About Cheryl
Cheryl Allaire built a foundation in business before she ever set foot in a courtroom. She earned a B.B.A. in Business Administration from the University of San Diego in 1987 and stayed on to complete an M.B.A. in Business and Finance in 1989. She then turned to law and received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993.
Her early professional years combined finance and law. While still a student she worked as a law clerk in the Economic Crimes Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., in 1992. After law school she served as associate corporate counsel at Franklin Resources, Inc. (Franklin Templeton Investments) in 1993. Before moving fully into private practice, she also worked in finance as an auditor in the Specialized Finance Division at Security Pacific Credit Corporation in 1989.
Allaire moved into private law firms at the turn of the century. In 2000 she joined Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP in the business practice group. She later worked at Fisher Thurber LLP as an associate in the corporate/business practice group in 2003. In 2008 she became part of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP and then joined K&L Gates LLP in 2009, remaining in corporate and business practice roles through those transitions.
In 2012 she took on a counsel role in the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Practice Group at Perkins Coie LLP, counseling startups and investors on transactional matters. In 2014 she helped establish Mathieu, Ranum & Allaire, PLLC and serves in a co-managing capacity. She is active in bar activities and in the local innovation community. She is a member of the California State Bar since 1993 and joined the State Bar of Idaho in 2013. Since 2014 she has served as a mentor for the Ketchum Innovation Center.
Her combined business and legal background informs her practice. Colleagues describe her work as centered on corporate transactions, financings, governance and venture-related agreements. She has experience drafting and negotiating deals for both companies and investors, and she brings a practical understanding of financial structures from her earlier audit and in-house counsel roles.
Today she practices in Idaho and California, splitting her time between firm responsibilities and advising emerging companies and investors on corporate matters. Her current practice focuses on corporate transactions, venture financings and advising growing businesses.
