Sheeva Ghassemi
Sheeva is among a small cadre of Silicon Valley attorneys whom influential companies depend on for employment advice and representation.
Sheeva is among a small cadre of Silicon Valley attorneys whom influential companies depend on for employment advice and representation.
A standout in California’s labor and employment community, Sheeva has served as a trusted advisor to over a thousand companies (and counting) over her career. She advises companies on day-to-day employment matters, helps them navigate lawsuits filed by employees and guides them through employment issues in financings, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings. Sheeva prides herself on being both a legal advisor and business partner to her clients, helping them weigh the legal risks against their business needs. She is often at the forefront of employment issues, including DEI, AI, and the gig economy.
I specialize in messy. I often engage with clients during high-stress moments and help to navigate them as smoothly as possible. Also, I pride myself on providing practical, business-minded advice that is highly tailored to each client."
- Defended a multitude of technology clients in single plaintiff employment cases involving discrimination, harassment and retaliation, including in court, mediation and arbitration
- Advised on employment issues in the IPOs for Bill.com, Velo3D, Peloton, Facebook and others
- Represented various companies in mergers and acquisitions, including WhatsApp in its record-setting $19 billion acquisition by Facebook, Facebook in several acquisitions, including in its $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR, and Cisco Systems, Intuit, Dropbox, Fitbit and many others
- Represented scores of startups and investors in financings, including Roofstock’s $20 million Series B financing and Sight Machine’s $13.5 million Series B financing
Outside of her day-to-day practice, Sheeva serves as pro bono counsel for the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP. She also participates in several of the firm’s corporate social responsibility outreach programs. In 2020, she attended a service trip to provide limited-scope legal representation of asylum-seeking families detained in the South Texas Family Residential Center.
- Calico
- Calm
- Khosla Ventures
- Model N
- Side
Recognition
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Silicon Valley Business Journal2020Named Sheeva one of Silicon Valley’s 100 Women of Influence
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Silicon Valley Business Journal2016
Honored her in its 40 Under 40 list of standout professionals
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The Justice and Diversity Center2017Recognized Sheeva as an Outstanding Volunteer, a distinction awarded to the top 15% of JDC’s volunteers