Representation matters. Literally. It’s why a Black lawyer team is helping community members start businesses the right way.

Helen Ogbara Reeves and Randall Clark are attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer, which is self-described as “the pre preeminent international law firm with an exclusive focus on the innovation economy.”

Reeves and Clark both work in the firm’s New York office and specialize in helping entrepreneurs, startups and emerging companies as they scale.

According to her bio on the firm’s website, Reeves is a corporate and securities partner who attended Columbia Law School and Harvard College. Her focus areas include entrepreneurs & emerging companies, mergers & acquisitions, and pre-venture, venture and growth financings.

She was named one of the New York Law Journal’s Rising Stars in 2019 and joined Gunderson in 2022

“I am excited to join Gunderson’s team of more than 400 lawyers focused on exactly the same venture ecosystem that drives my practice,” Reeves said at the time. “Gunderson’s reputation is exceptional and the companies I work with will tap into a full-service team with experience gained from working on some of the most innovative transactions in the market. This is the perfect alignment for growth.”

According to his bio, Clark is a corporate and securities partner who attended Harvard Law School and the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with honors with dual degrees. 

His focus areas include corporate governance & strategy; entrepreneurs & emerging companies; mergers & acquisitions; capital markets; fund portfolio investments; pre-venture; and venture and growth financings.

He was named Venture Capital Journal’s 40 Under 40 Rising Star in 2021.

“We only represent startups and venture capital funds and that’s how I spend most of my days these days,” Clark said during an online Q&A session with The Internatus Business Club.

He also shared he initially wanted to be a film director but said his interests evolved.

“I don’t think I intended to be a lawyer. I had every intention of being the next Spike Lee,” Clark said before detailing how he tried many different things before taking a business law class that he found “exhilarating.”

“I took a business law class my senior year in college and it was the most challenging course I think I’d ever taken in my life. … I felt really challenged academically,” Clark said.

Clark applied and was accepted into Harvard Law School and, after graduating, said he “started practicing corporate law out of necessity” due to the 2008 recession.

While in law school, however, Clark said he took an “emerging company venture capital law class” that really piqued his interest. “I knew if I ever had the option to work with startups technology venture capital firms, I was going to jump on it,” Clark said.

The Black lawyer team is passionate about the work they do and have been lauded by peers and clients for their skills. When Reeves joined the firm, Management Committee member Brian Patterson expressed his excitement.

“Helen impressed us from day one, and as we got to know her better, the fit was obvious,” Patterson said. “She is not only an outstanding practitioner but is also passionate about our market and the impact we can have on diversity in the venture and technology space. I look forward to working alongside her as we continue to grow the firm.”