Donald L. Winkle

“I practice primarily in the areas of business, nonprofit, and real estate matters, including entity formations, mergers, acquisitions, and debt and equity finance. I assist businesses with operational concerns, including distributor agreements, leases and equipment purchases. My clients include craft breweries, wineries, software developers, event promoters, property holding companies and nonprofits.”

Don Winkle practices primarily in the areas of business and real estate transactions including corporation; nonprofit, LLC and partnership formation and succession planning; negotiating and closing business transactions of all kinds such as stock and asset purchase agreements, UCC secured transactions, manufacturing contracts, and various employment-related contracts. Don has also negotiated, drafted, and closed a number of real estate transactions including office and industrial leases, construction contracts, financing agreements, and real estate partnerships. An avid cyclist for over twenty years, Don has a keen interest in the area of sports law, actively developing a sports-related practice by negotiating and drafting sports-related contractual agreements and assisting with the development and formation of sports-related entities. Prior to his law career, Don worked in the high technology sector. As the Engineering Manager for Serra Systems of Healdsburg, he was responsible for negotiating and reviewing contracts and specifications for new projects, reviewing and updating Serra Systems’ (and its parent company, E&M Electric) standard form agreements, designing specific procedures for implementing service contracts, reviewing software usage to ensure compliance with applicable license agreements, reviewing copyright policies, and developing procedures to protect the organization’s intellectual property. As a consequence of this background, Don has provided similar services to his business clients. Additionally, Don’s upper-level management business background provides him with a unique dual perspective when dealing with the day-to-day needs of his business clients. Since 2004, Don has been providing pro bono work for the Disability Services and Legal Center (DSLC). Often taking on some of the Clinic’s more difficult cases, Don has successfully argued and won the majority of these cases. In one such case, upon receiving a negative decision, Don drafted the appellant brief and then, on remand, argued and won the case. Don also serves on the DSLC board of directors. In addition to his law degree, Don holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. Don is a decorated veteran of the United States Navy Submarine service and a lifelong resident of Sonoma County. Prior to joining Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP, Don was an associate with Sonoma Law Group Inc.