Attorneys

Attorneys   |   Other Attorneys (co-operating with FeldbergPacific*)



Achim W. Hoelzle

Achim W. Hoelzle is an attorney admitted in California and Germany and has over 10 years of experience representing companies on general corporate and intellectual property matters.

Throughout his career Achim, has participated in venture capital investments and M&A transactions valued in excess of $4.3 billion. His clients benefit greatly from his vast network of contacts in the technology, venture capital, media, and life sciences industries in Europe and the U.S. In addition, he has handled numerous key transactions of open source software licensing and distribution agreements for SuSE Linux (a Novell business). Achim currently serves as the co-chair of the Media &Entertainment Industry Group of the German American Business Association (GABA) and is a frequent guest speaker on German-American business and legal topics.

Prior to FeldbergPacific, Achim was a senior attorney in the business and technology group of the law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP in Palo Alto. He was previously with the international business practice group at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (formerly Graham & James LLP) in San Francisco and Dusseldorf, where he represented leading European and US companies.

Achim received his law degree from the Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg (Germany). He served between 1994 and 1995 as a Visiting Scholar in Residence at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco.


Publications

- Neue Entscheidungen zur Patentierbarkeit von Software in den U.S.A., Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft, 1994, Seite/page 166
- Die “liquidation preference” in VC Verträgen nach US amerikanischem Recht, Der Finanz Betrieb, 2004, Seite/page 263


Speaking Engagements

- Venture Capital Investments in California - Top Five Trends in 2004, VC Stammtisch, Wirtschaftsclub Düsseldorf, October 26, 2004
http://www.vc-stammtisch.de

- Venture Capital Goes Global, Palo Alto Legal Secretaries Association, May 11, 2002
http://web.archive.org/web/20020601142801/http://www.palsa.net/

- Die Rolle des Rechtsanwaltes im Angel Investor Financing Process als Intermediärer in Silicon Valley”, Business Angels Rhein Ruhr e.V. (BAAR) event: “Angel Investor Financing – Ein Transatlantischer Workshop” in Bochum 1999

- “Gewerblicher Rechtschutz in den U.S.A.” Seminar “Markteintritt in die USA für German High-Tech Companies, Technology Center Duisburg; April 1997.


Other Attorneys (co-operating with FeldbergPacific*)


Ayako Onoda

Ayako Onoda is a seasoned corporate and commercial transactions attorney with more than 10 years of experience. She has represented public and private companies in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, technology joint ventures and equity investments. In addition, she has extensive experience counseling foreign clients regarding their U.S. based private equity investments and strategic partnerships, as well as general corporate and employment matters.

She was previously a senior attorney in the international business practice group at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (formerly Graham & James LLP) in San Francisco where she represented a variety of corporate clients including start-up companies as well as U.S. and Japanese multinational companies.

Ayako is a graduate of the University of San Francisco, School of Law and Barnard College at Columbia University, and is admitted to practice in California, New York and the District of Columbia. She is fluent in Japanese.


Mark Burton

Mark Burton is an experienced corporate and tax attorney who has been in practice more than 15 years. He has represented public and private companies in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and tax structuring of a variety of domestic and international transactions. In addition, he has extensive experience counseling foreign clients regarding their U.S. based private equity investments and strategic partnerships, as well as general corporate matters.

He was previously counsel for McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen in San Francisco and a senior attorney at Shearman & Sterling in New York City and Graham & James in San Francisco. He has represented a variety of corporate clients ranging from start-up companies to U.S., European, and Asian multinational corporations.

Mark earned an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law and also is a graduate of Pepperdine University (where he was valedictorian) and the Pepperdine University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in California, New York, Texas, and the District of Columbia and speaks conversational German.


* These attorneys are independent of FeldbergPacific and are not partners or employees.