Financial Services
Manufacturing
Professional Services
Technology, Information and Media
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage
Education
Active

Akin Adekeye

Fractional General Counsel / Chief Legal Officer

About Me

Technology - focused three - time general counsel / CLO with experience leading legal, corporate development, operational, compliance, and risk management functions in multiple sectors for PE - backed, venture - backed and public companies

Jurisdiction

United States

Notable Employer

  • Attorney, Developer Experience at Microsoft Corporation

Experience

Seniority LevelC-Suite
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Fractional General Counsel / Chief Legal OfficerUnified Law
2025 - Present

• Providing fractional general counsel services to help founder-led and private equity-backed companies grow, scale, and exit across SaaS, manufacturing, ecommerce, fintech, and aerospace

SVP & General CounselQuickbase, Inc.
2022 - 2025

• Advised Board and Executive Leadership Team and lead the legal and GRC functions for high-growth $300 million business • Rebuilt team of five attorneys from scratch following 100% attrition • Led Enterprise Risk Committee which serves as proxy for Board Audit Committee and has Board representation • Led due diligence, execution and integration for strategic M&A acquisition • Managed litigation portfolio and led business through three RIFs in two years

General Counsel4 Over International, LLC
2021 - 2022

• Led legal, compliance, safety, insurance and facilities for $400 million business • Managed active litigation and workers' compensation portfolio; settled California wage and hour class action lawsuit for 5% of estimated exposure) • Led M&A legal due diligence and deal execution in closing two concurrent strategic "tuck-in" acquisitions • Drove ~60% reduction in outside counsel spend within first 6 months in role • Achieved 50% legal risk reduction in manufacturing, through operations team collaboration

EVP & General CounselInnovative Interfaces Incorporated
2016 - 2021

• Advised Board and Executive Management Team and oversaw all compliance, regulatory, real estate, transactional, and litigation matters • Rebuilt and managed new team of attorneys and contracts managers • Revamped privacy and security policies and open-source software portfolio to achieve GDPR and Privacy Shield certifications and prepare for exit

Attorney, Developer ExperienceNotableMicrosoft Corporation
2016 - 2016

• Led team supporting global Developer Experience (DX) business, including sitting on DX Leadership Team, supporting 2 CVPs, 5 GMs and Microsoft Startup Accelerators in five countries, and Learning Experience (LEX) business • Supported go-to-market (GTM) efforts of DX teams on global independent software vendor (ISV) offerings and joint marketing and development agreements for Azure, Office 365 and Windows apps • Advised on matters involving artificial intelligence, open-source software, accessibility, privacy and data protection

Senior CounselCaradigm USA LLC
2015 - 2016

• Advised management on legal, IP, licensing, privacy and strategic matters; translated new healthcare legislation and regulations into market-leading business offerings • Advised on FDA, HIPAA, Sunshine Act, anti-kickback and other healthcare compliance matters • Structured, negotiated and closed complex license, cloud services, strategic alliance, distribution, reseller and vendor agreements to support company's healthcare IT business in US, Canada, EMEA and China

Associate General CounselWolters Kluwer ELM Solutions
2012 - 2015

• Chief Counsel for $100+ million enterprise legal management software business, advising on SaaS and license deals, and negotiating professional services agreements, SOWs and other partner and vendor contracts • Advised on deal strategy, mergers, acquisitions, general commercial law, intellectual property, data privacy, licensing, litigation and dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, and government contracting matters • Evaluated potential strategic exit transactions, including advising on successful $324 million sale of Datacert, Inc. to Wolters Kluwer; led post-acquisition integration of the legal function

Assistant Counsel, OperationsPratt & Whitney
2010 - 2012

• Provided day-to-day legal and strategic counsel to 12 subsidiaries, joint ventures and partnerships • Implemented improved international trade compliance and ethics policies and procedures in role as sole counsel to jet engine Customer Training Centers in East Hartford, CT and China • Provided legal and business advice on strategic initiatives, including: ○ Lead counsel on construction of jet engine assembly plant and third party logistics location in Quebec ○ Operations counsel on $432m sale of Power Systems business to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ○ Operations counsel on acquisition of $600m auxiliary power unit (APU) business

Assistant Vice President and Assistant CounselOppenheimerFunds, Inc.
2010 - 2010

• Advised equity investment team and mutual fund portfolio managers on buy side transactions involving portfolio securities, private placements, 144A securities, structured notes, futures and options, and on fund investment policies and restrictions, proxy voting and general corporate matters. • Counseled and supported the Equity Trade Management Oversight Committee, Proxy Voting Committee and Asset Allocation Committee, and drafted policies, procedures and internal memoranda relating to investing, trading and operations to comply with applicable laws and regulations. • Advised portfolio and back-office personnel on brokerage matters such as soft dollars, brokerage reporting to fund boards, best execution issues and trade quality testing.

Associate, Capital MarketsClifford Chance US LLP
2005 - 2010

• Represented public and private companies and underwriters in mergers, acquisitions, asset sales and purchases, initial public offerings (IPOs), and follow on offerings worth over $25 billion • Represented clients on regulatory matters before SEC, FINRA, CFTC, NFA and stock exchanges • Counseled leading investment managers, underwriters, financial guarantee insurers, issuers, investors and derivative and liquidity providers on structured finance transactions involving covered bonds, swaps, and securitizations of Asset Backed Securities, collateralized debt obligations, private equity and high yield bonds • Drafted, reviewed and negotiated registration statements, prospectuses, private placement memoranda, underwriting agreements, purchase / sale agreements, confidentiality agreements, NDAs, consultancy agreements, employment agreements, legal opinions and corporate formation documents • Developed financial restructuring "playbook" for "rescue financing" transactions during 2008 financial crisis • Member of Firm's Hiring Committee; Mentor, Legal Outreach Program

Education

Doctorate of Law (JD)Howard University School of Law
2002 - 2005
Masters of Business Administration (MBA)Indiana University
2012 - 2014
Masters of MS (Strategic Management)Indiana University
2012 - 2015
Degree of Computer Engineering & Computer Science University of Bridgeport
1998 - 2002

Certification

Total Certifications1

Licensed to practice law in New York, Connecticut, the District of Columbia and Texas

Skills

Core skills0
Languages1

Languages

English