JIM SOWERS

Jim Sowers is a seasoned lawyer with a rare blend of skills and experience. His areas of expertise include: commercial transactions, complex negotiations, software and hardware licensing, multimedia licensing, Internet privacy and safe harbor, and antitrust (both criminal and civil) and regulatory laws. Through his years as a general counsel, government lawyer, software engineer, and business development executive, he has gained invaluable experience and insight, as well as the skills necessary to address the broad array of issues for his clients.

Mr. Sowers's previous experience includes serving as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of OnVantage, Inc. During his time at OnVantage, he managed all legal needs of the company, and directly negotiated all major accounts, including many multi-year and multi-million dollar agreements. He also oversaw the merger of OnVantage predecessors and assisted in the formation of OnVantage. As General Counsel, Mr. Sowers developed standard contracts for early web-service companies and worked with Global 1000 clients, including major pharmaceutical and financial institutions.

Prior to his work at OnVantage, Mr. Sowers served as General Counsel and Vice President of Business Affairs at Cybergold, Inc. During his time at Cybergold, he oversaw all legal aspects of the business, including SEC filings and a successful IPO.

Mr. Sowers has also served as a strategic consultant to online music and media companies, including: Calabash Music, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer and negotiated major partnerships; National Geographic; and Lycos.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Sowers served as a trial attorney at the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice.  He dealt with civil, criminal, and merger matters. Mr. Sowers not only led both civil and criminal investigations of alleged monopolistic practices and proposed mergers, but was also a member of the legal team on U.S. v. Microsoft Corporation, which resulted in the Microsoft consent decree.

Community and Teaching Activities

Mr. Sowers has been involved in educational and community activities.  He has taught computer classes at the Golden Gate University, as well as serving as a judge in law school's Moot Court competitions.  He has also served on several non-profit boards, and is currently a Board Member of Mission Neighborhood Centers in San Francisco which provides community and cultural services (and produces San Francisco's annual Carnaval).  Mr. Sowers has also raised money for Save the Children whilst making adventure motorcycle rides across Africa and Europe (Cape Town to Dublin), and the Americas (San Francisco to Tierra del Fuego).

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California, 1989

Education

Juris Doctor, University of California, Hastings
M.B.A., Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
B.S. in Computer Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (magna cum laude)