Darlene D. Chiang
Shareholder and Chair, Corporate
6801 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 210
Pleasanton, CA 94566
925-460-3367 | 925-224-7782
darlene.chiang@hogefenton.com
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Main Bio
Practice Overview
Darlene offers practical legal solutions to domestic and international clients, guiding them through critical lifecycle milestones such as formation, debt and equity financing, strategic technology transfers, commercial transactions, and successful mergers and acquisitions. With extensive experience, Darlene is a trusted advisor to high-growth companies, their investors, and mature privately held companies and founders. She is passionate about helping women entrepreneurs succeed and grow their business. Fluent in Chinese, she routinely assists international companies in establishing and expanding their U.S. presence.
Darlene has worked at several top 50 international firms and a prestigious ALM 200 California regional firm. She takes pride in her in-house experience, including managing the legal team at the U.S. subsidiary of SK Hynix, a prominent semiconductor company headquartered in Korea. Before her legal career, Darlene was an IT professional at Oracle.
Darlene also served as the group leader for Mackrell International’s Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Practice Group, part of a network of law firms in over 60 countries.
Representative Matters
- Represented PSF/Gallway, an Arizona based wealth advisory firm managing $1.1 billion in assets for clients from policy and fire departments, in its acquisition by Modern Wealth Management
- Represented Avitas Asset Management, a Los Angeles-based independent wealth advisory firm with more than $1.1 billion in RAUMs in its merger with Lido Advisors, LLC
- Represented a woman-owned wealth advisory firm in its $6MM acquisition by another woman-owned wealth advisory firm
- Represented Ensemble Capital Management, a San Francisco-based registered investment advisory firm with $1.8 billion in assets under management, in its acquisition by Corient
- Represented the U.S. subsidiaries of a Canadian transportation company in its $7MM debt financing from Export Development Canada (EDC)
- Represented two female founders in multiple transactions, facilitating the sale of substantial assets from their e-commerce business to two buyers for a total value exceeding $10 MM
- Represented a cutting edge waste management company in its $1.5 MM bridge financing
- Represented Cogir US in its multimillion-dollar acquisition of Cadence Living
- Represented the husband and wife owners of a Bay Area based hardware company in its $14 MM acquisition by a Taiwanese publicly traded company
- Represented Tibi Communication in its $210 MM acquisition by Ciena
- Represented the U.S. parent of an international packaging manufacturer in a transaction where its Chinese subsidiary acquired substantial assets from another U.S. company
- Represented a minority JV partner in its $22 MM buyout, selling its equity interest to the majority partner
- Represented a Chinese and an Irish semiconductor company to form a joint venture in the US
- Represented a packaging company in its owner exit to sell the business in its $7.5MM acquisition by a local private equity firm
- Represented radar cross-section (RCS) instruments and measurements services provider Sensor Concepts, Inc. in its $92MM acquisition by Raptor Scientific
- Represented a leading automobile collision assimilation software maker Livermore Software Technology in its $775MM acquisition by ANSYS
- Represented medical connector device manufacturer Onanon in its $32MM acquisition by Amphenol Corporation
- Represented R-Stor in its $45MM Series A investment by Cisco.
- Represented Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc. as the lead investor in Spin Memory’s $52MM Series B financing.
Practice Areas
- Business Transactions
- Corporate & Business Law
- Family Office Support
- International Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Tech Transactions
Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin, Shanghainese)
Education
- J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law
- B.A., Political Economy of Industrial Societies, University, and Department Honors, University of California, Berkeley
Admissions
- California
Affiliation & Awards
Professional Activities
Board Member and Secretary, Lazarex Cancer Foundation
Board Member, Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce
Representative Experience
Representative Matters
- Represented PSF/Gallway, an Arizona based wealth advisory firm managing $1.1 billion in assets for clients from policy and fire departments, in its acquisition by Modern Wealth Management
- Represented Avitas Asset Management, a Los Angeles-based independent wealth advisory firm with more than $1.1 billion in RAUMs in its merger with Lido Advisors, LLC
- Represented a woman-owned wealth advisory firm in its $6MM acquisition by another woman-owned wealth advisory firm
- Represented Ensemble Capital Management, a San Francisco-based registered investment advisory firm with $1.8 billion in assets under management, in its acquisition by Corient
- Represented the U.S. subsidiaries of a Canadian transportation company in its $7MM debt financing from Export Development Canada (EDC)
- Represented two female founders in multiple transactions, facilitating the sale of substantial assets from their e-commerce business to two buyers for a total value exceeding $10 MM
- Represented a cutting edge waste management company in its $1.5 MM bridge financing
- Represented Cogir US in its multimillion-dollar acquisition of Cadence Living
- Represented the husband and wife owners of a Bay Area based hardware company in its $14 MM acquisition by a Taiwanese publicly traded company
- Represented Tibi Communication in its $210 MM acquisition by Ciena
- Represented the U.S. parent of an international packaging manufacturer in a transaction where its Chinese subsidiary acquired substantial assets from another U.S. company
- Represented a minority JV partner in its $22 MM buyout, selling its equity interest to the majority partner
- Represented a Chinese and an Irish semiconductor company to form a joint venture in the US
- Represented a packaging company in its owner exit to sell the business in its $7.5MM acquisition by a local private equity firm
- Represented radar cross-section (RCS) instruments and measurements services provider Sensor Concepts, Inc. in its $92MM acquisition by Raptor Scientific
- Represented a leading automobile collision assimilation software maker Livermore Software Technology in its $775MM acquisition by ANSYS
- Represented medical connector device manufacturer Onanon in its $32MM acquisition by Amphenol Corporation
- Represented R-Stor in its $45MM Series A investment by Cisco.
- Represented Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc. as the lead investor in Spin Memory’s $52MM Series B financing.
- Represented Rakuten Inc.’s $100MM investment to participate in the $350 Million Series C financing of Rakuten Aspyrian Inc.
Speaking & Publications
Speaking Engagements & Publications
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- Author, Protecting Your Bottom Line: Adjusting Supply Chain Contracts to Mitigate Tariff Impacts, USLaw Magazine, Summer 2025
- Speaker, “Small Business Succession Planning,” Justice for Workers, Taxpayers & Small Business Owners program, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, May 2025
- Panelist, “M&A Outlook and Market Forecast for 2025,” Morgan Stanley Women and Wealth Planning the Excellent Exit Series, February 5, 2025
- Judge, Women Founders Network 2024 Fast Fitch Event, Los Angeles, October 29, 2024
- Panelist, “Exiting Planning 101,” Morgan Stanley Women and Wealth Planning the Excellent Exit Series, April 18, 2024
- Panelist, “Global ESG Landscape,” World Services Group (WSG) APAC Annual Regional Meeting, Bangkok, Thailand, November 29 – December 1, 2023
- Panelist, Women & Wealth Wine & Cheese Event, Morgan Stanley Women and Wealth Planning the Excellent Exit Series, San Francisco, November 8, 2023
- Author, SEC Amendments to Exempt Offering Framework, Hoge Fenton, April 12, 2021
- PPP Second Round Key Updates and More, Santa Clara County Association of Realtors (SCCAOR), March 18, 2021
- PPP Tax Implications, Hoge Fenton, November 5, 2020
- Protect Your IP While Doing Business in China, Hoge Fenton, October 23, 2020
- Your COVID-19 Funding & Employment Questions Answered, Hoge Fenton, April 23, 2020
- The FFRCA and CARES Act Update, Hoge Fenton, April 7, 2020
- Don’t Leave Money on the Table! IP Strategies to Grow Profits and Maximize Value, Hoge Fenton, October 23, 2019
- Keeping the Profits Flowing –A Retrospect of Legal Issues to Avoid that Hamper Growth, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, September 5, 2019
- “Getting to Know the US Law 101- Overview of Cross Border Startup Fundraising and the M&A Cycle”, Xhub Space, May 29, 2019
