Lecturer Bios
Gary J. Ross, Esq.
Gary J. Ross is a leading securities law practitioner in both the venture capital and the offshore private equity spaces. Gary is the managing partner of Ross Law Group, PLLC, a securities law boutique focused on venture capital and private equity, corporate governance, and general corporate matters. Gary represents numerous onshore and offshore investment funds, as well as investors in each. He has extensive experience structuring investments (including cross-border investments) and advising as to SEC-registered and exempt capital markets transactions. Gary also regularly counsels registered and exempt investment advisers as to regulatory and compliance issues. His experience includes expert witness engagements in commercial litigation matters.
Prior to founding RLG predecessor firm Jackson Ross PLLC in 2013, Gary worked in the Capital Markets and Corporate Transactions & Securities practice groups at Sidley Austin LLP and Alston & Bird LLP, respectively. From 2009 to 2012, Gary served in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he oversaw contractors and financial agents engaged by Treasury to provide asset management, advisory, and other services relating to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
Gary is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School, has lectured at institutions such as the World Bank and schools such as Northwestern University School of Law, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, Fordham University School of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law and The New School, teaches Continuing Legal Education programs on securities law and startup financing, and is a frequent speaker on ethics for lawyers. He has been quoted in articles in MarketWatch, Corporate Counsel, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times and the Associated Press.
In addition to his RLG and teaching duties, Gary is a consultant (Senior Legal Counsel) to the World Bank. Gary advises the World Bank as to legal issues regarding venture capital, generally involving proposed legislation or plans for VC-type projects in developing countries.
Gary is active in the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, and has participated in the drafting for several of the ABA’s comment letters to various SEC proposed rules or requests for comments, primarily relating to exempt offerings.
Gary received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami.
Gregory A. Hartmann, Esq.
Gregory Hartmann is Senior Counsel at Ross Law Group, PLLC. Greg has extensive experience advising asset managers, investment banks, insurance companies, and other clients on a wide variety of transactional and regulatory matters. He has particular expertise in private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, and commercial contract matters.
Before joining RLG, Greg was Counsel with Sadis & Goldberg in New York, where he covered a variety of subjects, including asset management matters generally, fund formations, and early-stage investments, as well as various corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions.
Greg was formerly Deputy General Counsel at PineBridge Investments and Associate General Counsel at AIG Investments, where he was the Head of Asset Management Legal in New York and responsible for legal coverage of investment products and advisory arrangements representing over $50 billion in AUM. At AIG Investments, Greg provided advice on registered and private funds, separately managed accounts, regulatory and compliance issues, and broker-dealer and marketing matters.
Before joining AIG Investments, Greg was the General Counsel of a $6 billion AUM private equity and hedge fund manager, where he built the legal and compliance department and was in charge of registering the management company as a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior thereto, he was Senior Managing Director and General Counsel at the investment bank W.R. Hambrecht + Co., as well as General Counsel to a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.
Greg began his legal career with Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York City.
Greg holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame, an M.A. from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.