Louis Lehot is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles offices, where he is a member of the private equity & venture capital, M&A, and transactions practices as well as the technology, health care, life sciences, and energy industry teams. Louis focuses his practice on advising entrepreneurs and their management teams, investors, and financial advisors at all stages of growth, from garage to global. He especially enjoys being able to help his clients achieve hyper growth, go public, and successfully obtain optimal liquidity events. To assist his clients in realizing their objectives, Louis brings to bear a broad array of legal and business instruments, processes, and strategies, from formation to liquidity. He guides emerging private companies as they secure venture capital financing, prepare for IPO or de-SPAC, and navigate the exit. His domain experience in public offerings and private placements of equity, equity-linked, and debt securities, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spinoffs, strategic investments, and joint ventures, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance matters, serves his clients well. Additionally, Louis regularly represents US and non-US registrants before the SEC, FINRA, NYSE, and NASDAQ. Prior to joining Foley, Louis was the founder of a Silicon Valley boutique law firm called L2 Counsel. He previously served as both the co-managing partner and co-chair of the emerging growth and venture capital practice of a global law firm in Silicon Valley. With a legal career in New York, London, Paris, and Silicon Valley spanning more than 20 years, Louis has worked in technology, health care, clean energy, and other innovative industries, leveraging the latest legal technology tools to drive strategies and solutions that make sense. On a very short list of Silicon Valley and San Francisco’s leading corporate lawyers, Louis has handled some of the highest profile matters in the tech, health care, and clean energy spaces. He has been recognized by peer-reviewed industry guides and leading practitioners as one of the most innovative, creative, and versatile corporate counsel. Chambers USA noted that Louis has considerable experience in representing both emerging companies and investors in venture financings, and is quoted as saying, “Louis Lehot is known for the high quality of his advice, his responsiveness, and passion for his clients.” The Legal 500 US noted that clients have commented on Louis’ abilities as a “master networker” in Silicon Valley. He was selected to the Super Lawyers (2021) and Rising Stars (2011 – 2012) list in the field of M&A. Louis has served as a two-time faculty member of Stanford Director’s College, an advisory board member of the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange, and a member of Boston College Law School’s Business Advisory Council. Louis practices giving back, supporting local and global initiatives to help our communities, including the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Home of Hope, Caring for Cambodia, Doctors without Borders, Equal Justice for America, Second Harvest, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Goodwill of Southern California, UAspire, Girl Power Talk, and Palo Alto Partners in Education.