About
Professional
My name is Christopher McDemus. I am a corporate transactional lawyer and I have been practicing for over 14 years in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The foundation of my start-up and emerging growth skill set was laid early on in two Philly firms – Morgan Lewis (globally ranked with over 1,500 lawyers) and Cozen O’Connor (nationally ranked with over 500 attorneys). After 9 years in private practice, the bug to work in the trenches with creative entrepreneurs was too great. I spent the next 5 years as a senior executive, corporate development officer and chief of all things legal in a consumer products company (which we sold to Conair Corporation) and a software-as-a-service technology company as well as a vice president and assistant general counsel for an international CRM outsourcer.
Having both global law firm as well as in-house experience is invaluable, both to me and a client. Working in-house is the only way a lawyer can truly learn to carefully balance good legal advice with a client’s business objectives (be they operational, financial, strategic, etc.). Lawyers that have worked in-house understand how to be pragmatic in their advice and understand that legal issues cannot be viewed/negotiated in a vacuum.
I have particularly extensive experience in counseling entrepreneurs and start-up and emerging growth companies in all aspects of corporate activity. I’ve advised start-up and emerging growth companies on day-to-day legal and business issues such as business plan development, entity formation, capital structure, financing, capital raising, exit strategies, employment matters, technology and software licensing, distribution agreements, commercialization and licensing of intellectual property, software development, commercial contracts, equity compensation, stockholder agreements, limited liability company agreements, partnership agreements and other general contractual matters.
I have also represented start-up and emerging growth companies, venture capital funds, corporate venture units and angel investors in venture capital transactions and private placements, including structuring and negotiating the purchase and sale of preferred stock, convertible debt and warrants or completing bridge loans or financing-related recapitalizations. I also make the necessary introductions to assist my clients in raising capital.
The balance of my practice runs the gamut of corporate work: mergers and acquisitions (including stock and assets deals); divestitures and spin-offs; private equity transactions; equity and debt financing transactions; joint ventures and strategic alliances; commercialization and licensing of technology; and general corporate counseling.
Personal
Outside of my professional career, I enjoy backpacking, climbing, hiking, skiing (downhill and backcountry), running (trail and road), cycling (trail and road), reading and spending time with my family. Some select favorite races that I’ve completed:
- Trail Running Races – Bald Eagle Mountain Megatransect and Wissahickon Trail Classic
- Road Running Races – Bucks 5k Series and Philly Distance Run
- Mountain Bike Race – 24 Hours of Canaan
