Nelson D. Crandall, Esq.

Nelson Crandall is a native Californian who has practiced law in the Silicon Valley for his entire career. His practice focuses on buying and selling businesses, software licensing, venture finance, assisting foreign companies with their US legal matters, international transactions, and acting as general counsel for start-up and early stage companies. He has substantial experience with California and Delaware corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships.

Nelson is co-founder with Wayland Brill of Enterprise Law Group, Inc., based in Silicon Valley. The firm serves domestic and foreign clients, startups, public and privately held technology and non-technology companies, founders, and investors.

Nelson was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and the University of California, Davis School of Law, where he graduated in the top 15% of his class, was Articles Editor on the Law Review, and also served as co-Chair of the Moot Court Board. He has published extensively on business law topics through his career.

Nelson served on the Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies Committee of the State Bar’s Business Law Section. He was the reporter for the Committee’s Report On Legal Opinions Concerning California Partnerships, the first such report in the nation. During Nelson’s term, that committee sponsored California’s first limited liability company law, giving Nelson a ring-side seat on the resolution of policy issues that led to its eventual passage.

Nelson then served two terms on the Corporations Committee of the State Bar’s Business Law Section. During his second term, Nelson was appointed to the Business Law Section’s newly-formed Opinions Committee, on which he still serves.

Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Preeminent™* Peer Review Rated

University of California, Berkeley
BA with High Honors, Political Science
Phi Beta Kappa

University of California, Davis School of Law
JD, Law
Law Review Articles Editor, 1978-79
Co-Chair of the Moot Court Board, 1978-79

Publications (partial list)

• “Selected 2008 Developments In Corporate Law,” Business Law News (Business Law Section of the State Bar of California, Issue No. 2, 2009) Co-author.
• “Handling a Shareholder Buy-Out Involving a Closely-Held California Corporation,” 22 California Business Law Practitioner 61 (CEB 2007) and 22 California Business Law Practitioner 69 (CEB 2007)
• Reporter for Report On Legal Opinions Concerning California Partnerships by the Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California (February 1998)
• “Corporate Share Repurchases: Dealing With the Corporations Code Solvency Tests,” 6 California Business Law Practitioner 220 (CEB 1991)
• “Equity Incentives for Startup Companies” (CEB 1985)
• “How to Structure the Classic Venture Capital Deal” (PrenticeHall Corp. Service 1983)

Organizations (partial list)

• American Bar Association, Business Law Section, 1979-present
• State Bar of California, Business Law Section, 1979-present
• Santa Clara County Bar Association, 1979-present
• Junior Statesmen Foundation (www.jsa.org)
  Board of Trustees, 1986-2010
• Christ Episcopal Church, Los Altos, California  (www.ccla.us)
  Vestry, 2002-2004
  Clerk of the Vestry, 2009-present
• Ventana School Board of Trustees, 2012 (inception)-2014
• American Red Cross, Santa Clara Valley Chapter (www.scv-redcross.org)
  Blood Services Region Board of Directors, Secretary
  Chapter Board of Directors, 1986-1992; Secretary 1987-1990