Complex Business Litigation
Strategic representation in commercial disputes, founder disputes, intellectual property, trade secret, securities, employment, and regulatory matters throughout San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and California.
Startup, Technology, and Venture Law
Practical counsel for startups, technology companies, founders, and investors on formation, financing, contracts, intellectual property, and M&A.
Grellas Shah LLP is a boutique law firm representing startups, technology companies, founders, executives, and investors in complex business litigation, commercial disputes, venture financing, corporate matters, and related legal needs throughout San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
Practice areas
Commercial Litigation
Grellas Shah represents technology companies in the broad range of commercial disputes that can lead to litigation, including breaches of contract, unfair competition, and tortious interference…
Intellectual Property Litigation
Grellas Shah’s litigators have consistently achieved favorable outcomes for their clients in IP litigation, including claims brought for misappropriation…
Trade Secret and Employee Mobility Litigation
A tech-driven economy sets up a seeming conflict – businesses cannot survive without vigorously protecting their trade secrets.
Securities Litigation
Grellas Shah’s litigators have represented numerous companies and their officers and directors in shareholder class actions and derivative actions, as well as litigation arising out of mergers and acquisitions.
Founder Disputes
The co-founder relationship is one of excitement and promise, but also stress and high-emotion. It is not unusual for close co-founders to wind up in a dispute after months or years of working…
Commercial and International Arbitration
Grellas Shah has extensive experience representing clients in binding contractual arbitration, both with domestic arbitration before entities such as the American Arbitration Association (AAA)…
Cross-Border Disputes
Represented a Silicon Valley-based company offering a collaborative content creation and adaptive learning platform in an international arbitration against an Italian partner for breach…
Employment Litigation
Grellas Shah has experience representing employers in dispute with employees asserting claims for unpaid wages, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour disputes, and claims brought under the Private…
Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Actions
Grellas Shah regularly represents individuals and companies in inquiries, investigations and enforcement actions brought by state and federal agencies.
Internal Investigations and White Collar Defense
Grellas Shah has a robust white collar defense practice and has extensive experience addressing criminal investigations and prosecutions in the areas of securities and accounting fraud…
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Traditional court litigation is not the only, and often not the best, way to resolve a dispute. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedures, either in lieu of or in conjunction with traditional litigation…
Venture Financing
Our attorneys have a depth of experience in representing companies in venture, angel, and strategic investment rounds. We know that fundraising is one of the most important and consequential milestones in the lifecycle of a startup venture.
Mergers and Acquisitions
We regularly represent companies, on both buy-side and sell-side, in M&A and other change of control transactions. Our firm has the in-house corporate, tax, and intellectual property expertise to advise on both domestic and cross-border deals, from simple to the most complex.
General Corporate
We have a depth of knowledge and experience providing tailored corporate law and transactional advice at every stage of the lifecycle of a company, from initial structuring, to corporate governance, recapitalization, and restructuring. And we do so in a practical…
Commercial and Tech Transactions
Our team advises clients on and negotiates the range of commercial and technology transactions, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, and have negotiated agreements with the range of major players in the tech industry.
Patents And Trademarks
For technology-based startups, patents can be critical to maximizing the value of intellectual property and enhancing a business’s competitive position. We have the in-house expertise to help our clients achieve these goals by counseling startups on their patent strategy and filing…
Startup And Founder Disputes
The co-founder relationship is one of excitement and promise, but also stress and high-emotion. It is not unusual for close co-founders to wind up in a dispute after months or years of working closely together. Between our corporate & litigation…
Business Tax
We provide counseling on tax strategy and planning for emerging ventures of all sizes and can help you navigate the tension between your tax and business objectives.
Specific areas of tax assistance that we regularly provide include…
Business Immigration
We offer a full range of business immigration law services in conjunction with our corporate law practice.
Our lawyers provide immigration law counsel and assistance to startups wishing to hire non-U.S.
Resources
Startup 101
Latest News
Client Advisories
Blog
Meet Our Attorneys
George Grellas
Founding Counsel
Dhaivat Shah
Partner
David Siegel
Partner
Mital Makadia
Partner
Seth Kugler
Partner
Titus Lin
Associate Attorney
Erin Adrian
Associate Attorney
Katherine Hart
Associate Attorney
Katherine Hart is a transactional associate at Grellas Shah, where she advises tech startups at every stage of their journey — from early-stage bootstrapped ventures to venture-backed companies...
Paul Horstmann
Of Counsel
Mark Grayson
Associate Attorney
Mark Grayson is an associate attorney at Grellas Shah, where he focuses on commercial litigation and intellectual property. Mark handles a wide range of litigation matters, including disputes involving complex contract, employment…
Vivi Lee
Associate Attorney
Vivi Lee is an associate attorney at Grellas Shah, where she focuses on commercial litigation. Ms. Lee has handled a wide range of complex litigation matters, including complex contract, corporate governance…
Leon Liu
Associate Attorney
Joseph W. Guzzetta
Of Counsel
Joseph W. Guzzetta is an attorney with Grellas Shah, LLP. His practice is two-fold – he is a litigator and counselor in privacy law. Mr. Guzzetta has been successfully trying cases in California courts and non-judicial venues for almost 20 years…
Lillian Diallo
Of Counsel
Lillian Diallo is immigration counsel at Grellas Shah, specializing in business immigration law, offering strategic legal solutions for companies, executives, and entrepreneurs navigating U.S. immigration requirements. With extensive experience in securing work visas…
Jack Bussell
Associate Attorney
Jack Bussell is an associate at Grellas Shah, practicing with a focus on commercial litigation. Jack has litigated a wide range of matters, including co-founder disputes, complex contract, employment, intellectual property...
Omer Netzer
Associate Attorney
Omer is a seasoned attorney with a proven track record of providing practical, strategic advice and counsel to stakeholders on a variety of corporate law and transactional matters in the emerging companies and venture...
Jubilee Cheung
Associate Attorney
Jubilee Cheung is an Associate in Grellas Shah’s Litigation practice, where she focuses on commercial litigation. Jubilee has handled a wide range of complex matters, including contract and corporate governance disputes, fraud claims...
Spencer Rubin
Associate Attorney
Spencer Rubin is an Associate in Grellas Shah’s Corporate practice. He has a proven track record of providing practical, strategic advice and counsel to stakeholders on a variety of corporate and transactional matters in the emerging companies and...
Rebecca Harrington
Associate Attorney
Rebecca Harrington is an Associate in Grellas Shah’s Corporate practice, where she advises clients across the emerging companies and venture capital ecosystem. Rebecca provides practical and strategic counsel on a wide range of corporate and....
Robert O’Leary
Senior Associate Attorney
Robert is a Senior Associate in Grellas Shah’s Litigation practice, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation, including disputes related to corporate governance and breach of fiduciary duties, trade secret and IP misappropriation, breach...
Justin Sowa
Senior Associate Attorney
Justin is a Senior Associate in Grellas Shah’s Litigation practice, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation, including disputes involving corporate governance and breach of fiduciary duties, trade secret and IP misappropriation...
Marcus Risso
Of Counsel
Marcus Risso is a senior patent counsel with a wealth of experience. Marcus advises senior executives, investors, and entrepreneurs in both business transactions and intellectual property, including in the fields of software, mechanical...
Who We Are
Our startup, technology, and venture law practice provides wraparound services from structuring, to financings and M&A, and everything in between. But unlike our competitors, our boutique scale allows us to provide a level of client service and attention to early and mid-stage startups that cannot be found at larger firms. We pride ourselves on our founder-focus when representing startups and do not let conflicting loyalties guide our representation.
Our complex business litigation team brings together big-firm litigation experience and the agility of a boutique to provide high-quality representation at more reasonable cost. Grellas Shah’s litigation expertise spans the range of litigation issues impacting tech companies, their directors, officers, employees, and investors, including intellectual property, securities, employment, contracts, and regulatory and internal investigations.
Our Blog
Startup M&A Due Diligence for Founders
When a startup receives acquisition interest, momentum can build quickly. Buyers want access to corporate records,...
Startup Equity 101: Restricted Stock and Why It Matters for Founders in San Francisco
For startup founders in San Francisco and the surrounding area, understanding startup equity is not optional—it is...
How to Protect Your Startup and Close Bigger Deals With This One Legal Agreement
Key Takeaways Pilot contracts enable startups to demonstrate their platforms at a reduced cost and risk, proving...