Helping businesses and ventures with compelling technologies reach their growth objectives with sound legal strategies and solutions.
On a very short list of leading corporate lawyers in California, Louis Lehot has handled some of the highest profile matters in recent years in the tech, health care, and clean energy spaces. A partner in the firm’s Private Equity & Venture Capital, M&A, and Transactions Practices, as well as the Technology, Health Care, Life Sciences, and Energy Industry Teams, he advises entrepreneurs and their management teams, investors, and financial advisors at all stages of growth.
From seed-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies, Louis provides sophisticated legal counsel that balances regulatory compliance with business objectives. His experience encompasses venture financings, IPOs, de-SPAC transactions, M&A advisory, and corporate governance across diverse industries and international markets.
Corporate & securities law experience
Advised on financings across all stages
Trusted advisor to boards & executives worldwide
Comprehensive legal counsel across the corporate lifecycle, from formation to exit
Helping businesses and ventures with compelling technologies reach their growth objectives with sound legal strategies and solutions.
Louis counsels on public offerings and private placements of equity, equity-linked and debt securities.
Louis brings his unique experience to bear in advising the innovation, R&D, corporate development and corporate venturing functions of large corporations
Louis regularly guides cutting-edge funds in disruptive investments and buyouts and acts as company- and investor-side counsel in financings and M&A transactions.
Web3, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, NFTs and the Metaverse comprise a loosely defined and largely unregulated landscape. Louis navigates and advises on avoiding pitfalls.
Louis focuses his practice on advising entrepreneurs and their management teams, investors and financial advisors at all stages of growth.
What clients say about working with Louis.
Louis Lehot is focused on client service and obtaining the most efficient outcomes for his clients. He provides practical and thoughtful advice on complex corporate, securities law and M&A matters. I highly recommend his services.
Louis is a trusted advisor who has an exceptional breadth of knowledge and focus on the details and who works tirelessly to deliver the results I need. I have trusted him to counsel me on various matters for several years and have never once doubted his abilities. Louis is an effective, concise communicator and is a pleasure to work with.
Louis is a fantastic outside counsel, especially for first-time start up founders like I was when we first met. He gives great advice on a wide variety of topics including corporate formation, fundraising, structuring deals, negotiating comp and much, much more. More than just a lawyer, he became a trusted counselor in the true sense of the word. And he’s always given it to me straight, even when it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but been in my corner no matter what through all the highs and lows. I’d recommend him to any founder or early stage company.
Louis is my first call when I need any legal opinion in the Silicon Valley. I have worked with a number of law firms and attorneys in the Valley, no one come close to his knowledge and practice of a variety of corporate legal matters in VC-backed private companies. Not only he is knowledgeable, details oriented, spot on on his predictions of how each scenario will play out, he is also great with people, from founders to legal teams, and generous in offering his time and help. I am privileged to know and work with him.
Louis is a result-oriented attorney and an excellent communicator. He brings experience to the table as well as willingness to always jump in on transactions even on very short notice. I have been working with Louis for almost four years on several matters and I am very pleased to have had such opportunity
Louis was a great advocate and advisor for StackStorm as we started fielding acquisition offers and then entered into definitive negotiations. He quickly established a high trust connection with me and my co-founder Dmitri Zimine and was incisive during negotiations. He helped us to navigate to a great outcome and I'd like to work with him again in the future.
Louis Lehot is a very experienced lawyer in various areas of law including international law, M&A, corporate governance and corporate finance. I have found his work to be high quality and that he has strong business judgment that exhibits his years of experience across various types of transactions and industries. I have found him to be available 24/7 and extremely responsive. He diligently follows up on discussions and reaches out for necessary expertise when appropriate. He listens as well as he advises to make sure that he is serving the client’s needs.
I have known Louis personally and professionally for close to 30 years. He is highly-skilled, hard-working, business savvy and trustworthy. Louis and I worked together in Paris. He is bilingual, multi-cultural and passionate about his work. Louis leads with his heart and is a kind and generous person.
While working with Louis, I was always impressed by his client-first approach based on high quality work, responsiveness and passion. Clients appreciate his resourcefulness and practical approach. He never stopped investing his time in his network and utilized his reach to help his clients and colleagues alike.
Louis provides sound, seasoned and practical legal advice. He brings a great level of intensity to his work, but doesn’t lose sight of the practical business needs of the client, and is always responsive, and looks after the relationship with the goal of providing real value. In addition to his exceptional work and service, he is a true pleasure to work with.
I have worked with Louis over the years in my capacity of a CEO of a high growth venture backed technology company. Louis brings a lot to the table with a high level of expertise , very high quality of work, and is highly responsive . He always demonstrates great teamwork, and delivers high value both commercially and practically. As a globally dispersed company it has been reassuring to tap into Louis’ extensive knowledge and network. And I have found him to be a great advisor with a strong sense of humor and moral compass . Feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn if you’d like further insight.
Excellent support on various securities law matters. Louis was primary support to Novartis on its initial NYSE listing documentation and annual reports for several years thereafter. First rate service, always on time, great focus on that which was truly important and kept the hours worked to only that which was required to do the job. I was especially impressed with his cultural awareness – he was instrumental in helping this very Swiss company understand the reasons why certain disclosures where necessary
Louis is an incredibly talented, detail-oriented and talented lawyer who will always go the extra mile to meet a client’s needs. Louis never loses perspective about what’s important and does not waste anyone’s time arguing about minutiae. He’s also a pleasure to work with and is a true professional in every sense of the word.
Louis is, by far, the best partner I’ve ever worked for in my paralegal career. He is detail-oriented, sharp, willing to teach, and shows respect to everyone he works with. I enjoyed working with him tremendously and learned an incredible amount while I was a part of his team. He also has a diverse group of clients, so I was able to partake in a wide range of work, including incorporating startups, assisting with equity financings and M&A transactions, preparing SEC filings for public companies, and so on.
Louis has been my first call since we first worked together in 2005. That was 4 companies ago for me, but no matter where I go, one of the first things I do is get Louis involved as counsel. I do this for three reasons 1) it makes me look good to the company I just joined, because invariably they’ve been impressed with Louis and 2) I trust him to give me a broader perspective on the challenges that come up.
With a deep understanding of corporate law and strategic transactions, Louis Lehot is committed to delivering results-driven legal counsel that aligns with your business goals.
Practical and commercial strategies and solutions that make sense.
To be the trusted legal partner for innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry.
Providing exceptional legal counsel in corporate, securities, and M&A law to help clients achieve their business objectives
May 26, 2023
January 26, 2026
Connect with Louis on LinkedIn for regular updates on corporate law, market trends, and strategic business insights.
Louis Lehot regularly shares his insights at leading industry conferences and events, discussing trends in technology, M&A, and startup growth.
llehot@foley.com
Response within 24 hours
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Attorney advertising – prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Opinions expressed here are my own and not my law firm.
