Gary Hiller

Gary is a seasoned business advisor who leverages for clients' benefit his combined experiences as a corporate transactional lawyer trained at a large national law firm and as a senior executive at privately held companies.  Gary is Of-Counsel in the firm's transactional practice group and focuses on structuring strategic opportunities that are presented to clients, including new ventures, acquisitions, divestitures, business combinations and joint ventures.  He is also a recognized thought-leader and regulatory compliance advisor for individuals and entities operating in California's nascent medical marijuana industries spawned by the 2003 Medical Marijuana Program Act and 1996 Compassionate Use Act.

Gary received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988 and earned his JD from Loyola Law School, where he graduated cum laude and Order of the Coif.  He received American Jurisprudence Awards in Commercial Law and Legal Writing, was Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Journal, and was a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society.

Following law school, Gary practiced in the corporate finance group of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, where he represented business entities, investment banks, financial institutions and investors in a broad range of corporate and securities transactions.  While at Stroock, Gary gained significant experience negotiating and structuring stock and asset deals; credit facilities; debt and equity securities offerings; asset-backed securitizations; and shareholder, employment and settlement agreements.

In 2000, Gary was recruited to join Creative Planet, Inc. a venture-backed company providing business information services and project management solutions to the entertainment industry.  After serving as General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Gary assumed the lead management role at a difficult time for the company.  As President and CEO, Gary implemented a corporate stabilization, restructuring and turn-around effort that transformed the company from a highly leveraged, cash burning, undervalued asset, into a profitable and attractive acquisition target that reported positive quarterly earnings for the first time in its history.  The company's new marketplace strength and healthier balance sheet led to a desirable cash-out merger transaction for shareholders.

In 2006, Gary joined MovieTickets.com as founder and President of a new Market Research Division where he identified and launched new, high-margin, ancillary revenue streams revolving around innovative market research services.

Prior to law school, Gary spent six years in Washington, DC engaged in political consulting, lobbying and campaign work.

Gary is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Foundation Fellowship program and is a member of the boards of directors of LimmudLA and the Young Israel of Century City.