We help a diverse array of organizations with complex transactions, business advice, intellectual property, data privacy, and digital commerce concerns.
We are a boutique practice, serving as outside general counsel to many Bay Area and international companies. We have counseled clients from their earliest days across decades through to successful exits. We are passionate about helping founders achieve their goals, because seeing their ideas succeed is what motivates us.
An experienced technology attorney, strategy consultant, and former CEO and co-founder of fintech and ag tech startups, Chris Boas brings a pragmatic and efficient approach to advising emerging growth companies in the Bay Area and nationally. Chris’ boutique practice focusses on commercial transactions; technology licensing; corporate, LLC and partnership matters; and intellectual property concerns. He has worked with companies at all stages of the development cycle, from pre-seed companies to publicly traded ones.
Mr. Boas helped pioneer alternative financial services as the co-founder and CEO of the social impact, venture-backed fintech companies Airbanq and Zeptoo, both of which created innovative solutions (including some early explorations with cryptocurrency) for reaching the unbanked and underbanked in the US and emerging market countries. He also co-founded Sourcetrace, focused on tracing fair trade and sustainability practices in coffee and other agricultural supply chains. He is a member of the NFX Guild.
Mr. Boas began his career as a systems engineer, working in Motorola’s advanced semiconductor group and helping them win the coveted Malcolm Baldrige Award. He received his B.S.degree in Engineering from Stanford and his law degree from the University of San Francisco.
He serves as a director and provides pro bono legal advice to numerous nonprofit organizations both nationally and in the Bay Area including Planting Justice. He lives in the East Bay with his wife and three children.
John Lass works with East Bay General Counsel on strategic advisory projects. John is the founder and President of Lass Advisory Services LLC. Prior to founding LAS in October 2014, John served as SVP of Strategy and Business Development for CUNA Mutual Group for ten years. Previously he was a strategy consultant with Hagberg Consulting Group and Boston Consulting Group. John’s recent practice has focused on the retail financial services sector and technology start-ups in Silicon Valley. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School where he graduated as a Baker Scholar and his BA from the University of Washington. John loves biking, hiking and music (rock – from a certain era). John lives in Pacific Northwest with his wife Lynn.