Our Attorneys

  • “Vela, stop shooting so much.”

    – Coach Cranfill

    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

  • “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
    — Marcus Aurelius

    Radney 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

  • “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

    – Anonymous

    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

  • “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

    – Anais Nin

    Jenny Young

    Partner

    Jenny is a partner at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice in employment law and general corporate representation. Read More

  • “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

    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

  • “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

  • “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

  • “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

  • “The detail is as important as the essential is.”

    – Christian Dior

    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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    “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

  • “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”

    – Elon Musk

    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

  • “Don’t count on motivation. Count on discipline.”

    – Jocko Willink

    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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    “A [wo]man’s got to have a code.”

    – John Wayne

     

    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

  • Give them what they never knew they wanted. – Diana Vreeland

    Lara Bubalo Manor

    Senior Attorney

    Lara is a senior attorney at Vela Wood. She focuses her practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, and private placements. Read More

  • “Don’t count the things you do, do the things that count.”

    – Zig Ziglar

    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

  • “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

  • “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

    — Arthur Ashe

    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

  • “The important thing is to not stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

    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

  • “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

    – William Ernest Henley

    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

  • “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

    – Mark Twain

    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

  • “Fall seven times. Stand up eight.”

    – Japanese Proverb

    Zach Jones

    Senior Tax Counsel

    Zach is Senior Tax Counsel at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice on tax disputes with government authorities and complicated business transactions. Read More