Mr. Chaffin is a partner in the Corporate & Securities group at Pillsbury’s Palo Alto office. His experience in representing clients in the Silicon Valley spans more than twenty years. He focuses on the representation of technology companies and venture capital firms in financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and commercial transactions. Mr. Chaffin also assists companies in their intellectual property protection and licensing programs, tax planning, and strategic corporate planning. He has represented both mature as well as early stage companies in the areas of semiconductors, software, communications equipment, contract manufacturing, information technology, life sciences, consumer and health products and real estate development and syndication.

Mr. Chaffin is a past chairperson of the Tax Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section. He is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Golden Gate University where he teaches in the Graduate School of Taxation.

Mr. Chaffin is also a prominent member of the firm's India & South Asia practice group.

Education

LL.M., Taxation, New York University School of Law, 1984

J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law, 1983
with honors

B.A., Economics & Accounting, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1980

Admissions

State of California

Court of Appeals Federal Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit; U.S. Tax Court; U.S. District Court, Northern and Central Districts of California

Affiliations

Business and Taxation Sections, State Bar of California

Certified Specialist in Taxation by the State Bar of California

Executive Committee, Business Law Section of Santa Clara County Bar Association

Notable Press Items

September 20, 2004
IP Law Bulletin, "Judge Overturns $7.1M Jury Verdict vs. Umbilical-Cord Blood Banks"