Chris Spillman
Tech companies keep me on retainer and call me when they sell | Institutional-grade GC services and
Licensed in: Virginia, New York, Arizona, Illinois
About
Most tech companies need a general counsel long before they can justify hiring one. That gap is where I work. I run the Americas practice at Biztech Lawyers, a tech-focused firm operating across the US, UK, and Australia. Two offerings make up most of what I do. Portfolio Counsel. Ongoing outside general counsel on a fixed monthly fee. Commercial contracts, financings, employment, IP, privacy, and the daily judgment calls that do not fit neatly under a matter number. You get a lawyer who already knows your business and a bill you can forecast. M&A and exits. Sell-side transactions for founder-led and venture-backed companies, from readiness through closing. I have run a dual-track process where a corporate group sold two businesses to two different buyers at the same time, so I know where these deals break. I spent years on the other side of the desk. I was general counsel and concurrently CFO at Quadpay through its acquisition by Zip Co., and GC/CFO of a healthcare services business through its sale. I have approved the legal invoices I now send, and that shapes how I price and how I decide what actually deserves a memo. Part of my practice is investor-side: drafting the seed investment documents a venture firm invests through, and confidentiality and diligence work for private equity and private credit sponsors. That matters to companies for one specific reason. I see the same terms from both directions, so I can tell you what will clear and what will cost you a week of negotiation for nothing. I am admitted in New York, Illinois, Virginia, and Arizona, and I serve as our Arizona ABS compliance lawyer. If you are choosing counsel, weighing fractional GC against an hourly firm, or thinking about a sale in the next 18 months, send me a message.
Practice Areas
Featured Clients
Services
- Portfolio CounselPortfolio Counsel is the general counsel function, delivered as a service. A subscription relationship that gives you the coverage of an in-house legal department — led by a senior Biztech partner, delivered by a team built around your needs. Get a named general counsel of record who knows your business, backed by our full depth across corporate, commercial, technology, data, IP, employment, and disputes.Contact
Work
General Counsel (Quadpay)ZipJan 2020 - Feb 2021- CFO and GCFidelis BillingFeb 2009 - Mar 2015
AssociateKirkland & EllisSep 2006 - Feb 2009
Education
- University of Chicago Law SchoolJD • 2006
- University of VirginiaBA with High Honors • 2003
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