Day 1 – Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Life Cycle of a Startup—Founding to Financing to Exit (12:00 – 1:00)
Most of us didn't turn our passionate sourdough starter endeavours into a fledging business over the pandemic, but the "new normal" has presented entrepreneurs with an even clearer path to pursuing their startups. Lawyering for these clients means knowing where they're at in their business and where they are trying to go. In this session, we will discuss:
- distinguishing between a "startup" and a "small business"
- desirable share structure for startups on the venture growth path
- a high-level overview of the lifecycle of financings (Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series)
- juggling shares, options, SAFEs, and convertible notes
- how dilution works from a Venture Capital viewpoint (and why it may not always be bad)
Morgan McDonald — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Michael E. Reid — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Day 2 – Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Privacy and Cybersecurity—What Every Lawyer Needs to Know (12:00 – 1:00)
Join us to learn what every lawyer needs to know about privacy and cybersecurity. At this course, you will learn:
- who should care about privacy and cybersecurity?
- what is the current (and near-future) domestic and international privacy landscape?
- what are standard privacy and cybersecurity compliance concerns?
- what are the key privacy and cybersecurity concerns in the consumer context?
- what privacy and cybersecurity considerations are there in commercial agreements?
Tyson Gratton — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
David Spratley — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Day 3 – Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Top 10 Emerging Tech Issues for Today's Business Lawyers (12:00 – 1:00)
As general commercial lawyers conversant in the tech space, Ryan and Morgan see a lot of common matters cross their desks. This "Top 10" list will run through the most frequent issues and some practical solutions for dealing with them, including:
- handling secret information
- navigating and negotiating indemnities, liabilities, and remedies
- dealing with licensing and permissions to use
- hiring and managing high-tech workforces
Ryan J. Black — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Morgan McDonald — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Day 4 – Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Influencers, Marketing, and Regulated Advertising (12:00 – 1:00)
It's never been easier for businesses to communicate with existing and potential customers worldwide, which is both an opportunity and a risk. Whether it's basic marketing, using influencers to gain credibility, or entering new (and sometimes highly regulated) markets, this worldwide reach can bring with it some fairly novel regulatory concerns. Topics to be covered will include:
- avoiding misleading advertising
- compliance programs regarding advertisements and promotions
- social media marketing
- working with influencers
- contests and promotions
- regulatory frameworks
Maneesha Dakha — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Sangeetha Punniyamoorthy — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Toronto
David Spratley — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver