Mission
To build businesses and communities through collaborations with exceptional clients in the most innovative markets in the United States and abroad. To unleash the transformative power of creativity and capital without compromising our commitment to people, planet, and principles.
Our practice is focused on helping high-growth ventures, investment funds, and high net worth individuals create and preserve value in innovative growth sectors. Because we emphasize providing actual value over the appearance of value, our rates are competitive—making lawyers with unassailable credentials and experience accessible to a wide range of clients.
Clients
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Harry S. TrumanHow far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?"
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Nancy AstorThe penalty of success is to be bored by people who used to snub you."
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EpictetusIt is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."
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Cullen HightowerA true measure of your worth includes all the benefits others have gained from your success "
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Felix FrankfurterAll the interests of man...life, liberty and property, are in the keeping of lawyers."
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Oscar WildeAnybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success "
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ZeuxisCriticism comes easier than craftsmanship."
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Willie NelsonOne of the reasons I like Texas is because there's no one in control."
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Michael YbarraWe don't have to be the richest lawyers, just among the very best—and happiest."
Services
Formation & Founding
Funding & Financing
Whether from founders, angel investors, venture capital, or crowdfunding, growth capital is the lifeblood of any emerging business. Our attorneys have been on both sides of the table in a wide array of investment negotiations, giving us valuable insight into the legal, financial, and emotional aspects of funding negotiations.
Litigation & Arbitration
Our lawyers have extensive experience representing businesses in internal and external disputes, in the courtroom and in arbitration. In addition to being sharp litigators, we are skilled at incorporating the clients’ business, financial, and emotional goals into a holistic strategy for resolving difficult disputes.
Intellectual Property
Our approach to intellectual property emphasizes creation of long-term value by establishing, developing, and protecting these essential assets. We regularly advise clients on matters of trademark, copyright, and trade secrets, including registration of intellectual property and enforcement of IP rights.
Mergers & Acquisitions
We routinely counsel clients on mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions across a wide range of industries. With experience representing buyers and sellers at all stages of development, our lawyers are well-positioned to maximize value and advise on risk in high-stakes corporate transactions.
International & Immigration
Social Responsibility
We believe that a venture’s investment in the environment and society is an investment in the value of the company itself. Our lawyers form B-corporations and 501(c)(3)s, ensure compliance with environmental and labor standards, and otherwise integrate our clients’ values into the fabric of their business.
Arts & Entertainment
Our music practice counsels clients on a wide variety of negotiations, with an emphasis on independent record and publishing deals and digital distribution. In the visual arts, we counsel artists and galleries on questions of commissions, liability, insurance, and copyright.
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Harry S. TrumanHow far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?"
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Nancy AstorThe penalty of success is to be bored by people who used to snub you."
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EpictetusIt is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."
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Cullen HightowerA true measure of your worth includes all the benefits others have gained from your success "
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Felix FrankfurterAll the interests of man...life, liberty and property, are in the keeping of lawyers."
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Oscar WildeAnybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success "
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ZeuxisCriticism comes easier than craftsmanship."
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Willie NelsonOne of the reasons I like Texas is because there's no one in control."
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Michael YbarraWe don't have to be the richest lawyers, just among the very best—and happiest."
Team
Michael Ybarra
operating as Principal
An Austin native, Michael co-founded Ybarra PLLC in New York City in 2010 with fellow associates from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, one the country’s premier law firms. Outside the office, he is a Trustee of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and an Economic Prosperity Commissioner for the City of Austin.
While at Simpson, he participated in the defense of complex antitrust, securities, and international disputes, including assisting in the defense of MasterCard in a landmark antitrust action brought against it by Discover and American Express. Michael also routinely worked with the firm’s mergers & acquisitions team to clear market-defining deals with antitrust regulators.
Michael has a longstanding interest in international law and human rights, and continues to work on consultations to the United Nations and its constituent organizations. In 2009-2010, he was a Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Fellow in the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, where he focused on strengthening the efficacy of the International Criminal Court and justice mechanisms for serious crimes in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. While still in law school, Michael traveled to West Africa to work with the Office of the Principal Defender at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Outside of his practice, Michael is committed to educating students of business and the law, most recently at the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business. Past and future teaching appointments include Texas State University, Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg in Mosbach, Germany, and the International Law Institute’s African Centre for Legal Excellence in Kampala, Uganda.
Michael received his B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 2002, where he was Managing Editor of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. He received his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2006, where he was Managing Editor of the N.Y.U. Journal of International Law & Politics.
Associations
New York State Bar Association, International Section
Admissions
New York 2008
Texas 2014
Education
New York University School of Law, 2006 J.D.
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 2002 B.S.F.S. cum laude
New York University Journal of International Law & Politics, Managing Editor
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Managing Editor
Lane Sanders
operating as Counsel
Of Counsel. A co-founder of Ybarra PLLC, Lane was previously a corporate associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York City, where her practice included work in mergers and acquisitions, credit and banking, and capital markets. There, she participated in the successful closing of many multi-billion dollar acquisition financing deals. Subsequently, she was an associate at Tonkon Torp LLP in Portland, Oregon, focusing on capital markets and general corporate practice, with a concentrated focus on the daily needs of a small number of corporate clients. After leaving Portland, she returned to New York where she helped to build the firm’s practice.
Lane is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and has done coursework at Chicago’s Graduate School of Business. She earned her BA with highest honors from Purdue University.
Admissions
New York, 2007
Education
University of Chicago Law School, 2006 J.D.
Purdue University, 2003 B.A. in Political Science, summa cum laude
The American Journal of Politics and Government, Editorial and Review Board Member 1999-2003
Jorge Campos
operating as Counsel
Of Counsel. Jorge received his LLM from Fordham University in 2006, focusing on Information Technology and Intellectual Property, and holds an MBA from Thunderbird, the School of Global Management in Arizona. He received his law degree and his masters in Labor Law from the Universidad Tecnólogia de México in Mexico City, and is fluent in English and Spanish. Jorge has been engaged in detailed analytic international issues for over eight years, including work on a range of financial transactions with Grupo ICA—Mexico’s largest construction and infrastructure company—and with PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Mexico City office on a broad range of corporate and tax issues.
Admissions
Mexico, 2000
New York, 2012
Education
Fordham University, 2006 L.L.M.
Thunderbird, 2005 M.B.A.
Universidad Tecnólogia de México, 2000 Licenciado en Derecho
Daniel Berner
operating as Counsel
Of Counsel. In addition to advising Ybarra PLLC’s corporate and litigation clients, Daniel is the founder of Berner Law PLLC, an Austin practice focused on immigration and litigation. He grew up in Brazil, Spain and The Netherlands, and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and proficient in French and Dutch. After graduating from Georgetown Law, Daniel worked as an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York City and at Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. in Austin, Texas. During this time, he obtained extensive experience working with international clients and U.S. clients on international matters and disputes. Daniel has long been interested in immigration matters; during law school, he clerked at the Federal Defenders of San Diego, focusing primarily on the representation of undocumented immigrants. At Cleary Gottlieb, he was twice recognized for his pro bono advocacy on behalf of asylum applicants. Daniel presently serves on the board of directors of the Workers Defense Project, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the working conditions of low-wage workers, primarily in the immigrant community.
Daniel received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2007 and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2002.
Admissions
New York, 2010
Texas, 2012
Education
Georgetown University, 2007 J.D.
University of Texas at Austin, 2002 B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Eric Feldman
operating as Counsel
Eric spent the last five years as the Co-Founder, COO, and General Counsel of Braven Brewing Company, a Brooklyn-based craft brewery startup. He established all phases of Braven’s operations from the ground up, including negotiating and executing distribution, production, financing, intellectual property, equipment rental, and real estate agreements. Working with his co-founder, Eric also managed the long-term brand development and marketing projects of the company. Eric understands firsthand the pressure and legal considerations of small business operations.
In addition to his small business focus, Eric has experience advising and working with both local and international non-profit organizations. From 2010-2011, Eric served as a Human Rights Attorney with International Bridges to Justice, preparing grant applications, focusing on program management, and deploying training programs from the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and a remote office in Panadura, Sri Lanka. From 2011 – 2012, Eric also served as a Director for Music Crossing Borders, designing organization-wide strategy for a community development non-profit.
Eric received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008 and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Hamilton College in 2003.
Admissions
New York, 2009
Education
Georgetown University, 2008 J.D.
Hamilton College, 2003 B.A.
- 393 West 49th Street, No. 3W, New York, NY 10019
- +1 212 804 8064
- inquiries@ybarrapllc.com