Description

  

Please join the GVCC on Tuesdays and Thursdays in September for our seven-session Business Law Workshop Series, presented by Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt Attorneys at Law. Doors will open for each workshop at 11:30 and lunch will be served by Simply Thyme Catering. Each workshop will begin promptly at noon. The workshop line up includes attorneys from Vancouver's top firms including: 

​Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
Landerholm
Miller, Nash, Graham, & Dunn
Horenstein Law Group

This event pass is for the purchase of the ALL ACCESS PASS for all seven sessions at $99. 
Each individual session will have seats available at $20/member or $35/non-member. 

The Fall Business Law Workshop Series course list: 

9/7 Matt Bisturis - Schwabe Law Offices
Title: The Legal Framework to Sell or Transfer Ownership of your Business
Description: Every business will experience a transition in ownership and management at some point.  For many business owners, a significant amount of their personal wealth is tied up in their business, but they struggle to implement a successful exit.  If you have asked yourself "when should I start planning for a business transition, and what are the first steps," plan to attend this seminar.   Learn about the key features of  and differences between various business transition options, ‎including internal transitions, third party sales, and transitions within the family.‎  We will cover factors that impact the value and transferability of your business, legal strategies that can help protect ‎and maximize business value, and strategies to help prepare you for a transition in the case of either a planned or unplanned exit event.     

Bio: Matt Bisturis, Shareholder at Schwabe, helps companies and their owners navigate the legal challenges that come with establishing, growing, operating and eventually transitioning their businesses. Matt's business background and his experience handling both business and real estate transactions allows him to provide valuable guidance to clients of all sizes and across various industries. Matt earned our community's prestigious George C. Marshall Public Leadership Award in 2014 and was one of the VBJ's Accomplished and Under 40 award recipients. 

---

9/12 Steve Horenstein -  Horenstein Law Group
Evaluate Your Legal Team - Expertise, Fee Structures, and Technology
Description: Significant changes in the practice  of law have provided businesses with opportunities  to engage lawyers in ways  that are more client focused    than has been possible until recently. Steve Horenstein will bring his decades of experience as a business and real estate lawyer to this workshop. He will  share with you insights on  how to  find a law firm with the right expertise for your business. You will also learn how to ask for and evaluate  fee structures other than hourly billing so that you can understand and  manage your costs for legal services before and as you incur them.  And, Steve will describe the kind of technology that you should expect your lawyer to utilize to  make your experience with you  law firm as efficient and cost effective for your business as possible. 

Bio: Steve has a passion for orchestrating; whether it's playing jazz saxophone, handling a transaction or obtaining a land use permit. Steve's practice focuses on business planning and transactions, real estate transactions, leasing and financials, land-use and growth management planning, and government strategies. As a founder of Horenstein Law Group, Steve brings clients a serious depth of professional experience after having represented hundreds of clients throughout the Pacific Northwest. Steve proudly takes on some of the toughest projects in the region. In the real estate area, Steve has represented numerous local and regional private businesses, real estate developers, and public-sector clients regarding sales and exchanges, acquisitions, condominiums, and financing. Steve offers expertise in land use planning and permitting, property development and financing matters, and Growth Management Act planning and compliance, as well as in development and environmental permitting.
 

---

9/14 Alicia Bell and Carla Quisenberry - Miller Nash Graham & Dunn
Title: Trademarks, Patents & Copyrights for Business
Description: This workshop will provide an overview of trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets, including how they differ in coverage, cost and acquisition.  We will provide examples of how proactively protecting the intellectual property in your business or brand now can reap benefits in the long run.

Bio(s): Alicia Bell helps develop and implement intellectual property strategies that are consistent with clients? business priorities and corporate culture. She assists clients with clearance, registration, licensing, and enforcement of their intellectual property assets, corporate transactions, and general business matters. Her practice focuses on software, Internet, and mobile industry matters, as well as general copyright and trademark issues.
Carla Todenhagen Quisenberry's practice focuses on intellectual property law, including preparing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications. She is experienced in patent, trademark, and copyright litigation and licensing, and in matters related to trade-secret misappropriation and unfair competition. Carla is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and Oregon Women Lawyers. She has also been recognized as an Oregon Rising Star℠ by Super Lawyers® from 2013-2016. 

---

9/19 Don Russo - Schwabe Law Offices
Title: Renewing Your Business Lease Agreement & Landlord/Tenant Disputes 
Description: A lease or rental agreement sets out the rules landlords and tenants agree to follow in their rental relationship - this is a crucial legal document that will impact your business for years to come. In this workshop you will gain valuable information and suggested ?next steps? when an issue occurs.

Bio: Don Russo works with private parties and public entities on the purchase and sale of both ‎commercial and industrial real estate property. He excels in resolving the complex ‎environmental and title issues surrounding projects such as office buildings, apartment ‎complexes, hotels, strip malls, mixed-use projects and industrial developments. Don also assists the firm's clients with commercial and industrial leases, financing ‎(multi-million dollar loans from insurance companies and national lenders to hard money ‎lenders), and all sorts of related real estate issues, including title, closing, boundary ‎adjustments and easement complications.‎

---

9/21 Jim Sikora - Landerholm
Title: Human Resources - Best Practices to Avoid an Employee Lawsuit
Description:  Of all the expenses a small business incurs, few are as significant, and perhaps avoidable, as employment litigation.  Business owners who take a consistent and thorough approach to employment policies, documentation, and training can be less likely to find themselves facing employment litigation or better positioned to defend claims that do arise. In this workshop, you will learn about best practices for employment practices and strategies for addressing common employment situations that arise in the course of the employment relationship.  

Bio: Jim Sikora's practice focuses on federal, Washington, and Oregon labor and employment law. Jim's goal is to serve clients by fostering open communication, offering practical business-minded solutions, and achieving efficient resolution of employment matters. He enjoys working with clients to proactively identify strategies to achieve the client?s objectives with the goal of avoiding litigation.

---

9/26 Erin Lambley - Landerholm
Title: Data Security - Protecting Company Data 
Description: In this workshop you will learn about data security and how to keep your customer?s personal information (and your employee?s data) safe to secure you are meeting your legal obligation to protect sensitive data. 

Bio: Erin Lambley's practice focuses on business and transactional law, including representing corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and non-profit organizations. Erin assists businesses in stages with such matters as entity formations and dissolutions, contract negotiations, purchases and sales, tax planning, reorganizations, and mergers. Erin also assists health care providers with statutory and regulatory compliance. Erin particularly enjoys developing practical solutions to complex issues. Erin's goals when serving clients are facilitating open communication, following through, and resolving matters in a timely fashion so that clients can focus on their businesses.
 

---

9/28 Matt Bisturis - Schwabe Law Offices
Title: Raising Money - Alternatives and Legal Pitfalls 
Description: This session will provide an overview of key legal issues that business owners and managers must be aware of before taking someone else?s money.   Whether you are considering an outside investment, a private loan, bringing in a new partner, or even crowdfunding, there are unique and critical steps that must be taken to comply with federal and state securities laws.   Come prepared to learn about the regulatory framework associated with raising money, and some new options in Washington such as equity crowdfunding.  ​

Bio: Matt Bisturis, Shareholder at Schwabe, helps companies and their owners navigate the legal challenges that come with establishing, growing, operating and eventually transitioning their businesses. Matt's business background and his experience handling both business and real estate transactions allows him to provide valuable guidance to clients of all sizes and across various industries. Matt earned our community's prestigious George C. Marshall Public Leadership Award in 2014 and was one of the VBJ's Accomplished and Under 40 award recipients.