WSG LEGAL
WILLIAM S. GEHRKE, ESQ.
Bill Gehrke is an experienced corporate, business and technology licensing attorney. Bill serves clients in a variety of industries, including software, technology, and information services. His clients include established technology companies, private equity and venture capital portfolio companies, early stage companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.
Bill has over 25 years of experience practicing law in the Boston area, including at a major law firm and in-house as General Counsel. He provides legal services efficiently and with attention to commercial considerations.
PRACTICE AREAS
Bill Gehrke concentrates his practice on corporate and business law matters and technology licensing.
His practice includes the following:
Serving as outside general counsel to private companies
Software and technology license agreements (installed and SaaS)
Commercial contracts, such as software support and maintenance agreements, professional services agreements, development agreements, marketing agreements, and purchase and supply agreements
Equity and debt financings
Mergers and acquisitions
Employment, consulting, and severance agreements
Stock option plans
Start-ups, including company formation and agreements among founders
Stockholder agreements
Limited liability company agreements
U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies
Intercompany agreements
Terms of use and privacy policies
EXPERIENCE
Bill has been practicing law in the Boston area since 1991. He was a Partner at Hale and Dorr, predecessor to WilmerHale, a leading U.S. law firm with an internationally recognized corporate and securities practice. In 2004, he founded a Boston boutique corporate law firm. While working in his private practice, he also served as the General Counsel of an industry-leading international software company that successfully completed a private equity investment in 2017.
While focusing on corporate and licensing law, Bill also works with outside lawyers in order to ensure that clients have access to experienced lawyers in a wide range of practice areas.
Bill received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Cornell University Law School in 1991. While at Cornell, he was elected and served as the Lead Note Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal. He received a B.A. degree with a dual major, summa cum laude, from Temple University in 1988.
Bill is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
He has lectured and been published on a variety of legal topics in the corporate and securities areas.
Bill is married and has two children.
REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS
Mergers & Acquisitions
Represented IT cybersecurity company in company sale to international electronics company
Represented online retailer in acquisition of company
Represented closely-held specialty food company in sale to conglomerate
Represented coffee company in acquisition
Represented venture-backed technology company in acquisition of company
Represented numerous real estate holding companies in sale to public company ($193M, $230M, and $35M)
Represented investment company in acquisition of division ($4M)
Represented investment company in acquisition ($2M)
Represented publicly traded software company in acquisition of company ($6M)
Represented closely held equipment company in sale to public company
Equity Financings
Represented international technology equipment company in numerous equity financings
Represented life sciences company in numerous venture capital equity financings
Represented medical software company, a portfolio company of prominent Boston-based venture capital investor, in equity financings
Represented cybersecurity company in seed financing
Represented pharmaceutical development company in equity financing
Commercial Contracts
Represented industry-leading privately held software company in over 200 customer and vendor licensing agreements
Represented Swiss medical equipment company in a supply agreement
Represented technology security company in connection with development of its customer templates
Represented information company in commercial partnerships
Early Stage Companies
Represent numerous start-up and early stage companies (primarily software/IT) in formation, product development activities, IP licensing, founder and incentive equity arrangements, financings and general legal counseling