Click here to read the first post in the series, The Marriage of TechCo and Co-op. If traditional tech platforms are generally designed to maximize liquidity value, and cooperatives are generally designed to maximize use value, how can the #platformcoop movement successfully blend both models to meet the needs of all stakeholders involved? We think one …
#Socent
New Models for #platformcoop Design: The Marriage of TechCo and Co-op
Over the years, we have advised our clients on dozens of #platformcoop designs, formations, and fundraising campaigns. While the cooperative structure has been used for decades as a legal vessel for both collective asset ownership (e.g. affordable and market-rate housing, commercial real estate, electric generation and distribution, manufacturing, processing, etc.) and for collective distribution access …
Employee Ownership Models
8/10 baby-boomer owned businesses has no succession plan. Nationally, less than 25% of businesses valued at less than $1M can find a buyer. We are living through the largest wealth transfer in human history. In this presentation, Jason Wiener explores the structures and mechanics of converting a small business to employee ownership. The presentation focuses …
What 18,000 crunches taught me about the practice of law
Roughly one year ago I set out to develop a new routine – 50 core exercise repetitions per day (e.g. 50 crunches, bicycle sit-ups, etc.). This routine took me approximately two minutes per day. Over the last year, I found myself doing many of these sets at 9:30 pm, right before bed, in a hospital …
The New Trusts: Democratic Ownership Beyond the ESOP
This webinar on emerging explorations on trust structures—their promise and their problems features Nathan Schneider (University of Colorado Boulder), Christopher Michael (Christopher Michael P.C.), Camille Kerr (Upside Down Consulting), Derek Razo (Purpose Ventures), Sara Stephens (Sustainable Economies Law Center), and our very own Jason Wiener (Jason Wiener | p.c.). A new generation of lawyers, investors, …
Pathways to Purpose Driven Legal Practice – Jason’s Journey
This is the second post in a series where the attorneys of Jason Wiener | p.c. will share the path that led them to purpose driven legal practice. Each week, one of our team members will share their story. This is Jason’s story. *** The following is an excerpt from a recent letter of recommendation …
Contract Drafting: More Art than Science
I’ve been practicing law for more than 13-years. By some measurements, I’m still in the adolescent phase of my career. Nevertheless, in that time, I have reviewed and drafted thousands of contracts, ranging from the commonplace – NDAs, LOIs, Purchase and Sale Agreements, Consulting Services Agreements, Contractor Agreements – to the more complex – cooperative …
Reflections on Our 5-year Anniversary (est. 2014)
Today marks the 5-year anniversary of our firm, Jason Wiener|p.c., a public benefit corporation. For any start-up or entrepreneur, this occasion is ceremonious and marks a point of reflection and inflection. Many think about the strategic pivots that led to their success (or survival), and the humble ones acknowledge the dumb luck along the way. …
Limited Cooperative Associations and Early Stage Financing
Cooperatives are the original social enterprise business model and Colorado is emerging as the “Delaware of cooperative law,” thanks in no small part to limited cooperative associations (LCAs), authorized by C.R.S. Title 7, Article 58. The limited cooperative association is a relatively new entity type, adopted in Colorado in 2010. It offers a balance of …
Building Our Community Through Legal Cafés
A strong and supportive community can enable and catapult any entrepreneur to success. This is even more true for social entrepreneurs, those who find solutions to the most pressing social and environmental problems of our time. As an aspiring social entrepreneur, I can attest to the fact that my community became my champions, confidants, partners, teachers, and emotional support, without whom starting a business would have been a …
