Joel
Teklu
Joel Teklu is a transactional attorney with over 15 years of experience in structuring, negotiating, and drafting complex commercial transactions and intellectual property licensing across the US and abroad. His practice focuses on providing business and legal counsel to companies, across a variety of business life cycles and industries, to help them manage and expand their relationships with customers, strategic partners, and service vendors, and form or restructure their business entities and operations.
Education
University of Southern California (Gould) School of Law, J.D. 2008
Columbia University, Columbia College, B.A., Political Science and Psychology, 2003
Admitted to Practice
California (2008)
Texas (2024)
Practice Areas
Entity Formation, Restructuring and Funding
Real Estate Transactions
Construction Law
Commercial Transactions for Sales, Services, and Supply Chain
Entertainment Law
Executive Compensation and Severance
Franchise Law
Intellectual Property Licensing
Mediation
Previous Experience
Prior to joining the firm, Joel practiced in the technology and entertainment sectors, primarily in Los Angeles. In tech, he served as in-house counsel at Roku and Vizio where he primarily supported their business development efforts with strategic partners in the streaming television ecosystem. In entertainment, he served in roles at major studios and boutique law firms where he supported the development and production of television and digital media programming.
Lagniappe
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Fun Fact: Traveled solo for a year to 29 countries across 3 continents
Passionate About: Family, History, Public Policy, Pop Culture, Fitness, & Competitive Trivia
Selling Your Company: The Legal Readiness a Buyer Will Test
Long before a buyer settles on a final price, its lawyers will work through your cap table, your IP, and your customer contracts. The usual problems there can be fixed, but on a clock measured in months, not the weeks a live deal allows.
Read MoreBuying Out a Business Partner in Texas
For most Texas LLCs, a buyout is the only way one owner can leave with the company intact, because the statute allows no resignation and no vote that removes a co-owner. This guide takes the process in order, from whether a buyout can be forced to pricing, financing, and closing one.
Read MoreCan You Force a Business Partner Buyout in Texas
Can Texas law make a co-owner buy you out, or sell to you, once negotiations have gone nowhere? The answer depends less on the statute than on what your company agreement says and the leverage each side actually holds.
Read More