Celesq® Presenters

Gary J. Ross is a leading securities law practitioner who focuses his practice on facilitating private offerings of securities and on forming and advising private equity and venture capital funds. 

Gary represents domestic and international investment funds in the U.S., South Asia, and Africa. He has represented fund sponsors across the spectrum in the formation and management of private funds, from well-known, large-dollar VC firms to smaller VCs forming seed and early-stage micro-funds and SPVs. He also frequently represents investors in funds. Most of Gary’s fund-related clients are focused on investing in the tech sector. 

In addition to his fund practice, Gary advises emerging growth companies (and other sellers/purchasers) as to a wide variety of securities registration exemptions, for both primary offerings of securities and secondary purchases. He has guided clients through successful offerings conducted under Regulation D, Regulation A, and Regulation Crowdfunding, as well as selling or purchasing securities pursuant to Rule 144, Section 4(a)(1 ½), and Section 4(a)(7). Gary is deeply knowledgeable as to the rules and regulations relating to exempt transactions. His experience includes testifying in court as an expert on securities law matters. 

Gary is co-chair of the annual ALI-CLE Regulation D Offerings and Private Placements program, widely regarded as the gold standard of Reg D programs. (He invites you to join him and the rest of the faculty next Spring in Scottsdale, Arizona.) 

Gary is the creator and host of the American Bar Association podcast series VC Law, which can be accessed on Spotify and through the ABA’s website. Gary is active in the Business Law Section of the ABA, and has participated in the drafting for several of the ABA’s comment letters to the SEC regarding various proposed rules or requests for comments. He is on the ABA Business Law Section’s Programs Board and is the current ABA Editorial Board Producer for Securities Law. 

Prior to founding RLG predecessor firm Jackson Ross PLLC in 2013, Gary worked in the Capital Markets practice group at Sidley Austin LLP and the Corporate Transactions & Securities group at Alston & Bird LLP. 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 was an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School for five years, 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, and frequently teaches Continuing Legal Education programs on various aspects of securities laws. He has been quoted in articles in Law360, MarketWatch, Corporate Counsel, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times and the Associated Press. 

Gary has also served as a consultant (Senior Legal Counsel) to the World Bank. Gary has advised the World Bank as to legal issues regarding venture capital, generally involving proposed legislation or plans for VC-type projects in developing countries. 

Prior to attending law school, Gary waited tables & bartended for five years, and then spent two years as a social worker with the Tennessee Department of Human Services. 

Gary is a marathon runner and a New York Jets season ticket holder. Both of these pastimes bring him a lot of pain for only a few moments of pleasure.