Robert Saman
Outside General Counsel | Corporate | Compliance | Human Resources
California
CA
"Very good and pro active"
About
• Outside General Counsel -- Corporate Matters; Board Governance; Compliance; Contracts, Employment & HR; Securities, Equity and Debt Financings; M&A; intellectual property
• Strong global background – grew up in Hong Kong and Japan
• Silicon Valley law firm trained (Cooley); Stanford Law School JD (with Distinction)
• Complementary 7-year business career prior to law school that included consultancy/auditing at Ernst & Young
• Certified Public Accountant (inactive); UC Berkeley… read more BS Degree in Finance & Accounting (with Highest Honors)
upcounsel
experience
Representative Clients
Practice Areas
Client Reviews
"Very good and pro active"
"Robert is a highly-seasoned Corporate Attorney. I worked with Robert during our common tenure at sTec and then subsequently at a start-up called Levyx. What sets Robert apart is his ability to effectively provide top-rate and well-informed counsel in many different areas of the law. With excellent communication skills, Robert is able to distill the details of very complicated legal situations, documents and contracts, down to their core essentials and engage other corporate executives to allow for strategic decision making. Our shared experience spanned many company altering transactions and I got to witness Robert's skills as a strong negotiator and he demonstrated a keen commercial awareness, often playing a critical role in guiding management to successful business solutions. In fact, Robert's creativity is one of his undersold merits; he is often able to invoke unique ideas to solve challenging corporate legal issues. Finally, Robert sets the highest standard for himself and others around him when it comes to personal and professional integrity."
"Simply put, Robert is an exceptional individual and lawyer, and a pleasure to work with. He is the most business savvy attorney I know. The following is a list of Robert’s key outstanding capabilities and advantages: • Superior and seasoned corporate attorney with a broad background and significant wealth and depth of experience • Works super-well with the CFO/COO/CEO types and Board members • Brings a strong finance and accounting perspective to any legal/business discussion (Robert is an in-active CPA) • Professionalism, and attention to details are truly exceptional • Committed, responsible and a highly reliable individual – Robert is a master of working with several clients, while making everyone feel like they are the only one he is working with"
Work History
RS Legal & Business Consulting
Attorney/Principal
Dec 2015 - Present
Consulting practice dedicated to providing affordable and trusted “Big Firm” legal & business services to entrepreneurs, startups, emerging growth, and middle market companies. Practical, efficient, no-nonsense legal counsel and strategic advice based on decades of experience. Includes Interim General Counsel and HR coverage by the day/week tailored to the needs of our clients.
Levyx, Inc.
Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel (including Human Resources)
Dec 2015 - Present
• First in-house lawyer, responsible for all commercial contracts and licensing agreements
• Established human resources, corporate governance, company policies, and compliance infrastructure
• Led the Board and management team through its first venture-backed Series A financing
• Led banking relationships, company valuations, and conversion to GAAP financials
Corent Technology, Inc.
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Sep 2013 - Dec 2015
• Managed global legal affairs
• Legal, business and strategic advisor to CEO and 5-person Board
• Led the Board and management team through multiple equity and debt financings
• Implemented an equity incentive program utilizing restricted stock and performance-based stock options
• Established corporate governance, company policies, standardized contract templates, corporate records, & compliance
sTec, Inc.
Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Jul 2010 - Sep 2013
• Managed global legal affairs
• Indirect oversight of HR and Corporate Development Departments
• Legal, business and strategic advisor to CEO and 7-person Board
• Responsible for all SEC filings, mergers & acquisitions, regulatory compliance, and risk management
• Advised spin-out venture on IPO-readiness, corporate governance, and compliance matters
• Advised spin-out venture on IPO-readiness
Eclipsys Corporation [formerly NASDAQ: ECLP]
Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Aug 2006 - Jul 2010
• Securities filings, mergers & acquisitions, financings, subsidiary management, corporate secretarial and governance matters, and the legal review of marketing materials and press releases
• Lead attorney establishing two credit facilities ($175 million); facilitated ongoing compliance
• Customized global anti-corruption (US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act) compliance program
Gateway, Inc. [formerly NYSE: GTW]
Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Jan 2003 - Jul 2006
• Securities filings, mergers & acquisitions, financings, subsidiary management, corporate secretarial and governance matters, and equity award plan administration
• Designed and implemented governance and compliance programs to conform with new SOX, SEC and NYSE rules and regulations
• Lead attorney for Gateway investments in technology start-ups in partnership with venture capital firms
Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L)
Corporate Associate
Jan 2002 - Dec 2002
Business and securities law practice focused on representing technology and emerging growth companies
Cooley Godward (now Cooley)
Corporate Associate
Jun 1997 - Dec 2001
Business and securities law practice focused on representing technology and emerging growth companies