice. These transactions/contracts focus on:
- Licenses for intellectual property (such as software/technology licenses, trademark/branding licenses, content/copyright licenses)
- General commercial agreements (such as agreements for services, partnerships, physical goods, etc)
- Mergers and acquisitions (by negotiating certain pieces of the purchase agreement and doing legal due diligence into the company our clients are looking to acquire or sell)
- App/website terms of service and other online policies
-Other related issues outside of the contract, such as branding issues, copyright/content, digital media/advertising, and many others.
Special thanks to Frieda Sutton and Rachel Zalta for editing this episode 💗