Chief Legal Officers On Demand
Who We Are
Kelly & Simmons LLP is a premier women-owned law firm, bringing Big Law expertise and in-house savvy to high-growth companies in the technology sector. We provide a full suite of legal services including strategic general counsel, transactional, commercial, intellectual property, privacy and data protection services. Our attorneys take a sophisticated and pragmatic legal approach at boutique firm rates. In addition to our in-house team, we partner with trusted attorneys and specialty firms on an as-needed basis to deliver an exceptional legal experience and the highest-quality service.
Meet the Founding Partners
Kari Kelly
Kari is the Head of Legal Services. As a former General Counsel, Kari advises clients on strategic privacy issues and structures a variety of licensing and complex commercial transactions. Kari began her career as a Foreign Associate in a premier corporate and intellectual property law firm in Cologne, Germany. Thereafter, she returned to Silicon Valley as an Associate in Mayer Brown’s M&A practice and later served as external general counsel and strategic privacy advisor to high-growth startups including in highly-regulated industries such as AdTech and HealthTech.
Kari currently lives in The Bay Area, but hails from the mountains of Colorado, which instilled a lifelong passion for hiking and outdoor sports.
Education:
J.D. – Golden Gate University
B.A. – University of Colorado Boulder
Danielle Simmons
Danielle is the Managing Partner of the firm. Danielle focuses her practice on providing strategic advice to clients and works on a broad range of corporate and transactional matters for companies in all stages of development. Danielle started her legal career in the Los Angeles and New York offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom where she represented private equity funds and companies in the practice areas of M&A, corporate counsel and finance. Prior to law she earned a two-year research training award to conduct behavioral neuroscience research at the National Institutes of Health.
Danielle is originally from Austin, Texas and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Outside of law, Danielle has a passion for non-profit work, including fundraising and non-profit management.
Education:
J.D. – Harvard Law School
B.A. – University of Southern California
Our Services
Kelly & Simmons is a company’s first stop for strategic counsel. Our attorneys act as a long-term partner for our clients and are experts in the fields of law, business and operations. We offer flexible solutions for companies in the practice areas detailed below.
Outside General Counsel and Legal Operations
K&S serves clients in various stages of growth. For our clients with no attorneys on staff we act as general counsel and provide a full-service legal team where needed. For our clients with an in-house legal team, we act as a strategic advisor and round out their existing legal department with specialists and junior support. We also advise clients on legal operations and assist them in building out an efficient legal department. Specialties in our General Counsel practice include corporate governance, labor & employee benefits, intellectual property, consumer packaged goods, real estate, tax, equity financing and mergers & acquisitions.
Commercial and Technology Transactions
As a firm focused on emerging technology companies, K&S supports the legal aspects of a company’s go-to-market and scaling strategies. This includes intellectual property licensing, complex commercial agreements, outsourcing arrangements, day-to-day commercial agreements and company policies. Our attorneys help clients develop a frictionless sales process and balance mitigating business risks with meeting commercial goals. We pride ourselves on getting deals across the finish line on time and on budget.
Privacy and Data Protection
K&S privacy and data protection specialists guide a company’s executive team and department leads in creating and managing a cohesive data governance strategy across the business. We provide product counsel, advise on commercial terms and partner with our clients to develop and implement risk-appropriate compliance practices. K&S also works with its clients to identify privacy risks and opportunities to share with a company’s board and key advisors.
