Join us this Thursday, September 24th, for a talk on the basics of entrepreneurial law with Professor Bill Brown.  As cofounder of Palmer Labs, LLC, and 8 Rivers Capital, LLC, Bill focuses on financing and commercializing technologies related to biomedical devices, energy, and the telecom and automotive industries.  Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Bill is a distinguished lawyer with an extensive career in financial services, having held leadership positions at Goldman Sachs & Co., AIG International, and Morgan Stanley.  Currently, at Duke Law, his teaching focuses on business law, business planning, capital markets, and corporate finance.

What: Entrepreneurial Law 101, Part of the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series 

 “Kill or Be Killed—Legal Advice for Entrepreneurs”

When: Thursday, September 24th, from 6pm-8:30pm       
6pm-7pm – Food and Networking
7pm-8pm – Entrepreneurial Law 101 Talk by Bill Brown
8pm-8:30pm – Student Startup Pitches

Where: Law School, Room 3041

Who for: Open to any Duke University student

Please register for this event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144873433072

Visit our website at http://www.dukedees.com/ to check for the latest schedule and for more information.  All events subject to change.

And mark your calendars for the Duke Start-Up Challenge Finals Event on Friday, November 20th with Google Ventures co-founder, Bill Maris, and the Elevator Pitch Competition / Entrepreneurship Week starting November 16th, 2009!

About Bill Brown ‘80

Bill Brown is cofounder of Palmer Labs, LLC, and 8 Rivers Capital, LLC, companies that focus on financing and commercializing technologies related to biomedical devices, traditional energy, alternative energy, and the telecom and automotive industries. A distinguished lawyer with an extensive career in financial services, Brown has held leadership positions at Goldman Sachs & Co., AIG International, and Morgan Stanley. At Duke Law, his teaching focuses on business law, business planning, capital markets, and corporate finance.

A 1980 graduate of Duke University School of Law, Brown was a member of the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal. Brown practiced law in New York City from 1980 to 1989, first at Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine and then at Sidley & Austin, where he was a partner. His practice involved acquisition financing and workouts, project finance, leveraged leasing, Latin America debt refinance, and securities regulation.

Brown began his financial services career in 1990 when he joined the currency and commodity sales group at Goldman Sachs & Co. At Goldman Sachs, he helped grow the FX product—a trading platform for the retail foreign exchange market—in the investor community, first in New York and then in London. In 1996, Brown was recruited to AIG International to become global head of sales for currency and fixed income and, one year later, was recruited to Morgan Stanley to become U.S. head of foreign exchange sales. During a part of this period, Brown also ran emerging market and non-dollar debt sales. He then took over listed derivatives as global co-head, managing over 500 members of sales, marketing, information technology, and operations teams in nine locations globally.

Brown is a member of the Duke University School of Law Board of Visitors and previously served for several years on the School of American Ballet Corporate Advisory Board. In addition to his Duke Law degree, Brown holds a bachelor's degree in biology and political science from MIT in 1977. He is married and has two daughters in college.