People

Chris Jaap founded Ridgeline Law in February 2017. With more than 20 years of government, law firm, and in-house experience, he is a general business attorney, with a focus on corporate, finance, and securities matters.  

Chris advises entrepreneurs and investors as they start, run, or exit their businesses. Chris also serves as an outsourced general counsel for early stage companies and small businesses. 

Chris frequently advises clients when first incorporating businesses and negotiating investments, including both debt and equity financing. 

Chris works closely with clients to standardize their unique sales and services agreements, to protect his clients and their investments, and to minimize future third-party negotiations and legal expenses. 

For his larger clients, Chris also advises on internal staffing plans, best practices to reduce external legal costs, operational metrics for legal departments, and new policies and procedures to support compliance and operational initiatives. 

On each project, Chris always strives to identify practical and cost-effective solutions for his clients.

Chris earned his JD from Boston College Law School in 1998 and a BA in History, with a minor in Spanish, from Arizona State University, where graduated summa cum laude and was named the Outstanding Graduate in 1995 for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Chris advises clients in a variety of industries, including finance, healthcare, technology, real estate, energy, and professional services. 

Sample clients include a pharmaceuticals startup, various healthcare providers, a financial advisory firm, a fuel cell manufacturer, a solar PV panel recycling startup, individual investors and executives, a marketing agency, a fashion accessories designer, construction contractors, a landscape designer, a restaurateur, and various consultants.

Community Involvement

• Member, Executive Committee, Bar Association of San Francisco, Solo & Small Firm Section
• Chair, Board of Directors, The Sea Ranch Association
• Chair, Board of Directors, The Sea Ranch Water Company
• Member, Board of Directors, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
• Member, Executive Committee, Local Chapter, ProVisors
• President, Local Chapter, BNI
• Member, Commercial Transactions Committee, California Lawyers Association
• Alumni Chapter Leader, Boston College Law School
• Alumni Chapter Leader, Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University

Peter Stone serves as Outside General Counsel/Fractional CLO to businesses from startup stage through pre-public. Peter works on the most critical transactions in the life cycle of a business: formation, funding, and M&A. He acts as a mentor and strategic advisor. He works with his clients to create value and to prevent legal pitfalls from eroding the value of his clients businesses. Prior to joining Ridgeline, Peter started his own firm, and previously he was a member of the corporate practice at Hopkins & Carley. Prior to that, he was a co-founder, CFO and General Counsel at Aeris, a global leader in IoT solutions. He is a former partner at Cooley in Palo Alto.