Julie Ryan

Julie Ryan is AltaClaro’s Head of Experiential Learning, where she leads and oversees course design, development, and instruction for AltaClaro’s Intensives Training Programs. Julie is an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School and previously served as Associate Professor of Lawyering Skills at USC Gould School of Law for nine years. Julie teaches courses in contract drafting, legal writing and advocacy, mergers & acquisitions, business planning, and transactional lawyering skills.

Julie is also a partner at Acceleron Law Group, focusing on strategic and commercial transactions, including mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt financing, partnerships and joint ventures, contracts, licensing, entity formation and structuring, and other general corporate matters. Previously, Julie was a partner at Russ August & Kabat, a Los Angeles-based law firm, where she helped spearhead the firm’s corporate practice. Prior to joining Russ August & Kabat, Julie practiced at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Clifford Chance in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., in the fields of cross-border finance, securities, and international mergers and acquisitions.

Stephen B. Kaplitt

Stephen B. Kaplitt began his career as a corporate associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, both in New York. Kaplitt received his JD cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center, and his AB in Government with High Honors from Dartmouth College. Now, an independent attorney Kaplitt, has an unusual blend of legal, operational, management and government skills. His 20 years of experience includes an aggregate of $3 billion in corporate, finance and M&A transactions with New York law firms and the International Finance Corporation, and serving as General Counsel of both an SEC-registered investment advisory firm and a $350 million multinational public company.

Marilyn Sonnie

Marilyn is a business-savvy attorney with finance and accounting background and more than 20 years of corporate and transactional legal experience with a large firm in New York City and as General Counsel at a tech company. She is a proactive transactional leader, known for good judgment, excellent drafting/negotiating skills and ability to drive complex commercial transactions while minimizing legal risk. She has managed numerous high profile transactions and has advised clients in headline-making corporate control contests. She recently retired as partner from Jones Day and is now living on a homestead in the Adirondack Mountains in New York state.

Philip Colbran

Philip Colbran is a senior transactional attorney with over 30 years experience focusing on corporate and securities practice. A former partner of Chadbourne & Parke LLP, and former Special Counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP in New York and associate at Freehills in Australia, Mr. Colbran has extensive experience in US and international corporate finance. He has represented global financial institutions, corporations, issuers, placement agents and underwriters in connection with domestic and international public offerings, IPO’s and private placements of debt and equity, including derivative structured securities, MTN programs, Rule 144A offerings of high-yield and investment grade debt, cross border and other negotiated acquisitions, and joint ventures.

Helen Choi

Helen Choi teaches at USC Gould School of Law focusing on Contract Drafting and Negotiation, as well as Directed Research. She currently teaches undergraduate advanced writing at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and argumentation at the USC Annenberg School of Communication. Helen was senior corporate lawyer in New York and California at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and she is a member of the bar in California and New York. At UC Berkeley, she earned a BA in Philosophy with high honors and a BA in Ethnic Studies with highest honors, and she graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude.

Greg McLaughlin

Greg McLaughlin is an experienced attorney with over a decade of practice in-house at a Fortune 50 company and at major law firms, and with a rare combination of both first-hand courtroom and direct customer dealroom transactional experience. Greg is a global lead lawyer at IBM addressing and resolving disputes, and otherwise managing transactions, with IBM’s most sensitive client relationships across both of IBM’s Global Services businesses.

Robert Rugani

Robert Rugani’s practice focuses on corporate legal services for emerging growth and mid-cap companies, with an emphasis on equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, sales and divestitures, venture fund representation, domestic and international strategic relationships, corporate governance and other strategic business counseling. Prior to co-founding Acceleron Law Group in 2015, Robert was a partner at Fortis General Counsel, LLP, which was recognized by U.S. News & Report as a Tier 1 California corporate law firm and by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 50 boutique law firms in California. Prior to that, Robert developed his corporate and finance practice at the law firms of Sidley Austin LLP, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, and Brobeck Phleger & Harrison LLP, respectively.

Greg Stoller

Greg Stoller represents public and private companies in mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions, as well as with respect to their daily corporate governance matters. Mr. Stoller also represents issuers and investors in their securities, financing and other legal matters. Mr. Stoller's clients range from early stage growth companies to mature public and private companies across a wide range of industries. Mr. Stoller has been recognized as one of the top up-and-coming lawyers, including being named as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers since 2014.