Corporate
Robert Nichols
Bob Nichols is a business attorney and a partner at a boutique law firm based in northern California. He regularly counsels early-stage companies and founders on a range of issues, including business formation, governance, fundraising, M&A, commercial contracts, and other issues. Bob keenly understands the challenges facing growing companies and offers practical, actionable advice to help his clients navigate legal matters large and small.
After graduating Georgetown Law, Bob worked on a range of transactional and litigation matters for Fortune 500 clients as an associate at Morrison & Foerster and Gibson Dunn in Washington, DC. After nearly six years working on legal matters for big business, Bob moved to California in 2018, where he has enjoyed the dynamic, entrepreneurial work of helping startups and emerging companies achieve their goals.
Bob is licensed to practice in California and Washington, DC.
Education
A.B., Princeton University
J.D., Georgetown Law School
Bar Admissions:
California, District of Columbia
Practice Areas
business law, contracts, litigation, corporate
IP / Patent
Edward Ergenzinger
Ed is a seasoned patent attorney with more than 20 years of in-house and private practice experience. Ed has worked at AmLaw 50, AmLaw 100, and AmLaw 200 law firms as well as in-house as Director of IP & Legal Affairs for the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) and as Chief Legal Officer and Senior VP of Innovation for a startup focused on enhanced delivery of cannabinoids and other lipophilic active agents.
Ed’s experience includes serving as virtual in-house counsel for Wyeth Vaccines, where he managed the worldwide patent portfolio for Prevnar 13® (the world’s best-selling vaccine before COVID-19). He also served as outside counsel for a Duke spin-out prior to and following its acquisition for $96 Million by Illumina (the world’s leading DNA sequencing company). And while at DHVI, Ed managed intellectual property assets arising from over $50 Million per year of extramural funding that involved collaborations with GSK, Novartis, Oxford, Stanford, and others.
Ed has authored over 100 scientific and legal publications, including articles that have appeared in Nature Neuroscience, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, The Scientist, Business Insider, The National Law Journal, and Stanford Technology Law Review. He has also served as an adjunct professor, teaching patent law and practice at Wake Forest, UNC, and Campbell law schools.
Prior to law school, Ed earned a doctorate in neuroscience as a National Institute of Mental Health Predoctoral Fellow studying plasticity in the adult brain through the Department of Neurosurgery at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Education
B.A., Wake Forest University
Ph.D., Wake Forest University
J.D., Wake Forest University
Bar Admissions:
North Carolina
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
U.S. Supreme Court
Practice Areas
business law, contracts, intellectual
Julie Shields
Julie Shields has been working in the intellectual property field for over thirty years. She majored in English Literature at the Johns Hopkins University, where she also played on the Women’s Varsity Basketball team. After graduating from Duke Law School, Julie litigated for Sheppard, Mullin in Los Angeles, CA. She has also worked for the US Patent & Trademark Office in Virginia for many years as a Trademark Examiner. Julie Shields worked in-house for over a decade for a specialty finance consortium, most recently as Intellectual Property Director for YieldStreet. She has written a number of Intellectual Property textbooks for Matthew Bender and LEXIS/NEXIS about trademark law, copyright law, trade secret law, and patent law, and designed an on-line course for Lionbridge Media in intellectual property.
Ms. Shields also wrote the groundbreaking “How to Avoid The Mommy Trap: A Roadmap For Sharing Parenting and Making It Work.” She has given talks around the country, and appeared on MSNBC, NPR, USA Today Radio, the Voice of America, and in many other media outlets. Her articles and essays have been published in many places, including the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun.
Julie Shields is practicing in Washington D.C. and is currently inactive in California.
Education
B.A., John Hopkins University
J.D., Duke University School of Law
Bar Admissions:
Washington D.C.
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Practice Areas
intellectual property
Timothy Nitsch
Tim Nitsch represents individual inventors and small, mid-sized, and large corporations. He has experience in technology-related industries such as computer software, computer networking, automation systems, electrical circuits, mechanical systems, and business methods.
Tim is a registered patent attorney with extensive experience prosecuting patent applications related to liquid crystal displays including applications relating to device and manufacturing methods for organic LED and LCD displays such as the formation of the layers of oLED pixels, backlighting devices for displays, signal processors for LCD displays, driving devices and methods for oLED and LCD displays, sampling circuits for LCD and oLED displays, touch sensitive LCD and oLED displays, devices and methods of providing different optical layers on displays, devices and methods of providing optical layers for three dimensional viewing of images on oLED and LCD displays, and LCD displays on camera and cellular phones (flip chip technology).
Tim also has extensive experience drafting and negotiating license agreements for technology, drafting and negotiating software development agreements, master service agreements, manufacturing agreements and distribution agreements. Tim also manages and files trademarks and copyrights.
Prior to practicing law, Tim was a building automation engineer. He also has experience as a senior research engineer at a large network infrastructure manufacturer and is a named inventor on six patents for electrical devices and software.
In his off time, Tim enjoys traveling, watching baseball and football, as well as spending time with his wife and kids.
Education
B.A., Southern Illinois University
J.D., Loyola University
Bar Admissions:
Illinois
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Practice Areas
patent, patent litigation, contracts
Litigation
Jesse Strauss
Jesse’s 20-year legal career, marked by variety and achievement, has
equipped him to counsel clients through complex transactions and
disputes with a keen focus on their business goals, and to develop and
implement innovative legal products and services.
Jesse’s legal journey began with a focus on litigation. After
graduating in the top 10% of his law school class, he clerked for a
United States Federal Court District Judge in the Eastern District of
New York and then joined an AmLaw 100 firm, specializing in commercial
and corporate litigation with an emphasis on complex real estate. He
played pivotal roles in major cases, including securing a $2.1M jury
verdict. He later moved to a respected securities litigation boutique,
contributing to high-profile cases, including a significant
plaintiffs’ verdict.
Jesse’s expertise in compliance and real estate leasing contributed to
one client, an innovative prop-tech, being able to raise a significant
funding round. He joined this company as the first in-house lawyer
(employee 25), eventually becoming Vice President and General Counsel.
During his tenure, the company achieved substantial growth, underwent
complex asset acquisitions and expanded internationally. Jesse was
instrumental in developing the company’s legal processes and managing
a diverse team, overseeing various legal matters and managing outside
counsel. The company was acquired in early 2023.
Post his tenure at the prop-tech company, Jesse joined a dynamic
crypto project as General Counsel. There, he resolved challenging
litigation, set up key legal processes, and worked on pioneering
blockchain security token regulations.
Education
A.B., The George Washington University
J.D., Brooklyn Law School
Bar Admissions:
New York
Practice Areas
business law, corporate, web3, litigation
Melissa Gelbart
Melissa Gelbart is a dual-licensed (NY & CA) attorney who gives e-commerce, franchise, and consumer-product brands a decisive legal edge. Drawing on more than a decade of practice, she handles the entire dispute cycle—crafting demand letters, directing discovery, guiding mediations and arbitrations, and trying cases—across contract, real estate, employment, and wage-and-hour (including PAGA) matters.
As former General Counsel to high-growth DTC companies, she also leads internal investigations and designs pragmatic compliance programs that satisfy FTC advertising rules, Prop 65, CPSC recall mandates, and data-privacy requirements. Melissa holds dual privacy credentials (CIPP/US and CIPM) and has earned a reputation for translating complex regulations into business-savvy guidance.
She received her J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law and graduated magna cum laude from Bucknell University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies.
When she’s not working, Melissa is usually in the garden, making art, or reading fiction. She lives in Westchester with her husband, two children, and a dog named Clementine.
Education
B.A., Bucknell University
J.D., American University’s Washington College of Law
Bar Admissions:
New York
Practice Areas
litigation, corporate, business, data privacy, employment, real-estate
+ 1 212 920 7610
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