Brian A.
Hall

MEET

Brian A. Hall

 

 

 

 

Brian A. Hall is a member of Traverse Legal, PLC and the managing partner of its Austin, Texas office, doing business as Hall Law. He is the founder of TraverseGC, a monthly fixed-fee subscription-based provider of General Counsel services to companies. He has represented enterprise Internet and technology companies, startups, and brand owners throughout the world with their Intellectual Property and Internet Law needs, including such areas as digital and social media, advertising and promotions, privacy and data matters, and Business Law issues. Brian regularly advises clients on the acquisition of, enforcement of, licensing and monetization of intellectual property, and he has extensive experience with countless multi-million dollar corporate transactions involving an entity’s business-critical IP. Brian has served as outside general counsel, as well as in-house counsel in a secondment role, to private, venture backed companies, public companies, and venture capital funds. Since 2015, he has been General Counsel to Notley Ventures, a social impact company in Austin,Texas. He also serves as outside general counsel to the CPG accelerator, SKU.  Brian has also litigated cases across the United States involving trademark, domain name, copyright, software trade secret, online defamation, and privacy/personal rights issues. Brian’s list of clients includes professional athletes and celebrities as he regularly advises on sports and entertainment law issues, with a particular focus on endorsement agreements.

Brian is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, Growth, and Renewal at The University of Texas at Austin.

He is a regular author and speaker on legal topics of particular interest to technology companies given his background as an IT Consultant with the global IT firm Accenture. Brian has provided trademark legal commentary on Fox 7 News (Austin), authored Coach’s Corner for foundingAUSTIN and the Founders’ Friday blog series, and presented CLE on a variety of topics. A graduate of Miami University with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and Michigan State University College of Law with a Juris Doctorate, Brian has also completed Executive Education courses at Harvard Business School and obtained a certificate for Law and the Entrepreneur from Northwestern University.

Brian has been chosen by his peers as a Rising Star in Intellectual Property, as rated by SuperLawyers, for the years 2010-2020 and has received the highest peer rating for level of professional excellence, AV Preeminent, by Martindale-Hubbell. Brian is also a limited partner in StartupRunner, a seed stage venture capital fund, an angel investor with the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN), and regularly mentors and advises entities at all stages of the startup ecosystem. He is an active member and on the Board of EO Austin. He also on the Board of Directors for PeopleFund and a member of the Steering Committee for the Global Entrepreneurial Bar Association. He has served as President of the Michigan State University College of Law AA Board of Directors and on the United Way Board.

 

Representative Litigation and Arbitration Experience

  • Stockfood America, Inc. v. Dixicigs LLC et al., US District Court, W.D. Texas, No. 1:20-cv-00873-LY (Resolved matter on behalf of Defendant leading to voluntary dismissal by Plaintiff).
  • Dreammakers LLC v. Karol Jasik et al., Travis County District Court, D-1-GN-20-004116 (Successfully represented Defendant in breach of contract case and mediated leading to the lawsuit being dismissed with prejudice).
  • Sensis, Inc. v. The LASIK Vision Institute, LLC et al., US District Court, W.D. Texas, No. 1:20-cv-00001-RP (served as local counsel).
  • Brantley v. Jawahar, Travis County District Court, D-1-GN-20-001413 (Successfully represented Defendant in breach of contract case leading to the lawsuit being dismissed).
  • Various partnership, joint venture and other business disputes, including via American Arbitration Association (AAA), mediation and pre-litigation settlement.
  • Joel Bauer and Associates, Inc. v. Sabrina Gibson Hawkins et al., US District Court, C.D. California, No. 2:18-cv-09887-DSF-MRW (Successfully represented Defendant WP Engine, Inc. to dismiss DMCA copyright lawsuit).
  • International Olympic Committee et al. v. Frayne et al., US District Court, S.D. Texas, No. 15-cv-3277 (Represented the Defendants in a trademark, cybersquatting and Olympic Amateur Sports Act lawsuit where the parties mutually agreed to dismiss the litigation).
  • Dearborn Tree Service, Inc. v. Gray’s Outdoor Services, LLC et al., US District Court, E.D. Michigan, 2:13-CV-12584; November 2015 (Obtained six figure settlement on behalf of Plaintiff in a trademark, cybersquatting and trade libel/defamation lawsuit).
  • The Weather Underground, Inc. v. Navigation Catalyst Systems, Inc., US. District Court, E.D. Michigan, 2:09-CV-10756; June 15, 2012 (Obtained a $3.5 million dollar consent judgment in a cybersquatting lawsuit): http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20130224/NEWS/302249999/domain-name-dispute#.

Representative Transactional Experience

  • Represented Seller in sale of route-based business to Private Equity group as part of national roll-up, with continued employment by Seller, earn-out and equity carry.
  • Served as general counsel to Heisman trophy winning, 1st overall NFL draft pick, for all IP, endorsement and licensing transactions and litigation matters.
  • Represented Noteholder in post-sale pay-out negotiation and settlement agreement.
  • Represented venture capital company in equity investment into apparel company.
  • Assisted with $62MM land purchase and sale agreement.
  • Managed all IP aspects of acquisition (http://www.finsmes.com/2019/12/snow-software-buys-embotics.html)
  • Led company rebrand, including acquisition of all necessary IP and phase out of old brand.
  • Led IP Efforts in connection with a $410MM credit facility, including all foreign and domestic trademark, copyright and patent perfection of title and security interest matters. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190806005922/en/Upland-Software-Completes-410-Million-Financing-Transaction
  • Negotiated numerous equity and fund investments (LPs).
  • Assisted in $25MM venture capital fund formation, organization and management.
  • Led intellectual property acquisition and licensing of non-profit entity.
  • Led transaction involving real estate development project (acquisition, financing, joint ventures/partnerships) for iconic Austin property.
  • Represented shareholder in $280M sale of business.
  • Handled domain name purchase related to professional sports franchise.
  • Structured ~$30 million dollar commercial real estate venture for Austin, Texas company.
  • Responsible for Intellectual Property due diligence in and closing of $50M acquisition by publicly traded software company client.
  • Completed a six figure asset purchase transaction involving industry leading website.
  • Completed seven figure Intellectual Property Assignment involving international logistics management SAAS company.
  • Completed a five figure intellectual property transaction on behalf of a major hunting equipment provider.
  • Completed a $4.5 million transaction, including the Asset Purchase Agreement and related documents, involving IP addresses on behalf of a client with a major software company.
  • Brokered the negotiation of and sale of a mid-five figure domain name on behalf of an International company.

Membership & Affiliations

  • United States District Courts (W.D. Tex., E.D. Tex., S.D. Tex., E.D. Mich., W.D. Mich.)
  • State Bar of Texas, admitted September 2013
  • Michigan State Bar, admitted November 2007
  • Member, Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN) (2015-Present)
  • Entrepreneur in Residence – Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, Growth, and Renewal, The University of Texas at Austin (September 2019 – Present)
  • International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), Chair, E-Commerce Law Committee
  • International Trademark Association (INTA), Member and Non-Profit Committee Member
  • IT Law Section State Bar of Michigan, Council Member and Former Newsletter Editor
  • Member, State Bar of Texas Law Practice Management Committee (2018-Present)
  • Standing Committee on Publications and Website Advisory for the State Bar of Michigan, Board Member (2008)
  • Michigan State University College of Law, President, Alumni Association Board of Directors (2013-2014)
  • Domainnamenews.com, Editor (2007-2009)

View Brian A. Hall’s LinkedIn Profile

Authorships

Employment history

  • Partner, Traverse Legal, PLC
    2007 – present.

    Law firm specializing in internet law, intellectual property issues, domain disputes, complex litigation, technology company representation, and general counsel services. Using technology to connect to clients located throughout the world.

  • Summer Associate, Traverse Legal, PLC
    Traverse City, MI, 2006 – 2007.

    Drafted complaints, answers, discovery, trial briefs, various motions, and legal memorandum primarily dealing with IP, contract, and general civil litigation matters. Gained experience with WIPO domain name dispute arbitration, trademark filing, non-compete agreement matters, and various other general civil matters. Observed depositions, civil hearings, and settlement negotiations.

  • Law Clerk, United States Attorney’s Office – MDFL
    Tampa, FL, 2005

    Drafted legal memorandum, client letters, and motions as part of the Civil Division. Observed civil hearings, civil trials, and criminal trials in the United States Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

  • Team Lead, Accenture
    Cincinnati, OH, 2002 – 2004

    Responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of a global business intelligence solution. Served as the subject matter expert for all service and performance management reporting capabilities. Worked with clients in various industries to collect business requirements and interacted with developers to create a new reporting and outsourcing capability. Became certified in ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and contributed to the development of the processes and procedures that governed the Cincinnati Solution Center. Regularly traveled to personally interact with team members, clients, and outsourcing partners.

Education

  • J.D., Michigan State University College of Law, Cum Laude – 2007
    • Michigan State Law Review, Executive Editor, 2006-2007
    • Michigan State Law Review, Staff, 2005-2006
    • Trial Practice Certificate Program
    • MSU College of Law American Inn of Court, Member, 2006-2007
  • B.S., Miami University, Richard T. Farmer School of Business – 2002
    Management Information Systems Major, Marketing Minor, Business Consulting Concentration
    Phi Kappa Psi National Fraternity
  • Verified Certificate, Law and the Entrepreneur, Northwestern University – 2013 – 2014
  • Harvard Business School, Harvard University, 2018
    Executive Education Program – Inspiring Entrepreneurial Strategy