A modern firm built for
efficient, effective
legal counsel.

Avery Kotler has provided experienced, general counsel to a diverse group of companies, with a particular focus on supporting commercial relationships in technology and other disruptive businesses. Avery loves to help clients develop and expand partnership and revenue centers. Avery formed VGC in 2017 with the intent of changing the dynamic in which outside legal services can be provided.

After graduating from Georgetown Law, Avery began his legal career as an Associate at Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts (now Pillsbury Winthrop), where he helped to found its first new department in decades, focused on supporting emerging companies, technologies and venture funding. His experience included everything from initial formation advice to IPO support. He went on to hold in-house positions, first at pressplay, a joint venture of Sony Music and Universal Music. He moved on to become Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs at Napster, which he helped to re-launch as a legal digital music service that ultimately became publicly traded on the NASDAQ. After Napster’s acquisition by Best Buy, he supported strategic projects there and led the legal support team for its $4+ Billion Entertainment Division.

Avery currently works with enterprises of all sizes supporting complex commercial contracts, HR support, capital raises, M&A, general strategy and crisis management.

Avery sits on the board of trustees for The Senesh School and also manages his local block association. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two boys where he can often be found organizing block events, juggling his boys’ budding hockey and soccer careers and tending to his backyard urban vegetable oasis.

Brandt is a corporate and business transactions attorney and outside general counsel to a broad client base that ranges from founders and growth companies to established consumer brands, and from family offices and institutional investors to private equity and venture capital funds. His clients work across a wide range of industries, including technology, consumer products, beauty and wellness, hospitality, entertainment, and real estate. He advises them through every stage of the business lifecycle - from formation and capital raising through joint ventures, M&A, complex commercial transactions, and corporate governance.

Brandt co-founded VGC in 2017 following a tenure at Venable LLP, where he was a partner in the corporate group supporting a diverse and loyal client base. Prior to Venable, Brandt served as General Counsel to SBE, the international lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages, and operates award-winning hotels, restaurants, and nightlife venues. At SBE, he oversaw all legal matters for the company, negotiating complex real estate and hospitality agreements, debt and security instruments, joint ventures, and purchase agreements, and administering SBE’s substantial international IP portfolio. Brandt began his legal career as an associate at Venable in the corporate, tax, and real estate groups, and he spent three years as a tax professor in the undergraduate tax and accounting program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

Brandt understands the real-world challenges and time constraints facing in-house legal departments and management teams, and he draws on that perspective to deliver responsive, business-minded counsel. He also helped found Law Rocks, a celebrated not-for-profit that promotes music education for underprivileged youth and raises funds for local nonprofits by combining the power of music with the generosity of the global legal community.

Brandt earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and an M.B.T. from USC’s Leventhal School of Accounting, and he holds a B.A., cum laude, in Business Economics from UCLA. He is admitted to practice in California.

Brandt lives in Napa Valley with his wife and four children. When he isn’t with them, he can usually be found managing the Atlas Reserve vineyard on Atlas Peak or showing visiting friends the hidden gems of the Napa region.

Diyari Vázquez is VGC, LLP’s Head of Employment and a seasoned employment and business attorney with more than 20 years of experience advising employers on workforce strategy, compliance, and risk management. Since 2002, clients have relied on Diyari for practical, business-minded guidance on employment issues, dispute prevention, and high-stakes decision-making.

Diyari regularly counsels employers on a wide range of labor and employment matters, including hiring and termination decisions, wage and hour compliance, employee classification, leaves of absence and accommodations, workplace policies, discipline, and dispute resolution strategy. She regularly drafts, reviews, and negotiates employment and business agreements, including employment contracts, independent contractor and consulting agreements, arbitration agreements, separation agreements, and related hiring and termination documentation. Diyari also prepares and updates employee handbooks, policies, and internal procedures tailored to clients’ operations and industry-specific risks.

Diyari supports clients in the transactional context, including conducting employment due diligence and advising on workforce risk in connection with acquisitions, restructuring, and business transitions. Her work includes wage and hour compliance reviews and employee classification audits, helping clients identify exposure, implement corrective strategies, and structure practical solutions before and after closing.

Diyari’s litigation background gives her a distinct advantage as an advisor: she helps clients make employment decisions with a clear understanding of what triggers claims, how cases develop, and how to reduce exposure before disputes arise. When litigation is unavoidable, she defends employers, including claims involving wrongful termination, retaliation, harassment, discrimination, failure to accommodate, wage and hour violations, tip-pooling issues, and PAGA representative actions. She also has extensive experience defending employers in wage and hour and other employment-related class actions, and represents clients in state and federal court as well as arbitration. Diyari has particular experience advising and defending clients in the hospitality industry, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

As an added value to clients, Diyari is fluent in Spanish.

Diyari earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law, including a semester abroad at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from Tulane University, graduating with honors in Accounting, with a minor in Psychology.

Donovan Burke is a corporate attorney with experience as a partner at global law firms and as General Counsel to emerging companies. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities transactions (early-stage and venture capital, IPOs, and other equity and debt offerings), corporate governance, company formation, complex commercial transactions, and data privacy.

Donovan began his career at Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman) after graduating from Vanderbilt Law School and became a partner in 2006. At Pillsbury, he represented public and private companies in M&A, corporate governance matters (including proxy contests and independent board committees), equity and debt offerings, securities regulation, and joint ventures. He was also a founding attorney of the firm’s emerging companies and technologies practice, advising founders and investors on entity structuring, venture and early-stage financings, and IPOs.

As General Counsel to several early-stage companies, Donovan has led the full legal function, including corporate and securities, employment, intellectual property, data privacy and regulatory compliance, real estate, and litigation. He has been a core member of executive teams that raised venture and early-stage capital and closed strategic transactions.

Gina Simas delivers strategic, decisive advocacy in high-stakes disputes where legal, financial, and reputational concerns converge. With more than twenty years of experience as a civil litigator, she represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex matters across business, entertainment, insurance, real estate, employment, intellectual property, and class actions.

Clients turn to Gina for her sharp judgment, early case assessment, and ability to achieve favorable outcomes in their most challenging disputes. Her practice encompasses litigation strategy, trial and arbitration advocacy, appellate briefing, and advising on dispute risk and resolution. She represents a broad range of clients, including individuals, businesses of all sizes, and Fortune 500 companies, across multiple industries in both state and federal courts.

Gina’s approach is informed by rigorous legal analysis and an understanding of the human dynamics underlying every dispute. In addition to her legal training, she holds a Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology, which allows her to provide counsel that is both strategic and empathetic. She is known for her highly communicative style and her ability to understand not only the legal issues her clients face, but also their broader business and personal objectives.

Gina has been recognized as a top rated attorney by Southern California Super Lawyers. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, San Diego, and earned her law degree from UCLA School of Law. Before law school, Gina was a competitive gymnast for over a decade, training at an elite level and winning the California State Championship - an experience that shaped the discipline, resilience, and competitive drive she brings to her practice today.

Gina resides in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz with her husband. She enjoys traveling, working out, attending concerts, and watching movies.

James “Jim” Greeley is Co-Founder and Principal of VGC, LLP. Jim has been in practice for twenty-five years and provided strategic legal advice to business clients through every phase of the business lifecycle. He has formed and structured companies and funds, helped raise capital, and provided guidance across a broad range of operational needs - from commercial agreements and complex financings to asset acquisitions and dispositions, M&A transactions, and joint ventures. He has helped clients scale and ultimately helped founders exit. His work spans public and private companies, both domestically and internationally, with particular depth in hospitality, commercial real estate, and sports and entertainment. Jim acts as outsourced general counsel to a number of companies and as a trusted outside advisor to many others.

Jim is admitted to practice in California and has been practicing for over 25 years. He graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude in 2001 and began his career at O’Melveny & Myers in Century City, Los Angeles, where he built a practice spanning media, entertainment, and complex antitrust matters. He went on to serve as Chief Legal Officer of SBE, a leading international lifestyle hospitality company, where he oversaw all legal affairs for an organization of approximately 10,000 employees - including complex real estate and hospitality agreements, debt and securities, joint ventures, international IP, litigation, corporate governance, and HR - while also advising on many operational elements of the business. Jim was the in-house lead for SBE’s take-private acquisition of Morgan’s Hotel Group and its subsequent sale to Accor Hotels. That combination of major law firm rigor, in-house operational immersion, and hands-on business experience - including founding and running his own real estate investment business - informs everything he does at VGC. Jim is results-driven, understands the needs of a business having started and operated them himself, and enjoys saying yes as much as some lawyers like saying no.

Jim has been recognized as a member of Law360’s Media and Entertainment Group of the Year. He previously served as a board member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He lives in Bel Air with his wife and two daughters, is an avid surfer, snowboarder, and tennis player, speaks fluent Spanish and conversational Portuguese, and maintains a longtime passion for stand-up comedy.

Jennifer Doyle is a Partner at VGC with over 25 years of legal experience. She represents leading and emerging brands, marketers, and agencies as they navigate FTC and FDA regulations, advertising and marketing laws, and new and developing AI regulations. She also provides outside General Counsel services to several VGC clients.

Known for her “how to make it happen” attitude, Jennifer has a passion for working with founders, executive teams, and management, serving as a key legal and business advisor on brand messaging evolution, supporting companies in building legal, regulatory, and compliance functions at any stage of growth, and positioning businesses for fundraising or a sale from a legal perspective. She advises on channel-specific rules - email, text, affiliate, and influencer marketing, along with endorsements and testimonials - and on promotions, loyalty programs, sweepstakes, comparative advertising, and auto-renewal laws. On the digital side, she counsels clients on websites, terms of use, privacy policies, and cookie management. She also reviews advertising creative across websites, social media, print, radio, and television, as well as product positioning, claims, labels, and substantiation, with an emphasis on cosmetics, skincare, and dietary supplements. Increasingly, she guides clients on using AI in marketing - from substantiating AI-related product claims to meeting new disclosure requirements - and on building practical internal AI-use policies.

Jennifer brings a combination of Big Law litigation experience and C-suite in-house leadership to her practice, making her well-suited to serve as a strategic advisor or outside general counsel. After clerking for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, she practiced at Latham & Watkins, where she handled class action defense, false advertising, consumer protection, and employment matters. As a former litigator, she assists clients in making compliance decisions with a clear understanding of what triggers issues, how cases develop, and how to reduce exposure. When cases do arise, she works with VGC’s litigators, providing compliance and strategic expertise with a focus on preventing future disputes.

Jennifer built her in-house career at the forefront of the beauty and wellness startup industry, providing her with deep knowledge of the challenges clients face as they launch, grow, and scale. At Guthy-Renker, the direct marketing brand behind JLo Beauty® and Meaningful Beauty®, she served as General Counsel, advising on key strategic initiatives and all aspects of the consumer product lifecycle. She then served as the first General Counsel at Hatchbeauty, an award-winning beauty product development and marketing company, and later as the first General Counsel at Beautycounter, the pioneer in clean beauty with direct sales, retail, and e-commerce distribution in the U.S. and Canada. At Beautycounter, Jennifer built and scaled the legal, regulatory, compliance, and human resources functions through a period of extraordinary growth - from $125 million to $1 billion in revenue - and through the company’s sale.

Jennifer earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and received her undergraduate degree in Government and Italian from Georgetown University.

Melissa helps clients navigate their most consequential disputes with a clear head and a steady hand. A trial lawyer with more than fifteen years of experience, she represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation, consumer privacy and data-tracking defense, employment and wage-and-hour matters, and intellectual property disputes in both state and federal court and in arbitration.

Litigation is rarely only a legal problem - it draws on a company’s time, resources, and resolve. Melissa guides clients through that process with an eye on what matters most to them: their business objectives, their budget, and the very real toll a hard-fought dispute takes on the people living through it. Her focus is on securing meaningful results efficiently - the outsized outcome without the outsized bill. Clients turn to her for candid early case assessment, disciplined strategy, and an understanding of not just the legal issues they face but the broader goals behind them.

That approach is backed by results. Among them: a $4 million settlement in a hard-fought wrongful-termination action brought by a public employee, a role on the trial team that secured a $25 million jury verdict in a toxic-tort insurance coverage dispute, development of the legal strategy that led to an $11 million class action settlement for unpaid royalties owed to Comedy Central artists, and a favorable settlement for a prominent entertainment figure in a high-profile sexual assault matter. Drawing on real courtroom experience, she builds leverage early - long before a matter reaches a jury.

Melissa works closely with clients in the food and restaurant, consumer products, beauty and wellness, and hospitality industries. She regularly defends class and representative actions - including consumer privacy claims and PAGA and wage-and-hour matters - and handles contract and business-tort disputes, judgment-enforcement proceedings, and intellectual property litigation.

Melissa earned her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, where she served as Executive Editor of the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated with College Honors. She is admitted to practice in California and Illinois.

Navid Brewster is Counsel at VGC, LLP and a corporate and transactional attorney with over a decade of experience advising companies on their commercial transactions, corporate matters, and ongoing legal needs. Navid serves as outside general counsel and deal counsel to venture-backed and growth-stage companies and their founders, boards, and investors, with particular depth across the consumer products, hospitality, technology, and real estate sectors.

As outside general counsel, Navid counsels companies and their boards and executives on corporate and business matters, including entity selection and formation, corporate governance, board and stockholder approvals, charter and equity document amendments, equity incentive arrangements, and the governance and compliance obligations that accompany institutional financings.

Navid regularly drafts, reviews, and negotiates a broad range of commercial agreements, including software-as-a-service and other technology agreements, master services agreements, intellectual property licensing agreements, supply and distribution agreements, and management services agreements. He frequently serves as an extension of his clients’ in-house legal teams, providing practical, business-minded guidance on their commercial and strategic agreements.

Navid also represents investors and sponsors in private fund and investment matters, including the review and negotiation of limited partnership agreements, subscription documents, and investor services agreements. He has extensive experience representing buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, joint ventures, recapitalizations, and corporate reorganizations, counseling clients from structuring and negotiation through diligence and closing.

Navid further maintains a sophisticated commercial real estate practice, representing institutional landlords, tenants, buyers, and sellers in the negotiation of commercial leases across multi-location portfolios and in purchase and sale agreements for commercial property.

Navid’s combination of in-house and law firm experience gives him a distinct perspective as an advisor. Having served as a principal legal officer, he has helped guide companies through significant corporate events. He understands how legal decisions affect operations and long-term strategy and focuses on practical solutions that advance his clients’ business objectives.

Navid earned his J.D., cum laude, from Tulane University Law School. He received his undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. He is admitted to practice law in California and Colorado, and is also admitted in Louisiana (inactive).

Andrew Sbordone is a corporate and commercial transactions attorney at VGC LLP whose practice focuses on structuring and negotiating deals for clients in the personal care, cosmetics, hospitality, and restaurant industries. Clients turn to Andrew for practical, business-minded guidance on commercial contracting, brand-building partnerships, and risk mitigation.

He regularly counsels personal care and cosmetic companies on manufacturing and supply arrangements, distribution and fulfillment structures, and intellectual property and brand licensing. He also advises restaurant operators and brand owners on restaurant management arrangements, the development and licensing of new restaurant concepts and brands, and the structuring of consulting and related service agreements.

Andrew serves as on-call outside general counsel to several companies, partnering with management teams to address day-to-day commercial issues, anticipate areas of exposure, and design contract frameworks that support long-term growth.

He earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Bridgewater State University and is admitted to practice in South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Matthew Wiener is a Corporate Associate at VGC, LLP. Matt advises clients on a wide range of corporate and business matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital transactions, securities offerings, corporate governance and compliance, commercial leasing, capital raising, and complex commercial contracts.

Matt works with clients throughout the transaction process, from structuring and negotiations through closing and post-closing matters. He regularly drafts and negotiates acquisition and disposition agreements, joint venture and operating agreements, subscription and investment documents, financing and security instruments, commercial lease agreements, and related transaction materials. He also counsels clients on entity formation, governance best practices, and regulatory and compliance considerations as businesses expand and evolve.

Before joining VGC in 2023, Matt practiced in the Corporate Department at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in New York, where he represented clients across a variety of industries in middle-market M&A transactions, complex joint venture arrangements, private equity offerings, and commercial financing matters.

Matt brings a business-oriented approach informed by experience representing clients in different roles across a deal. He works closely with clients to identify objectives, address key issues, and manage risk so transactions move forward and support the client’s broader business strategy.

Matt lives in New York and is an active supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association and St. John’s Basketball.

Matt earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, where he received the James L. and Regina B. Purcell Award for Excellence in Mergers and Acquisitions. He received his B.A. in History from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Ashley Hammond is an experienced corporate paralegal with a diverse skill set spanning contract management, corporate governance, and trademark registrations. With a strong foundation in both litigation and corporate law, Ashley brings a well-rounded perspective to every project she undertakes, ensuring that complex legal matters are handled with precision, efficiency, and meticulous attention to detail.

Ashley earned her degree from Southern Illinois University, where she developed a passion for the legal field and the organizational skills that would become the cornerstone of her career. After graduating, she began her professional journey as a litigation paralegal, gaining valuable experience in legal research, case preparation, and courtroom proceedings. This early exposure to the fast-paced world of litigation equipped her with a sharp analytical mindset and the ability to thrive under pressure.

Ashley transitioned into the corporate legal arena when she joined SBE, a premier hospitality company renowned for its impressive network of luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, and dynamic nightlife venues. During her tenure at SBE, she worked closely under the guidance of Brandt Mori, Esq. and James Greeley, Esq., where she played an integral role in supporting the company’s wide-ranging legal operations. Her responsibilities encompassed licensing and regulatory compliance, contract drafting and administration, talent engagement agreements, and the day-to-day management of the company’s extensive international entity portfolio and USPTO trademark filings.

Outside of the office, Ashley calls Los Angeles home, where she lives with her husband and their beloved dog. When she’s not immersed in the legal world, she can be found hiking the scenic trails of Southern California, seeking out the city’s best new restaurants, and embarking on international travel adventures that fuel her curiosity and love of new experiences.