Nelson D. Crandall

Nelson Crandall

Co-founder and Principal

Nelson D. Crandall, Esq.

Enterprise Law Group, Inc.
750 Menlo Ave., Suite 200
Menlo Park, CA  94025

Office: 1-650-462-4700
Mobile: 1-650-799-6477
Skype: nelson.crandall

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
These are rare lawyers who first ask, “What’s the business objective?” They then deliver strategic advice that all CEOs, and especially start up CEOs, so urgently need in order to manage their business and goals. Once the strategy is settled, Wayland, Nelson and their team make the legal part easy.
Dr. Larry Marshall, CEO, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia) Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur
Sydney, Australia
These are my go to attorneys on US legal matters. We have worked together on commercial matters, flip-ups, venture capital financings and acquisitions. They are a very talented group and know how to navigate Silicon Valley. Their guidance and judgment have been indispensable to me over the years. They are also a lot of fun to work with, which I put a premium on.
Matt Barrie, Chief Executive and Founder of Freelancer.com, Ernst & Young Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, News Limited Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, LinkedIn Influencer
Sydney, Australia
I was introduced to the law firm to advise us on the successful sale of our European business to an American buyer, and we have worked together ever since. They now assist us and our portfolio companies on their US activities. Their knowledge of the Silicon Valley, its players and business practices is extraordinary. In addition to their advice they have been very generous in providing introductions to their talented network, which has also been very valuable to us. It is such a pleasure to work with this group.
Markus Wagner, Founder and Chairman, i5invest capital and Managing Partner of i5growth; Investment Banker, Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur, Board Member
Austria, Europe and Silicon Valley
Focus. With a big firm you bounce from lawyer to lawyer to find the right expertise. With Wayland, Nelson and their team you are always in the right hands from the beginning, so that you can sit down, explain the problem and get on to solution immediately. It is night and day easier to complete a focused project like a flip up or an international M&A transaction with them. I love working with these seasoned professionals because they have the experience, expertise and motivation to get things done properly, efficiently and expeditiously.
Dr. Tom Rice, Executive in Residence at Plug and Play, Mentor at MIT Stanford, German American Accelerator, advisor to Thiel Fellowship, Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur, Board Member, Technical Advisor
Silicon Valley
We have worked with these attorneys for a long time. Not only are they superb lawyers, they understand the unique dynamics of early stage technology companies and the challenges they face breaking in to the US market place. They assisted us in connection with the sale of our technology business to a US buyer, which at the time was one of the largest M&A deals involving a privately held Austrian start-up. We hope that one of our portfolio companies will break that record and that Wayland, Nelson and their team will assist us again when that happens.
Oliver Holle, Founder and CEO, SpeedInvest; Investment Banker, Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur, Board Member
Austria, Europe and Silicon Valley
We are very grateful for the superb representation we received with the sale of the company, but most importantly, we appreciated the way in which it was delivered. Thorough, professional and with a great deal of humanity. That last aspect we have always treasured in our personal and professional relationships. That certainly explains why working together was such pleasure.
Fred Betke, President and Founder, Delta Pacific Products, Inc., Silicon Valley
I would not personally go through a transaction without Wayland’s oversight and expertise. I can give numerous examples of his prowess. In addition to a brilliant legal mind, he always makes it personal.
Kurt Klein, CEO, DataEndure, Silicon Valley