Michael Vargas
Partner
Michael Vargas is Counsel in Rimon’s Palo Alto office and a member of the firm’s Corporate practice group. As a member of the Corporate practice group, Michael represents clients in a range of corporate transactions including formation, convertible debt financing, angel financing, venture capital and private equity-backed expansion, state and federal securities, employment concerns, and mergers & acquisitions. In this capacity, Michael has represented clients in a variety of industries including robotics, software development, banking, social media, education, cannabis (medical & recreational), and other high technology industries.
Prior to joining Rimon, Michael served as an intern for Judge Susan Richard Nelson at the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, and then as a Law Clerk in the Minneapolis Area Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Represented an artificial intelligence company in a $320 million acquisition by a Fortune 500 company.
- Represented a cannabis cultivator in a $21 million equity investment
- Represented a successful e-sports team in a $12 million investment by a Chicago-based venture capital fund
- Represented hardware technology company in a $22 million Series C investment by a Dallas based investment fund
- Represented a software company in a $5 million end-of-life asset sale
- Represented an artificial intelligence company in a $30 million Series B Preferred Stock financing round.
- Represented the lead institutional investor in a $25 million Regulation A+ offering of an early “gig” economy company.
- Represented a national investment bank serving as lead underwriter for the initial public offering of a finance company.
- Represented an education startup in formation and early-stage finance, followed by a conversion to a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation.
- Represented a software company launching a revolutionary 3D imaging application in a $5 million dollar Series A round financing.
- Represented a socially responsible investment fund participating in a Series A-1 round investment in a green agriculture company.
PUBLICATIONS
- Dodge v. Ford at 100: The Enduring Legacy of Corporate Law’s Most Controversial Case, Business Lawyer (Volume 75, 2020)
- In Defense of E. Merrick Dodd: Corporate Social Responsibility in Modern Corporate Law and Investment Strategy, Business Lawyer (Volume 73, 2018)
- Practice Note: A Summary of Crowdfunding Under the JOBS Act of 2012, Lexis Practice Advisor (December 2016)
- The Benefit Corporation Movement: Building a More Inclusive Economy, One Company at a Time, American Constitution Society Blog (Aug 9, 2016)
- Understanding Crowdfunding: The SEC’s New Crowdfunding Rules and the Universe of Public Fundraising, Business Law Today (December 2016)
- Same-Sex Marriage and Title VII, Santa Clara Law Review (Volume 56, 2016)
- Why the EEOC’s Sexual Orientation Decision is a Game Changer, American Constitution Society Blog (Aug 20, 2015)
- Recognizing Social Entrepreneurship: Minnesota Embraces the Public Benefit Corporation, Minnesota Bench & Bar (September 2014)
- Title VII and the Trans-Inclusive Paradigm, Law & Inequality: A Journal of Law and Practice (Volume 32, 2013)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
San Jose Spotlight
- Columnist (LGBTQ+ and Legal Affairs) (2019 – Present)
American Bar Association – Business Law Section
- Ex Officio Member, Section Council (2018 – Present)
- Co-Chair, Business Law Education Committee (2018 – Present)
- Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Social Entrepreneurship and Social Benefit Entities (2015 – Present)
- Vice-Chair, Corporate Social Responsibility Committee (2019 – Present)
Rainbow Chamber of Commerce – Silicon Valley
- Policy Chair, Board of Directors (2017 – Present)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Moderator, Transformational Leadership – Making a Difference with Social Entrepreneurship (ABA Webinar Series, June 8, 2020)
- Panelist, Open for Business: Developing a Welcoming and Compliant Workplace for LGBTQ Employees (ABA Business Law Section Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, September 2019)
- Moderator, Cake, Faith, and Resistance: A Discussion of the Masterpiece Cakeshop Supreme Court Case (American Constitution Society, San Francisco, CA, July 2018)
- Moderator, Fundamentals of Crowdfunding: An Introduction for Non-Securities Lawyers (Lavender Law: LGBT Bar Association, San Francisco, CA August 2017)
- Chair, Venture Investing in Socially Responsible Companies: Corporate Structures and Practical Considerations (ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2017)
- Moderator, The Next LGBT Rights Battleground: Transgender Rights in Court and Public Policy (American Constitution Society, San Francisco, CA)
- Chair, Obergefell v. Hodges: Marriage Equality at the Supreme Court (July 7, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
AWARDS
- 40 Under 40, Silicon Valley Business Journal
- Best 40 LGBTQ+ Business Lawyers Under 40, LGBT Bar Association
- Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters Corporation), Securities & Corporate Finance, 2022
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters Corporation), 2019-2021
- LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Fellow
- Business Law Fellow
- Next Generation Leader, American Constitution Society
News, Events, & Insights
- The American Bar Association Appoints Partner Michael Vargas to the American Bar Association's Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)
News July 29, 2022
- 20 Rimon attorneys across 10 offices named Super Lawyers in 2022
Awards June 13, 2022
- The County of Santa Clara Appoints Rimon Associate Michael Vargas as Chair of the Santa Clara County Commission
News August 24, 2021
- Rimon Associate Michael Vargas honored in the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 under 40 awards
News August 11, 2020
- 12 Rimon attorneys across six offices named Super Lawyers, again
News April 8, 2020
- Software licensing
CLE March 25, 2020