WELCOME TO VELA | WOOD. We are a boutique corporate law firm with a local feel and a global impact. We focus our practice in the areas of M&A, Private Equity, Fund Representation, and Venture Transactions.
We provide a full suite of services to our clients. With a flexible billing model that focuses on relationships, not time, we seek to enable our clients to fulfill their personal and professional goals. We thrive on turning an initial consultation into a successful, long-term relationship.
Our Practice Areas
M&A & Corporate Law
Need help restructuring your entity, cleaning up your cap table, or getting your corporate governance in order? It’s not as hard as it seems. Let us walk you through it. Read More
Startups
VW represents hundreds of startups all over the world. Our vision and goal is to be the best startup firm in Texas, plain and simple. Read More
Private Equity & Venture Capital Funds
VW represents all manner of private equity funds, from venture capital to family offices. Fundraising and deploying capital can be complex, but we’re here to make it easy. Read More
Fantasy Sports and Gaming Law
From full season fantasy leagues to daily fantasy sports to eight liners to amusement machines, we’ve got you covered. Read More
Sports and Entertainment
Whether you’re a current or former athlete, or a growing sports startup, we’ve got the playbook you need. Read More
Commercial Real Estate Law
Vela Wood has a wealth of experience representing all parties in real estate transactions, including, buyers, sellers, lenders, landlords and investors. Read More
Check Out These
Resources
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VW Podcast
Whether you’re a first-time founder or a serial entrepreneur, we have a podcast for you. We’ll walk you through the legal side of things and share our experiences counseling hundreds of startups. Listen Now
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Venture Glossary
Our Venture Glossary will be your new best friend. It features over 500 terms that are common parlance in the startup world, from Accelerated Vesting to Zombie. Visit Site
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Venture Deals YIR
To provide analysis on early-stage venture financing in North Texas, we created an audit of the capital raises we facilitated in 2016. See Reports
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Startup Central
With several entrepreneurs in our ranks, we understand what goes into building a business. It’s much more than turning an idea into revenues. It takes preparation, planning, sacrifice, and adaptability. See More
Meet Our Attorneys
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Zach Jones
Senior Attorney
Zach is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice on tax disputes with government authorities and complicated business transactions. Read More
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Tyson Attaway
Attorney
Tyson is an Attorney at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of M&A, venture capital, and private equity. Read More
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Rich Sapien
Senior Attorney
Rich is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. He represents startups through all stages of their lifecycle – from incorporation, to fundraising, to go-to-market, to exit. Read More
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Paul Wolpert
Senior Attorney
Paul is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. He practices in all areas of corporate law, including securities and corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and fund formation Read More
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Pablo Alvarez
Attorney
Pablo is an attorney at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of Sports & Compliance, M&A, venture capital, and private equity. Read More
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Myra Dioquino
Attorney
Myra is an attorney at Vela Wood. Her experience includes representing a variety of startups and established businesses in transactional and intellectual property matters. Read More
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“Among reasonable men problems of business could always be solved.” – Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather
Mina Saifi
Senior Counsel
Mina Saifi is Senior Counsel at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice in the areas of M&A, commercial agreements, and technology contracts. Read More
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Lindsey Altmeyer
Senior Attorney
Lindsey is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice in the areas of venture financing, securities exemptions, and general corporate governance. Read More
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Lacey Shrum
Attorney
Lacey is an attorney at Vela Wood where she serves businesses that use blockchain technology and digital assets. She serves as a subject matter expert and expert witness to attorneys and advisors as they encounter digital assets in their traditional legal practice. Read More
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Justin Sievert
Senior Counsel
Justin is Senior Counsel at Vela Wood and chairs the firm’s sports and compliance practice group. His practice focuses on contract drafting and negotiation, marketing and promotions compliance, NCAA compliance matters, and Title IX. Read More
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Jeff Villalobos
Senior Attorney
Jeff is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of intellectual property, technology commercialization, privacy, advertising, and corporate transactional matters. Read More
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“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Fernando Avelar
Senior Attorney
Fernando is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of M&A, venture capital, and private equity. Read More
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Elizabeth Hattrup
Attorney
Elizabeth is an attorney at Vela Wood. She represents clients in a broad range of general business law and transactional matters, with a focus on venture capital financings and corporate governance. Read More
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“A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Denise Rizo-Patron
Senior Attorney
Denise is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. Denise’s experience includes representing clients ranging from public companies to startups in transactional matters. Read More
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“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill
Candace Groth
Senior Attorney
Candace Groth is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and private equity. Read More
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“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.”
― Langston Hughes
Brandon Flowers
Attorney
Brandon is an attorney at Vela Wood. He represents clients in a broad range of general business law and transactional matters, with a focus on venture capital financings and fantasy sports and gaming matters. Read More
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“Curiosity is the spark behind the spark of every great idea. The future belongs to the curious.”
– Unknown
Blake Hart
Attorney
Blake is an attorney at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice on contract drafting, review, and negotiation on behalf of sports and entertainment individuals and enterprises. Read More
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Amanda Montgomery
Senior Counsel
Amanda is Senior Counsel at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice on serving private companies and small business owners in the arts, retail/e-commerce, and entertainment industry. Read More
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“For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman
Alyson Rotunda
Senior Attorney
Alyson Rotunda is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. Alyson’s experience includes representing clients ranging from startups to public companies in corporate and transactional matters. Read More
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Jenny Young
Partner
Jenny is a partner at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice in employment law and general corporate representation. Read More
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Carr Staley
Partner
Carr is a partner at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and real estate transactions and investment activities. Read More
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“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
— Marcus AureliusRadney Wood
Partner
Radney is a named partner at Vela Wood. He divides his practice between commercial litigation and general corporate matters, concentrating on partnership disputes, corporate governance, venture financing, and contract negotiations. Read More
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Kevin Vela
Partner
Kevin is the managing partner at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of M&A, venture financing, fund representation, and gaming law. Read More
Latest Blog Posts
Texas Amendment Would Open Door For Commercial Casinos
March 1, 2021
On February 8, 2021, San Antonio Democratic Senator Roland Gutierrez filed Senate Joint Resolution 36 (SJR 36 or hereafter, the “Amendment”) in an effort to amend the Texas Constitution and thus pave the way for commercial casinos in Texas. If passed, the Amendment opens the door for the Texas legislature to pass laws permitting the licensure and regulation of up to twelve Texas casinos, and Senate Bill 616 (S.B. 616), Gutierrez’s other piece of legislation, does just that. Read More
College Athlete Advocacy Lawyers
October 22, 2020
At Vela Wood, we pride ourselves on passionately representing the interests of prospective and current college athletes nationwide. Read More
Head Coach Monitoring: Understanding NCAA Requirements and Proactively Protecting Your Interests
October 19, 2020
While many head coaches believe their head coach monitoring responsibilities are being met, numerous infractions involving high-profile coaches indicate a disconnect between the expectations of the NCAA enforcement staff and NCAA Division I infractions hearing bodies, and current practices head coaches believe to be sufficient. Read More
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Our client @CanteenSpirits Announces $31 Million in New Funding and Celebrity Investors https://t.co/WxtTxpNjYM
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