About Us

 Professional Profiles

Our litigators are skilled tacticians, pragmatic advisors and seasoned trial attorneys. We draw upon this broad base of experience and expertise to help clients anticipate and avoid problems, resolve disputes and grow their businesses. Our lawyers take pride in their ability to establish and maintain long term relationships based on trust and competency.

Where a client's needs require specialized service beyond our expertise, the established relationships we maintain within local, national and international legal and business communities provide our clients with the support necessary for a complete solution.

If you or someone you know in Silicon Valley, the Bay Area or throughout California needs the assistance of an experienced Northern California Business Law Attorney, please call the DPA Law Group today at (877) 408-6501, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your initial consultation.

FIRM ADDRESS:
DPA Law Group
46 W. Santa Clara St.
San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (877)408-6501
Hours: M-F, 8:00AM-5:00PM
In addition to English we have lawyers fluent in French and Turkish.

MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:

Drew Piunti

Drew Piunti is a shareholder of DPA Law Group.  His practice encompasses general corporate counseling, mergers and acquisitions, IP licensing, commercial transactions and select business litigation representing private and public corporations, entrepreneurs and emerging technology companies from a broad range of industries.

Drew's corporate practice includes start-up counseling, entity formation and financing and strategic alliances.  He counsels companies in equity and equity-linked transactions, including private placements, mergers and acquisitions.  He has particular expertise structuring and advising companies in the telecommunications, semiconductor, medical device, construction and software industries in acquisition transactions including mergers, stock acquisitions and asset sales.

On a select basis Drew also represents technology companies, investors, manufacturers and real estate investors in matters of business litigation and dispute resolution in both state and federal courts.  Litigation matters include disputes arising out of failed corporate transactions, breaches of contract, and business torts such as unfair competition, tortious interference, insurance bad faith and misappropriation of trade secrets.

During 20 years of combined corporate and litigation experience, Drew has helped clients resolve in excess of 200 mediated, arbitrated and litigated business disputes.

Drew graduated with honors from the University of California at Berkeley in 1980 with a bachelors of arts degree in political economy.  He graduated with honors from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1984 where he was a member of the Hastings Law Journal.  After graduation, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. William B. Enright, U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of California, and as a deputy district attorney with the Office of the District Attorney, Santa Clara County, California.  Drew lives in San Jose with his wife and two children.

EDUCATION

• University of California, Hasting College of Law, J.D., 1984
• University of California, Berkeley, B.A., Political Economy, 1980

COURTS ADMITTED

• California
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California

ASSOCIATIONS

• Program Director, Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs 
• Member, The Indus Entrepreneurs
• AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell (highest peer review rating for legal ability and ethical standards)

PRACTICE AREAS

• Mergers, Acquisition and Divestiture
• Private Equity and Venture Financing
• Start-up and Entity Formation
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Real Estate Syndication
• Licensing, Commercial and Partnering Agreements
• Dispute Resolution and Trial Work in the State and Federal Courts

Delphine Guerre

Delphine Guerre is of counsel to DPA Law Group. She specializes in issues related to technology, intellectual property and other commercial contractual matters.
Delphine advises and represents public and private companies with respect to intellectual property licensing and related commercial transactions.

More specifically, Delphine has expertise in analyzing, structuring, drafting and/or negotiating a variety of licensing and other commercial agreements, including, but not limited to, manufacturing agreements, foundry agreements, semiconductor design agreements, purchase and supply agreements, software license agreements, patent and other technology license agreements, development agreements, OEM/distributor/reseller agreements, marketing agreements, consulting and technical services agreements, joint venture/strategic partner agreements, technology transfer agreements, content license agreements, asset purchase agreements, and e-commerce and Internet related agreements (including web-based hosting and application service provider agreements, web site development agreements, privacy policies and web site terms of use.)

Delphine also counsels clients on intellectual property issues, including ownership of intellectual property rights, trade secret and copyright issues, as well as privacy and other Internet and e-commerce issues. In addition to her substantial experience with a wide variety of licensing and other intellectual property matters, she assists clients with intellectual property issues arising in the context of public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and private financings.

Delphine was born in France and was educated in France and in the United States. After receiving a combined 3 year degree in French Law and English from the Universite de Paris-X, Nanterre, Delphine graduated with honors from the University of San Francisco with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. She received her juris doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law.  Delphine is fluent in French.

COURTS ADMITTED

• California

PUBLICATIONS

• Can You Spam After Can-Spam? The State Bar of California, Business Law News, Issue 1, 2004 (co-author)
• Interactive Website Sales Sufficient to Establish General Jurisdiction, The Bureau of National Affairs, World Internet Law Report, Vol. 4, Issue 12, December 2003 (co-author)

PRACTICE AREAS

• Mergers, Acquisition and Divestiture
• Private Equity and Venture Financing
• Start-up and Entity Formation
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Real Estate Syndication
• Licensing, Commercial and Partnering Agreements

Kelly Raftery

Kelly Raftery is of counsel to DPA Law Group.  Her practice focuses on litigation and dispute resolution in a variety of civil and white collar criminal matters, with a particular emphasis on trial work and other evidentiary proceedings.  She is a highly skilled litigator and a very effective and experienced trial attorney with more than 40 successful jury trials.
 
Kelly obtained a bachelors of arts degree from Stanford University in 1981, and a juris doctorate degree with highest honors from Washington University in St. Louis in 1984.  At Washington University, Kelly was on Law Review, interned as a judicial law clerk with the Honorable Harold Satz, Eastern District of Missouri, and was selected for Order of the Coif. Following graduation she litigated with the San Francisco office of the firm formerly known Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, before serving as a deputy district attorney with the Office of the District Attorney, San Francisco County, and then with the Office of the District Attorney, Santa Clara County, California.
 
Kelly has taught seminars in evidentiary procedure to attorneys at the University of California, Berkeley, through the California Continuing Education of the Bar program, to students at the Stanford University School of Law, Trial Advocacy College, and to students at the University of San Francisco.  She has presented various other programs in the litigation and evidence fields.  In 2003, she was appointed to the San Jose Appeals Hearing Board and continues to serve as Commissioner.  In 2004, Kelly was selected as the Chapter President for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of Parents Television Council, a nonprofit public advocacy group.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Mergers, Acquisition and Divestiture
• Private Equity and Venture Financing
• Start-up and Entity Formation
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Real Estate Syndication
• Licensing, Commercial and Partnering Agreements
• Dispute Resolution and Trial Work in the State and Federal Courts

Jason Tolu

Jason Tolu is of counsel to DPA Law Group where his practice concentrates on business and real estate law (primarily litigation matters) and the development and preparation of estate plans.
 
With over ten years of professional experience, Jason has both worked in-house with several software companies, and in private practice representing individual investors and entrepreneurs as well as small and large mid-market Silicon Valley businesses, including banks, high-tech start-ups, real estate developers,  restaurants, equipment lessors and retail establishments.  At DPA Law Group, Jason's transactional practice focuses primarily on estate planning.
 
Jason obtained a bachelors of arts degree from UCLA in 1991, and a juris doctorate degree from UCLA Law School in 1995, where he was a member of the Moot Court Honors Program.  Following graduation he litigated with the San Francisco firm Cooper, White & Cooper and most recently with the San Jose firm Terra Law LLP.  Jason is a frequent speaker on estate planning matters.

Jason is fluent in Turkish.

COURTS ADMITTED

• California 

ASSOCIATIONS

• Burlingame Rotary Club
• UCLA Alumni Association 

PRACTICE AREAS

• Mergers, Acquisition and Divestiture
• Private Equity and Venture Financing
• Start-up and Entity Formation
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Real Estate Syndication
• Licensing, Commercial and Partnering Agreements
• Dispute Resolution and Trial Work in the State and Federal Courts