About
Christopher J. Borders is a San Francisco-based lawyer specializing in the technology industry. His clients span the Bay Area—North Bay to the City and East Bay, down to Santa Clara and San Jose.
Chris often acts as outside general counsel for growing technology firms, ranging from startups to mid-sized companies in SaaS, blockchain, and FinTech.
I wanted to help build companies,” he says, “and do it in a more personal, engaged way. By design, I’m able to develop close, lasting relationships with clients, and create processes that scale with the growth of their business.”
VC-backed and publicly traded
As former general counsel for both a VC-backed consumer startup and a publicly traded tech company, Chris brings a breadth of experience to his practice. He enjoys helping clients develop streamlined and informed legal processes to support their growth.
As clients expand, Chris manages their other legal counsel and assists in recruiting a first in-house counsel when it’s time to set up the legal department.
An integral part of the team
A veteran of large law firms, Chris started Borders Law Group in 2014.
It’s very satisfying to be an integral part of a client’s team. I get to know their company, products and goals, and advocate for them like it’s my own company,” says Chris.
He prides himself on being extraordinarily responsive and efficient, and has made it his priority to provide a nimble, affordable alternative to big-firm timelines and rates.
A broad spectrum of expertise
In addition to representing emerging tech companies, Chris is also the go-to outside counsel for complex commercial transactions for a few large SF pre-public FinTech and consumer startups.
In the last five years, he has negotiated critical contracts for his clients with dozens of Fortune 250 companies.
Chris has been a Certified Information Privacy Professional (US) since 2017, and is on the forefront of data privacy and security negotiations for his clients worldwide.
International reach
He has negotiated both business and data issues in commercial contracts throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and South Africa.
Earlier, as a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in San Francisco, Chris was a commercial litigator focused on insurance, and a business practices specialist handling intellectual property, commercial contracts, licensing, and marketing.
He also understands the startup world from the inside. Along with establishing his law firm, he co-founded two ventures that eventually folded—a stock image agency and a marketplace for licensing newsworthy photos and videos.
On a personal note
A true Northern Californian, Chris was born, educated and spent his entire career here. He raised two daughters in Santa Rosa, then moved closer to San Francisco to be near the technology ecosystem he serves. In his off-time, Chris is an international traveler, occasional sailor, improving golfer, TRX enthusiast, and dog walker to his Labrador.
Practices
- Draft and Negotiate Commercial Contracts
- Company Formation & Investment
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Transactions
- Employment/HR
- Risk & Litigation Management
- Data & Privacy Compliance
Education
- University of California, Davis, M.L. King School of Law, J.D., 1988
- University of California Berkeley, B.A., Political Science, 1985
- Information Privacy Professional, U.S. – certified by Int’l. Assoc. of Privacy Professionals, 2017
Memberships
- San Francisco County Bar Association
- Admitted to all Calif. State and Federal Courts
- International Association of Privacy Professionals
- Co-Chair, FinTech & Blockchain Subcommittee of the Licensing
Executive Society - Global Legal Blockchain Consortium
