Overview
Dan is an experienced venture attorney who has spent over 35 years working with entrepreneurs to help their startups grow and thrive.
Dan has worked at the intersection of technology and content since the 1990s when he began handling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ video game and digital comic book publishing deals. In the video game space, Dan has represented developers, publishers, platforms, and technology and service providers. He has worked both as a corporate lawyer and commercial transactional lawyer in this space where he has helped developers through the formation and financing process, represented sellers and purchasers of publishing companies, and created videogame development, licensing, and publishing programs from scratch.
Dan has also been a partner with an AmLaw 100 firm where he focused on venture financing and large-scale private equity deals such as the purchase of Harmonix from Viacom by a private equity group. He went on to become a Series A investor in, and the General Counsel of, Oculus, where he was the lead attorney on its 2014 sale to Facebook for $2.3 billion.
In 2015 Dan started O&A, P.C., a venture law firm in Los Angeles, while also founding StartupProgram.com where he developed software and educational tools that automate the startup formation process for entrepreneurs. Dan is also an angel investor in numerous startups and a LP in various funds through Blue Heron Ventures, his family’s investment vehicle. Most recently, Dan has been working closely with entrepreneurs in the crypto gaming, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology areas.
Experience
Solutions in action
Credentials
- Boston University School of Management, Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), 1990
- Boston University School of Law, Juris Doctor (J.D.), 1989
- Yale College, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History, 1984
- California
- Massachusetts
Engagement
- Member, American Bar Association
Insights

Michael Best Welcomes Seasoned Employment Litigator David Szwarcsztejn as Partner in Labor & Employment Practice Group
Michael Best announced today the addition of David Szwarcsztejn as a Partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, based out of the Los…Read
Jun 23, 2025

Michael Best, Los Angeles-Based Venture Law Firm O&A, P.C. Complete Combination
Michael Best and venture law firm O&A, P.C. have formally combined effective July 1, 2024. Through the combination, Michael Best, the national Am Law 200 firm with offices in Colorado; Illinois; North Carolina; Texas; Utah; Washington, D.C.; and Wisconsin, has entered the California legal market, extending the firm’s exceptional legal services further into the Western U.S. The deal also serves as the latest expansion of Venture Best, a top-10 PitchBook-recognized venture practice with strong geographical footholds in Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.Read
Jul 9, 2024
