ChicagoView profile →The Founders Law Team
The people at our firm
Big firm experience. Boutique attention.
Founders rarely show up with a problem that fits neatly inside one practice area. We built a team with intentionally varied backgrounds, from global firm training to in-house and international practice.
Attorneys
ChicagoView profile →
ChicagoView profile →Thomas Budnik
Attorney
Tom provides legal counsel to startups, founder teams, and growth-stage companies across a wide variety of corporate transactions: entity formation and incorporation…
ChicagoView profile →Joseph Falk
Head of Litigation
Joe is the head of litigation at Founders Law, providing outside counsel to startups and founders whenever disputes arise. With 10+ years as a litigator, he handles all…
DenverView profile →Dane Fogdall
Associate Attorney
Dane is an associate attorney with a deep interest in the intersection of litigation, business, and intellectual property law. Prior to joining Founders Law, he drafted AI…
BoulderView profile →Corey Gerson
Senior Attorney
Corey is a startup and technology lawyer. He has extensive experience representing clients ranging from high-growth companies to Fortune 100 businesses, with a particular…
ChicagoView profile →Sonali Hanson
Head of Artificial Intelligence
Sonali leads Founders Law's artificial intelligence practice. She spent over a decade at a legal technology company as General Counsel and Managing Partner of its law group…
New YorkView profile →Charlotte Jabbari
Counsel
Charlotte is a corporate attorney based in New York, advising founders, startups, and growth-stage companies on complex corporate matters and serving as a trusted advisor on…
ChicagoView profile →Erika R. Knierim
Partner
Erika R. Knierim is a Partner at Founders Law, where she advises founders, investors, and technology companies across software, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and…
DenverView profile →Noah Levin
Attorney
Noah is a corporate and startup attorney in Founders Law's Startup & Venture Capital group. He drafts and negotiates the agreements early-stage and growth companies rely on…
ChicagoView profile →Matthew C. McElwee
Founder & Managing Partner
Matthew McElwee is the Founder and Managing Partner of Founders Law, where he advises founders, startups, growth-stage companies, and venture capital funds. His approach is…
DenverView profile →Zoe Nagasing
Attorney
Zoe advises startups, founders, and growing companies on the legal decisions that shape a business from formation through its next stage of growth. Her practice includes…
Los AngelesView profile →Rebecca Reilly
Counsel
Rebecca advises private investment funds on formation, investor onboarding, and the deployment of capital. With a background in securities and Blue Sky compliance, she…
ChicagoView profile →Charlie Sommers
Attorney
Charlie counsels founders at every stage, providing legal and business strategy from idea to exit. He pairs his legal training with an MBA in Quantitative Finance, bringing a…
Boulder + DenverView profile →Sam Ziegler
Partner
Sam helps founders navigate the full startup journey: formation, fundraising (SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds), hiring, customer and vendor agreements, IP…
ChicagoView profile →Omar Zoubeidi
Attorney
Omar Zoubeidi joined Founders Law in 2025 and works on matters relating to corporate and startup work, providing legal support to early-stage founders as they turn their…
Firm & operations
The people who keep the firm running so the attorneys can focus on founders.
ChicagoView profile →Terrence Budnik
Firm Administrator
Terrence supports the firm's operations and growth. His diverse background lets him assist across both administrative and strategic functions.
New YorkView profile →Austin Bush
Law Clerk
Austin supports the firm's attorneys as a law clerk, assisting with legal research, drafting, and the day-to-day work behind founder matters.
ChicagoView profile →Creighton Foulkes
Law Clerk
Creighton is a law clerk at Founders Law and a second-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Before law school, he spent about six years in San…
ChicagoView profile →Neilton Meewes
Legal Engineer
Neilton optimizes the firm's internal processes and technology for efficiency and accuracy. With international legal training and fluency in four languages, he bridges the…
ChicagoView profile →Natalia Pidhaina
Legal Assistant
Natalia joined Founders Law in 2025 as a Legal Assistant, handling administrative matters and supporting the attorneys across the firm's day-to-day work.
DenverView profile →Nefer Rodriguez
Operations Coordinator
Nefer partners with the Managing Partner and leadership team to support firm operations, strategic planning, and organizational growth across departmental coordination and…
What we stand for
The values that shape how we work.
We're not a roster of attorneys who happen to share letterhead. We share a standard for how we show up for founders, and you'll notice it no matter who works on your matter.
i.
Practical
Our attorneys learned at the large firms and honed their skills on real matters. We approach every matter through the lens of accomplishing the goal, not churning time.
ii.
Reliable
Getting it right isn't enough. We get things done the way you need it, when you need it, and with clear communication at every step.
iii.
Accessible
Founders don't keep office hours. We don't wait three weeks to get back to you with "initial thoughts." We work at a founder's pace, without sacrificing quality.
Careers
Think like a founder?
Good lawyers are drawn to good work, not to a timer. If you'd rather be measured by what you solved than by what you logged, we'd like to hear from you, whether or not there's a posting up.
See open roles