---
title: Senior Startup Counsel Role at SPZ Legal
description: SPZ Legal introduces its Senior Startup Counsel role, promoting top attorneys and enhancing client service with experienced, focused legal support for startups.
image: https://spzlegal.com/hubfs/Senior%20Startup%20Counsel%20(1).png
---

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    - [Case Study: Verto Education](https://spzlegal.com/verto-case-study)
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    - [Paige Southworth](https://spzlegal.com/paige-southworth)
    - [Ryan Shaening Pokrasso](https://spzlegal.com/team/ryan-shaening-pokrasso)
    - [Sam Taylor](https://spzlegal.com/team/sam-taylor)
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# Promotions to Senior Startup Counsel: Recognizing Experience, Investing in Careers

[News](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/news)

![](https://spzlegal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Senior%20Startup%20Counsel%20(1).png?width=760&height=428&name=Senior%20Startup%20Counsel%20(1).png)

We're thrilled to share an exciting update at SPZ Legal. Effective February 1, 2026, [**Gea Kang**](https://spzlegal.com/team/gea-kang), [**Sam Taylor**](https://spzlegal.com/team/sam-taylor), and [**Hannah Porter**](https://spzlegal.com/team/hannah-porter) have been promoted to the role of Senior Startup Counsel (SSC), joining [David De La Flor](https://spzlegal.com/team/david-de-la-flor), who has held this distinguished role at the firm.

This promotion is a meaningful recognition of the depth of experience and expertise these attorneys bring to SPZ Legal every day, and reflects our ongoing commitment to providing greater clarity around client ownership, responsibilities, and long-term growth opportunities at the firm.

## Congratulations to Our New Senior Startup Counselors

Gea, Sam, and Hannah have each demonstrated an exceptional level of dedication, expertise, and genuine care for the clients they serve, as well as an incredible level of support for our team as a whole. We are proud to see them step into this role alongside David, and we invite you to join us in celebrating this well-deserved recognition of their hard work and commitment to SPZ Legal and our core values.

## Our Vision

At SPZ, we strongly believe in treating our team members well and fostering a collaborative environment that supports professional development and work-life balance.

The SSC role is intentionally flexible and is not designed as a one-size-fits-all position. Instead, it allows senior attorneys to shape a career path aligned with their individual goals. Whether that means deepening expertise, taking on leadership or firm-building initiatives, or pursuing a hybrid approach that blends both.

Our goal is to support SSC attorneys in building fulfilling, sustainable, and rewarding long-term careers at SPZ.

## What This Means for Our Clients

At its core, the SSC role is also great news for the founders and startups we serve. When you work with an SSC attorney, you're working with someone who has spent years in the trenches of startup law. They are deeply experienced, highly skilled, and genuinely invested in your success.

Equally important, SSC attorneys are supported, mentored, and set up to thrive. Because they aren't overloaded or stretched thin, they come to every client matter fresh, focused, and at their best. That kind of environment doesn't just benefit our attorneys, it directly translates into higher quality work and better outcomes for our clients.

We believe that a well-supported attorney is a better attorney, and our clients deserve nothing less.

## Looking Ahead

The Senior Startup Counsel role reflects SPZ's commitment to recognizing experience, investing in long-term careers, and providing flexibility for attorneys to grow in ways that matter to them. We are excited to see Gea, Sam, and Hannah in this role, and we look forward to supporting all of our SSC attorneys as they continue to build impactful, sustainable careers at SPZ.

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Categories

- [Funding](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/funding)
- [Incorporation](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/incorporation)
- [Employment](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/employment)
- [Contracts](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/contracts)
- [Data Privacy](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/data-privacy)
- [M&A](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/ma)
- [Firm Culture](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/firm-culture)
- [News](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/news)
- [Social Enterprise](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/social-enterprise)
- [Acquired](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/acquired)
- [Intellectual Property](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/intellectual-property)
- [Client Engagement](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/client-engagement)
- [Nonprofit](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/nonprofit)
- [AI](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/ai)
- [Artificial Intelligence](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/artificial-intelligence)

Recent Posts

- [Becky Mancero Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Second Consecutive Year](https://spzlegal.com/blog/becky-mancero-best-lawyers-ones-to-watch-2026)
- [What We Fix in Diligence Over and Over Again Before a Financing or Exit](https://spzlegal.com/blog/startup-legal-issues-before-financing-exit)
- [Becky Mancero on the Melissa Widner Podcast: Cap Tables, Equity Mistakes, and AI in the Legal World](https://spzlegal.com/blog/becky-mancero-on-the-melissa-widner-podcast-cap-tables-equity-mistakes-ai-in-the-legal-world)
- [Spinning Out a Product Into a New Startup: Legal Issues Founders Need to Solve Early](https://spzlegal.com/blog/spinning-out-product-new-startup-legal-guide)
- [Converting an LLC to a Corporation: When It Makes Sense and How to Do It Without Creating a Mess](https://spzlegal.com/blog/converting-llc-to-corporation-startup-guide)
- [The Role of LOIs in M&As: Structuring Letters of Intent](https://spzlegal.com/blog/the-role-of-lois-in-mas-structuring-letters-of-intent)
- [Exit Structures: Mergers, Acquisitions, & Tax Treatment](https://spzlegal.com/blog/exit-structures-mergers-acquisitions-tax-treatment)
- [Due Diligence Best Practices: Be Prepared for M&A Success](https://spzlegal.com/blog/due-diligence-best-practices-be-prepared-for-ma-success)

Locations

**San Francisco Bay Area, California**

**Milwaukee, Wisconsin**

**Los Angeles, California**

**Denver, Colorado**

**Miami, Florida**

**Austin, Texas**

Contact Us

[Email](https://spzlegal.com/contact)

Follow Us

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spz-legal)

Startup Topics

- [Formation](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/incorporation)
- [Funding](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/funding)
- [Employment](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/employment)
- [Intellectual Property](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/intellectual-property)
- [Data Privacy](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/data-privacy)
- [Commercial Agreements](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/contracts)
- [M&A Law](https://spzlegal.com/blog/tag/ma)

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