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Eric Leander
Corporate & Securities Attorney
New York
NY
"Reliable! He steered me through a complex transaction to attain the best outcome."
About
I hold an LL.M. from Georgetown Law in Securities and Financial Regulation and a J.D. from Albany Law School with honors in Business Law.
My experience includes private corporate law practice and government service with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of… read more Corporation Finance, Office of Small Business Policy.
upcounsel
experience
Practice Areas
Client Reviews
"Eric is an excellent attorney and a real business advisor. I highly recommend partnering with Eric on any legal matter pertaining to starting up a new business, like entity formation, getting a terms of service/privacy policy written, etc."
"We interviewed over 10 attorneys before choosing to go with Eric. He is incredibly knowledgable and has great people skills. He is equally friendly and professional, and has diverse legal experience that has proven to be extremely helpful when counseling start ups. We would highly recommend him as an attorney for any start up business and beyond."
"Starting your own company can be daunting, and having to wade through the legal waters on my own was just too complicated and time consuming. I discovered UpCounsel, and was very impressed by Eric's proposal and reviews. Eric is an entrepreneur himself and it was immediately evident that he loves helping entrepreneurs succeed. His philosophy of providing the best legal service at the best value – while always representing the interests of his clients first, not his checkbook – really resonated with me. Eric patiently answered all my questions. He had my company formed in days, and all the various forms and agreements were drafted and signed in less than two weeks. I will be using Eric's services in the future, and I highly recommend that you work with Eric – especially if you are a fellow entrepreneur!"
"Eric was extremely professional and knowledgeable. It was truly a pleasure dealing with him."
"Eric was absolutely great to work with. He went above and beyond what we asked for. I will definitely be working with him in the future."
"Eric is really great to work with. He really understands entrepreneurs and startups. Not only did Eric do a great job for the project he was working for me, he also offered many advices that are greatly helpful and prevent me from making costly mistakes. I highly recommend Eric."
Work History
WaiveCar
General Counsel
Aug 2018 - Present
In-House General Counsel to Silicon Valley / NYC based rideshare and telemetrics company.
Advise, counsel, and furnish documentation for corporate governance matters.
Negotiate, draft, and coordinate commercial contracts and investment transactions.
The Wagoner Firm PLLC
Partner - Corporate & Securities, Emerging Ventures, Venture Capital
Sep 2014 - Present
- Founding Partner and entrepreneurial attorney working with business clients of all kinds.
- Manager of Corporate & Securities / Emerging Ventures practice groups working with entrepreneurs, startup companies, emerging growth companies, early stage investors, angel / venture capital firms and economic development groups.
M&T Bank
Corporate Compliance Officer - Core Banking Group
Jun 2014 - Sep 2014
- Research, analyze and evaluate state and federal statutes and regulations applicable to Business Banking and Commercial Lending business units.
- Collaborate with business units to establish, implement and/or ensure compliance with policies, procedures and controls.
Couch White, LLP
Attorney
Jun 2012 - May 2014
- Directly advise and counsel clients on corporate and transactional matters from both business and legal perspectives, review and draft governance documents contracts and other items.
- Review, analyze and draft transaction documents for asset sales, equity buy-outs / buy-ins and facilitate, coordinate and close transactions.
- New York and Delaware entity formation / early stage investment.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Attorney Law Extern (LSOP)
Aug 2011 - May 2012
Division of Corporation Finance - Office of Small Business Policy
- Draft Small Business Compliance Guide for revised Accredited Investor net-worth standard.
- Revise Small Business Compliance Guide for "Smaller Reporting Companies."
- Assist in revision of "Q&A: Small Business and the SEC."
- Draft action memo for Dodd-Frank "Bad Actors" disqualification under Rule 506 of Reg D.
Albany Law School Clinic & Justice Center - Securities Arbitration Clinic
Law Intern
Aug 2010 - Dec 2010
- Represented clients in FINRA arbitration proceedings, and other civil proceedings under student practice order.
- Trained in fact investigation, witness interviewing, case assessment, preparing pleadings, discovery and advocacy.
- Drafted and filed documents for judgment by confession.
- Studied statutes, rules and regulations, governing broker-dealers and registered representatives.
The Affinity Group, LLC
Financial Planning Intern
Mar 2010 - Sep 2010
- Evaluated complex financial positions to identify inefficiencies, improvements, and actionable opportunities to strengthen client financial health.
- Crafted analytical illustrations and presentations; substantially participated in client presentations.
- Assisted in crafting comprehensive strategies regarding investments, taxes, and succession and business planning.
New York State Department of Law, Office of the Attorney General
Law Intern - Real Property Bureau, Litigation Department
Jun 2009 - Sep 2009
- Conducted legal research and drafted documents including affidavits, motions, and orders.
- Drafted memorandum of law for summary judgment motion regarding deed construction in an appropriation case.
- Facilitated collection of surplus funds from foreclosure sales pursuant to State liens on real property.
Wilber National Bank
BSA / AML Clerk
May 2006 - Jun 2008
Monitored and analyzed high-risk customer accounts for unusual/suspicious activity pursuant to USA PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and internal Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program.
- Transitioned BSA compliance program from paper-based to digital by developing a MS Excel-based process.
- Provided support to audit department regarding BSA/AML related issues during in-house and OCC audits.