Michael Lempres brings deep expertise to help companies do business at the intersection of emerging regulations and commerce, particularly in the innovation economy. He has decades of senior level experience in government, private and public companies. Mike worked as general counsel to Bitnet Technologies Corp., a venture backed digital currency startup. Previously, Mike served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the Pacific Exchange), a national securities exchange for stocks and options, through its merger with Archipelago (now part of the NYSE). Mike also worked in a senior role at Silicon Valley Bank, where he was responsible for most of the company’s legal and regulatory matters. He also headed Silicon Valley Bank’s government affairs program and served as Chair of its political action committee. Before moving to in-house company roles, Mike worked at nationally recognized law firms in both San Francisco and Washington, DC.
In government, three US Presidents appointed Mike to senior positions. Initially appointed as a White House Fellow, Mike worked closely with two Attorneys General in the U.S. Department of Justice and served as Vice President of the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation. He also served as Counsel to the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives. Mike earned an A.B. degree from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Mike is enrolled as a Solicitor in England and Wales, and he is a member of the California and D.C. bar associations.