Neil Fogel Senior Counsel

Neil Fogel graduated from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law in Tucson, Arizona, where he served in the IP and Technology Commercialization Clinic. Neil has long harnessed a passion for entrepreneurship, emerging technologies, and creative solutions to today’s modern problems.

Prior to law school, Neil graduated from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona with a B.S. in Justice Studies, where he competed on the men’s NCAA DI swimming and diving team.

Prior to joining Vela Wood, Neil practiced at DLA Piper and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in their corporate/commercial, technology transactions, and outsourcing practice group. In his prior roles, Neil focused on transactions related to outsourcing (business processes, IT, facilities management, cloud computing, finance and accounting, and project management), intellectual property and licensing, software and tech-commercialization, property management, SLAs, and professional/consulting services. Neil has also worked with startups and emerging companies as they navigate their growth cycle on formation, corporate governance, financing, and M&A events.

At DLA Piper, Neil served on the firm’s ESG Task Force advising companies on the latest trends and developments in environmental, social, and governance matters, including annual sustainability reporting and corporate sustainability practices.

At Vela Wood, Neil brings a holistic approach to the practice of law and the way he serves his clients, from inception to operation and expansion to modernization. Neil offers sophisticated legal advice and creative strategic solutions to many aspects of his clients’ businesses. Neil’s quick and creative wit, enthusiastic commitment to his client’s cause, and dedication to his role as ‘counselor’ make him the go-to choice for clients seeking external general counsel or legal advice in this rapidly evolving commercial environment.

Select Representations

*Some transactions reflect Neil’s work at prior firms.

• Acted as a de-facto general counsel for a US-based publicly traded REIT, which required ongoing commercial transaction and public company reporting support*

• Advised multiple companies on the creation of standard customer agreements/terms and conditions for software or platform-based technology products*

• Assisted a public company with a large-scale transition of commercial contracts for software and technology services to a newly created subsidiary entity*

• Assisted with a $350M BPO facilities management outsourcing transaction for a leading provider of business-to-business data center company providing data center housing, management, and security solutions in the U.S. and EU*

• Assisted with a multi-tower outsourcing transaction for a leading provider of business-to-business SaaS-based software company providing supply chain management, manufacturing planning, retail planning, store operations, and collaborative category management solutions*

• Assisted with an outsourcing transaction for a SaaS platform that provides recruitment and hiring solutions that enables companies to manage and scale recruiting programs*

• Assisted Paradox, an artificial intelligence technology provider designed to help human resource and recruiting teams automate functions, in a $40M Series B financing. This involved navigating complex legal structures associated with emerging companies and the AI space across multiple jurisdictions.*

• Assisted with an international BPO facilities management transaction for a leading provider of online retail, manufacturing, distribution, streaming, and cloud services*

• Assisted with an outsourcing transaction for a SaaS platform providing vendor management and payment services for a leading international sport and apparel company*

• Assisted an established SaaS provider of insurance management platforms with a subscription service agreement for an international insurance provider*

• Assisted an international travel agency and rental car company with a multi-million dollar outsourcing transaction for information technology and network services*

Pro Bono

• Assisted Afghan refugees and asylum seekers seeking permanent residence in the United States*

• Assisted a New York-based nonprofit that provides services to survivors of gender-based violence*

• Assisted the ADL and Brandeis Center with their efforts to combat antisemitism in the United States*

• Provided pro-bono assistance, including commercial contract, entity formation, and corporate governance counsel for an international nonprofit providing services to the disabled and terminally ill*